


Folle Sagesse

by AnniKay



Series: French Lessons [8]
Category: Glee
Genre: F/F, F/M, French Lesson Series, KAMA - Freeform, Learning French Series, M/M, Multi, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Other, Post-Season/Series 03 AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-06-05 04:30:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 43
Words: 510,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6689248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnniKay/pseuds/AnniKay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>KAMA & Friends' sophomore year of college and their music career. PLEASE NOTE: Thanks for this story's title goes to MsLadyThankYouVeryMuch. The Title translates into Foolish Wisdom, which is the definition of the word sophomore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pardon Me (Incubus)

**Author's Note:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to comment! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & commentators of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.

Pardon Me (Incubus)  
Mercedes PoV

We must have lost our freaking minds. That was really the only explanation for how the hell we thought we could go from the summer we’d just experienced straight into the school year without any break at all. And even more we were working full time and taking two full course loads. The first week back in New York, we had absolutely no time to breathe let alone to think. We got in Monday afternoon and immediately had a fairly long meeting with our new bodyguards. They laid out a whole new set of ‘guidelines’ that were actually pretty much our new way of life. Sam, Noah and I were each presented with bracelets that contained a tracker. Whoever had done the purchasing had gotten things really right. Mine was a cute Michael Kors silver and black toggle link bracelet, that was actually soldered on so that only Hector, Rangeman’s tech guru or his New York counterpart ‘Grunt’…I decided not to ask; only those two could remove it. Both of my men received silver and black David Yurman chevron bracelets…their clasps were soldered together as well.

“Is it really necessary to make them unremovable?” Sam asked quietly. Everyone knew that he was asking more about me than him or Puck since they barely wore jewelry, just their ‘wedding’ rings. “What about when we wash our hands or shower?”

Grunt simply grunted, Hector said something in rapid Spanish. It was Manny who explained. “Unfortunately yes. It helps to prevent against acts of rebellion, acts of malice and acts of God. Do not worry, the tracker chips are well insulated and completely water proof.”

Ranger, via skype, and his men told us that we were no longer going to be able to take the subway to our classes…hardly at all. Instead, we’d be using the Tahoe or Rangeman’s vehicles or the boys would use Puck’s bike. “We’ve already placed trackers on both of your private vehicles; we have a third one for Sam if he decides to get his own during the course of the contract.”

Puck scoffed. “I didn’t decide to get my bike. Don’t get me wrong, I love it and it is perfect…wouldn’t trade it for the world, but my husband and wife got me that ride.” He said proudly. Then he got that look in his eye. “Sexy Mama, we should totally get Sammy Boy a bike of his own.”

Sam shook his head. “In case it slipped your mind, I don’t actually know how to ride a motorcycle. I mean, yeah I’ve been on the back of yours, but I don’t actually know how to ride one by myself.”

“You can ride a horse, can’t you?” Noah shot back. “Same thing.”

“Well, that was an amazingly gross simplification…to the point of being actually wrong.” Santana added her two cents from over by the menu drawer. “You do realize that you basically just said that since Trouty can ride a bicycle then he can automatically ride a motorcycle?”

Before Puck could launch a rejoinder, Binkie spoke quietly, “We can teach you.”

“Okay, cool…thank you.” Sam replied sensing that Binkie was like his grandpa had been, very quiet and not one to speak up. He was not going to do anything to make the older man clam up unnecessarily.

“Yeah, thank you.” I agreed and then Puck cosigned. I didn’t ask for any lessons myself. I’d have to get up the nerve to even be a passenger on one of those things before I could actually learn to ride one solo.

“We can get you something cool to learn on. Harley’s are not beginner bikes.” Puck added. “I learned on a Yamaha SR 400.”

Sam shrugged. “I wouldn’t want to have the same bike as you anyway…that seems too matchy…too cutesy. My grandpa had a Triumph Bonneville that he would take MeMaw out on sometimes when they were young. I saw the pictures in MeMaw’s photo albums…I can get a Triumph.”

Ranger spoke out from the iPad on the table. “I have a guy who can get you a good deal on a Bonneville T120…I’ll put him in touch with Ms. Friedman. But we should return to the matter at hand.”

“Wifey is working on getting us the clearance we need to canvas the campus while you guys are in class. As we alluded to earlier, we will need to escort you to and from campus for the next few weeks as well as to all of your appearances and events.” Manny said with a calming grin.

With her trademark efficiency, Hudson quickly pulled out her iPad and shot off an email with several attachments of our class schedule and group calendar. Haja came over to the table. “I’ve got one more to add. With everything that has been going on, I don’t know if you’ve heard that Joan Rivers is in a coma at Mount Sinai, something went wrong when she was having a procedure at a doctor’s office.”

“Oh My God.” I gasped. “Hudson, please send…I think in her book she said that she loved orchids. Send a nice arrangement to Mrs. Rivers and if anyone can find out where her daughter and grandson are staying, send them a meal…with going back and forth…or even staying at the hospital, there is no way they feel like cooking or ordering anything at all.”

Ranger said something to Hector in Spanish and in a few minutes, Hudson had all the information she needed. Puck and Sam pulled me back from a fully catered meal, pointing out that they probably didn’t feel much like eating. So, instead, we sent edible arrangements for Melissa Rivers and her son. Once all those arrangements had been settled and the language of the cards decided upon, then we yielded the floor back to Haja. “Anyway, they didn’t say who or why but The Daily Show had a cancellation for Wednesday night’s taping. I was able to get the three of you in front of Jon Stewart. It’s not a performance, so you will simply be acting as activists for your causes.”

I was more than a little worried about going on a talk show with such little preparation time. When I stated as much, Bradley spoke up. “You have nothing to worry about. You three have the benefit of sincerity. You aren’t talking about these issues because they are trending or because they are popular. You are discussing issues that have meaning and importance to you. You don’t have to have all the answers, but you are not wrong that the questions need to be asked.”

“I will get you current police brutality statistics and the current differences between American gun laws and the rest of the major superpower countries.” Hudson assured us.

Suddenly a female voice drifted over the Skype connection. “Do these kids realize that there are only twenty-four hours in a day and seven days in a week? There is absolutely no time in these schedules for basic human upkeep…when are they going to clean their bathroom or do their laundry or eat a real meal? Ranger, they need an Ella.”

“Babe, if they decide that they want or need a housekeeper, then they can hire a housekeeper.” The usually taciturn man seemed to be almost about to smile.

“We’ll run the background check on them right? I mean, Ranger that voice…we have to…they can hear me can’t they?” Stephanie Plum came into view for just a second before squeaking and pulling back. “Ya coulda told me that you were skyping with your clients Ranger.”

“Like you didn’t adopt them when you heard her sing your favorite love song.” Bones teased over the Skype connection with an almost familial smile.

Stephanie didn’t come back into the camera, but she did shout a rebuttal, “She opened her mouth and Whitney in her prime came out…only better somehow, like her voice was purer or something. I defy anyone to hear her sing that song and not want to carry her around in their pocket to hear her sing whenever they can.”

“They do, Babe…it’s called an iPod.” Ranger’s voice was dead pan. “Did you need something other than to state that the music group who is trying to complete college while launching a seriously successful musical career have very busy schedules?”

I couldn’t even see the woman he was talking to. I’d met her one time for a grand total of five minutes and yet I could almost, literally, hear her roll her eyes. “Yes, Mr. Manoso, I have gotten approval from the Deans of Students at both Julliard and Columbia for the Merry Men to carry on campus. However, Dr. Valentini would like two small…tiny…miniscule really, favors.”

“Babe?” Ranger asked, don’t know how I knew that it was a question but it felt like a question.

“He would like Manny…since he’s a former prosecutor and Federal agent to speak to the criminal justice majors and he’d like one of the former military guys to speak to the ROTC.” She answered.

Ranger’s focus shifted back to the men in the dining room of our brownstone. He didn’t say a word, just gave Manny and Caesar a look and both men expressed their agreement to the assignments. That turned everyone’s attention back to us. “Stephanie may have been a little presumptuous, but I have to admit, she isn’t wrong. Your schedule is rather full.”

I shrugged and looked over the week in front of us. “Not every week is going to be as bad as this one.” I tried to be positive. If only I had never said such a stupid thing. The next hour was spent with the Rangemen detailing the services they would provide us and their expectations of us. I kind of wondered why so much emphasis was put on not trying to lose our guards. We were paying them to be there…just in case. Wouldn’t it have been a massive waste of money to ditch them for little to no reason?

Finally, Santana came in with enough delivery Chinese to feed a small nation…or apparently a bunch of Rangemen and all the rest of us. “The tenants are all here and good. Jamie said to let Kurt know that the NYADA people accepted his request for the classes he missed last week to be excused. She has a note for him from Ms. Tibideaux sent through her, but she said she will give it to him in the morning on their way to campus. Gotta say, Cooper is a decent houseboy even if he can’t get the bathrooms as clean as you do Niecy Nash. Still, it wasn’t too bad considering how much money he and Richie Bitch grew up with. If the overnight shift is staying here, I made sure that our guest rooms are good to go. Now, it’s time to put away planning the Charge of the Light Brigade and eat dinner.”

Ranger smiled…or as close to it as he had come when he’d been looking at Ms. Plum earlier. “Very well Ms. Lopez, all of you have a nice evening.”

As he was signing off, I heard Ms. Plum’s voice gasp, “You used good phone manners.” Apparently, that was something of a running joke with the Rangemen. Several of our body guards had a very good laugh at her expense. We actually ended up with Binkie and Manny spending the night at the brownstone, though that was more just to finalize a few things and so that they would be available in the morning since our day would start before seven thirty. Despite the fact that it was barely eight in the evening, we said good night to our friends and headed to bed early. We headed up to our room and Sam and I changed our bedding since we hadn’t really done so since we left in May. We also took twenty minutes to get our bags ready for classes which started the next morning.

We shared a nice relaxing bath, made love and were asleep by eleven. The next morning my alarm went off at six and by the time we left the house at seven thirty, I was starting to become far more comfortable with the thought of getting a housekeeper. Cooper had, per the rent free place to stay agreement, gotten up and made us breakfast, but other than the smoothie and bacon, he’d not successfully managed to make anything edible. In the Tahoe, it was kind of weird to hand to keys over to Binkie and the three of us were cuddled together in the back seat. But it was nice too, because we had twenty minutes to cuddle and talk in the backseat, getting ready for the first day of classes and Sam and Puck talking me down from my start of school high.

Looking at our schedule for the day though, I knew that there wouldn’t be any time to dwell in those moments of quiet and love. My first class of the day started at ten after eight. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I had a hundred level political science course called Political Theory. I had a long break between that class and my eleven thirty Intro to Marketing class at least on Tuesday, Thursday, we had a seminar that combined two sections of the political theory class that started like fifteen minutes after the class itself ended. Sam was in the other section of the political theory class that my class shared the seminar with, so he and I made plans to sit together. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, my eight ten class was a European literature class that focused on the classics of philosophy and satisfied one of my core curricula requirements. Almost all of my classes that year were focused on the core requirements. It meant that my last two years of college could be focused on my business management classes. I had a computer science class right before lunch three days a week that I shared with Noah, and Sam had a morning psych class with him too. We had been able to get one, three day a week computer science class with all three of us together, so we were still quite happy with how we’d worked our schedules out.

My Juilliard classes didn’t start until two-thirty three days a week and at a quarter to three for the other two. I was done by five every day thankfully. I was looking forward to my Acting for Singers and Text and the singer classes, but I was still trying to understand what on earth the ‘Phonics’ class was going to entail. I wasn’t trying to be cocky, but I was pretty sure I was going ace my Intro to Vocal Performance class. Manny and Binkie had driven us to campus that morning and dropped us off at Columbia where Bones and Ramon met us to be a visible presence with us and keep the lookielus and autograph seekers. Manny and Binkie met us at Broadway and One Fourteenth and drove us to Juilliard. But after all our classes, it was Chet and Caeser, accompanied by Hudson, that picked us up and drove us to the Warner offices to meet with Michael Haussman who would be directing the last of the videos from our debut CD. Deborah and Anika had worked with Haja interviewing directors while we were on tour and selected Mr. Haussman. That evening we were meeting him to hear the concept for the video and find out where we had to be that Saturday morning.

Michael Haussman was a tall, thin, older white man who dressed like a hipster and kind of put me in the mind of Matthew McConaughey. As soon as we all got settled in our conference room, Mr. Haussman told us to call him Michael before he launched directly into his schpeal. “Mercedes, I have to say, your voice is one of the most beautiful I’ve heard in a very long time. Puck and Sam, let me tell you, you guys aren’t even done with school yet and your guitar solos are almost Frampton-esque. I’ve made a study of your other videos and your TV performances and interviews and I am planning on going in an entirely different and unexpected direction for this video, much like the song is pretty different from the rest of your album.”

“What do you have in mind?” Sam asked preening a little at the compliment.

“I have a rented a couple of suites at the Hotel Ganesvoort’s Meatpacking location and their pool for all day Saturday. The shoot will just be the three of you in the pool and lounging or maybe dancing together in and around the suite. I want to show everyone the love and romance, and yes, the sensuality of your relationship…tastefully of course. It will be simple and elegant and yet erotic and loving.” He explained with a wicked grin.

I looked over at Anika and saw that she looked a little worried. I took that to mean that she was thinking probably the same thing that I was, “I’m not sure that may be the best of ideas…” I started quietly.

But Michael was not to be denied. “No, it is exactly the best idea. You’re worried about the reactions of your haters and your doubters. But that is exactly why you need to show them how wrong they are. I saw the comments under your videos on YouTube and on your social media pages. You have haters. You have people who swear that since you’re a size sixteen or eighteen you can’t be sexy, you can’t be hot, you can’t be sensual. Some of them even have the nerve to question the veracity of your relationship with Sam and Puck. But you know what I saw in your movements and your dancing. You are sexy, you are hot, you are sensual. You have a grace of movement and dance and an awareness of self that all combine to make you beautiful in a way that is hardly ever seen in girls your age. Your fiancés see it. It’s time to show the world.”

“Besides, we film Saturday…it’s kind of too late to make any major changes.” Deborah said gently. “Anika and I have already purchased your wardrobe. I promise that you will be comfortable and confident.”

“I’m holding you too that.” I grumbled knowing I had lost the fight. It was too late to make any changes so there was no point in complaining about what they had set up. All I could do was do the best I could and pray for the best possible results.

For some reason, everyone at the table, even the Rangemen, found my grumbled response hilarious. I wasn’t joking though. Soon Hudson had Saturday’s schedule integrated into our calendar, which wasn’t hard, we’d blocked the whole day to film the video and left Sunday light in case we needed to reshoot anything. Once I agreed to the concept; I was the only hold out, Noah and Sam thought it was the best idea in the history of ideas; the meeting wrapped up quickly. There was a brief discussion of the things Lyor wanted us to focus on after our win the previous night, including increasing our activism as much as our schedule would allow. He wanted us to make our mark on the global scene; there were mentions of Bono and U2. An English newspaper that had just started tracking US police shootings had already reached out to Warner to find out how to contact us for an interview. “You have the full backing of Warner’s legal and PR departments.” Anika assured us.

The meeting wrapped up soon thereafter. Just before we left, I got a text from Uncle Ethan, ‘Do not forget you guys are having dinner with us bring whoever you need to get Daniel up to speed.’ I was so grateful for the text, because I had completely forgotten about the dinner we’d agreed to the night before when there had been no time to meet with Daniel because we were exhausted and had the meeting with Mr. Manoso and his men. I thought for a long hard minute. “Hudson, if I find something online to wear for The Daily Show tomorrow and arrange to have it available for pickup at whichever store, would you mind…very much…going and picking it up and bringing it to me so I can change for the taping?” I asked sweetly.

Hudson looked at me like I had grown a second head. “You do realize that that is literally part of my job description?” she asked me in return, her voice totally deadpan.

Sam, Puck and I looked at each other and ultimately shrugged. “No…we kind of thought it was one of those things we’d only ask in an emergency and then give you a bonus for.” I answered her honestly.

“Yeah, I mean…it’s one thing to ask you to manage our professional calendar and, well, life…but things like picking up our dry cleaning or doing our shopping that’d be kind of fucked up to ask you to do for us.” Puck agreed.

Hudson shook her head. “Good thing I took it on myself to arrange for your nonfood household shopping to be done and delivered. I’d have already begun taking and retrieving your dry cleaning, but I don’t actually know which cleaners you use. You know, Ms. Plum had a valid point last night. If I’m not going to be doing those things for you, they you will definitely need a housekeeper.

“Only rich people have housekeepers.” Sam argued.

Chet, Caesar and Hudson all stopped and looked at us like we had truly lost our minds. “Man, I’m not trying to get all up in your business…and I know that the music industry has some issues with artists making money off their albums, but I thought you guys wrote your own songs?” Caesar finally asked quietly.

“We do.” I said proudly. “We only had one song we didn’t write on our entire first album.”

Finally Hudson put things together. She realized that we had the money; we just didn’t really make the connection to how well we were actually doing and what it really meant. “Okay, Sam…Mercedes…Noah, I hate to be the one to break it to you. I mean, I know that you do this to make great music not heaps of money…but guys…you are officially rich.”

“Shut the front door.” Sam breathed sarcastically. “I know that we have the money…I’m not a moron. But I mean…a housekeeper. Are we really ‘Those People’?”

Hudson sighed. “Sam, you guys are in classes from around eight in the morning to five-five thirty in the evening. Even on the nights you don’t have meetings after you do have homework and band practices and you are getting ready to start spending your Saturdays in the studio again next semester. This semester, you have two major magazine interviews and two video shoots scheduled…the second is scheduled as an all weekend thing because you are making videos to go along with like ten of twenty tracks from your Christmas album. When you aren’t working weekends, I have got to schedule Mercedes’ physical up keep like waxing and spa appointments and her hair appointments. Then there is the fact that you told Brantley and Haja that if you didn’t have anything on your schedule they could book you a few local events. You guys, honestly, barely have time to breathe, yet alone try to keep up with your daily chores.”

“Well damn…when do we sleep?” Sam joked.

“Forget sleep, you do have time to bone on that thing…right?” Puck shot back.

I don’t believe that anyone will ever understand how happy I was that we’d gotten to Uncle Ethan’s house in that moment. Hudson had gotten her feet under her with Puck and realized that the only way to live with him was to give as good as you got. The shy and kind of reclusive side of her personality had totally left the building in that relationship. I didn’t want to know what she would have come back with. I texted Uncle Ethan to let him know we were there and before I knew it, Chet and Caesar had us out of the Tahoe and into the apartment. Haja and Darcy were already there waiting on us in the living room. I expected Darcy to beat us there; she only had to come up the stairs. They were already talking with Ethan and Daniel.

Daniel gave me a big hug. “Hey Ain’t Got No Mercy.”

I punched him in the arm. “Why do you call me that? I’m a very nice person.” It never failed. The first time I saw Daniel after a minute, he calls me that ridiculous nickname.

My eldest Harris cousin just laughed. “Because, over the years, I could never tell who I was protecting when I redirected Hannah from bothering you…you from being bothered or her from your retaliation.”

I opened my mouth to bat back at him when it was like suddenly I was seeing a montage of the different Harris Reunions over the years. The first one that was really clear was when I was six and Hannah had destroyed my sandcastle and walked away laughing at my pain. Daniel had been a teenager, a manly man of fifteen, but he took the time to dry my tears and help me rebuild it. But the next year, every time I saw him he was taking Hannah away. “Oh my God…I thought that you were going off with Hannah because you liked her better.” I finally said honestly shocked that he had been doing it to help me.

He rolled his green eyes. “Hell no, before she met your cousin, that child was a total pain in my ass. I’d take her inside and sit her with one of the great-aunts who would correct her posture and manners until she was ready to run screaming for Aunt Arielle.” He gave me a wicked grin. “I only stopped once you got old enough to fight back. But then I had to slip in and turn her away when you’d get your ‘I wish a bitch would’ look in your eye. That summer after you turned thirteen, I had five of the other cousins making sure that we kept Hannah from bothering you or going to the pool when you were down there, because that year I was sure if you could figure out how to get away with it…you’d have drowned her ass and claimed it was a tragic accident for sure.”

I shrugged noncommittally. “I may have…I admit nothing.” Everyone in the room laughed. “How is Riker?” I said to change the subject and because I wanted to know.

“She’s good. Looking forward to coming to see you…trying not to get too excited until we know for sure if we really will be moving to this coast.” He joked. “She and her partner are bigging y’all up all around the precinct. Thankfully since they are in Seattle…and you know how everyone out there tries to play like they are so much more enlightened than the rest of the plebs in this country, they aren’t hearing too much bullshit from the other cops the work with. She called me this morning to say that during the shift meeting, the Lieutenant made a big deal about how when they were walking their beats they needed to be the kind of cops Puck said populated the Lima PD. But that doesn’t really mean much since Riker knows that he knows that she is connected to you guys. For the last couple of months, whenever it’s clean, Riker has been wearing her KAMA tee shirt that Dad sent us after your drop party.”

Before we could delve any deeper into that subject, Adam came running in and climbed me like the little Monkey he was. “MeDe! Sing me a song.” EJ or Adam…depending on which nickname you preferred…he answered to either, was my biggest fan. He looked up at me in total adoration and expectation, so I had to give him a song. Prince’s ‘Starfish and Coffee’ later and the little man was happy and Amanda was calling us for dinner.

“Wow, Amanda…everything looks great.” Sam complemented her as we took our seats around their big dining room table.

“Thanks Sam…but I can’t take the credit. I only made it home about an hour ago. Ethan made dinner.” She said giving my favorite Harris uncle a big smile.

Ethan deflected too. “Daniel helped. And he watched the baby while I went and picked Adam up from school.”

“Well, whoever cooked, it is awesome.” Puck finally said, thankfully after he swallowed his first mouthful of the cedar plank salmon. He wasn’t wrong. The salmon was amazing. The roasted vegetable rice pilaf was even better and the steamed spinach was almost restaurant quality.

As we ate, we talked shop. “Haja told me about The Daily Show tomorrow.” Daniel started with a grin. “That is great. Jon Stewart will be one of the best jumping off places for you guys. Now I have to ask are you determined to be activists as well as singers?”

I shrugged. “I don’t think we have a choice. I mean, we are naturally opinionated people. We are naturally stubborn people. We watch the news and if we see something that bothers us, we’ll probably decide that we should speak out again.”

Darcy spoke up then. “If you come out as activists…which, not to be funny…but you’ve really been all along. Body shaming and positive body images and your beliefs on your faith have been a part of every interview you’ve done. Sam…you’re building a shelter for homeless families. Puck, Mercedes…you’ve both helped your synagogue and church back in Lima. But straight up truth…we need to put all of that stuff you’ve been doing behind the scenes on front street. It will let people know that you aren’t all talk. That you put your money where your mouths are.”

Yeah…that led to a fifteen minute argument that Sam and I so lost. Puck didn’t care one way or another. But Sam and I felt that the things we did to help others were our business and we didn’t need everyone knowing about stuff like that. Finally, though, the logic was inescapable. If we wanted to be taken seriously…the world would have to know at least about the scholarships and the homeless shelter. That conversation led to another fight that thankfully Sam, Puck and I won.

“Have you guys thought about starting a foundation to do your giving through?” Uncle Ethan asked us with a happy little grin. He was so weird sometimes.

We all shook our heads vehemently. “No. There are more than enough real foundations out there doing real work…great work. The last thing we need to do is create our own and take away from one of those. Or one that is so limited and that I will eventually stagnate and disappear. No.” Puck finally got them to understand our position.

“That’s fine.” Daniel finally capitulated. “Okay, so we know how we are moving forward. Now, I have to tell you, you will never hear me spouting that BS line that there is now such thing as bad publicity. There sure as hell is. So, I’m going to ask you…is there anything that could come back and bite us in the ass later?”

Puck shook his head. “Everybody already knows about my dirt. Did six weeks in Juvie and another six months of community service for trying to bust open an ATM. Knocked up my best friend’s girl and had a baby out of wedlock before that. Was a bully and an asshole before that.”

“Don’t forget boffed your way through three quarters of the MILFs in Allen County.” Sam pointed out.

I smirked, “and three quarters of their daughters too.”

He made a face at me before smiling wickedly. “You know, you tease me about that a lot considering that you are the primary beneficiary of all the stuff I learned from those chicks.”

Daniel took that to the total extreme. “Please, for the love of God, tell me there are no sex tapes out there?”

“Oh please, if you knew how long and hard we had to beg to get her to take a naughty picture…” Sam blurted. “Um. Um..um…not that she ever let us take one. Yeah, Mercy would never, ever do that. And if she did, she wouldn’t keep it in an encrypted and password protected file on a special flash drive that she keeps hidden in her jewelry safe.” He babbled. Puck and I both slapped our hands over his mouth to stop him from speaking. Not that there was anything else to tell, but better safe than sorry.

“Oh yeah, that in no way tells us all that you and Puck took sexy pictures or where we can find them.” Darcy rolled her eyes.

Amanda just laughed. “Never believe that everyone doesn’t do it. Every woman out there has a half-naked Polaroid or seminude selfie or something that she took for her man. Benz, at least, has hers under lock and key every way she can think of.”

I looked at Darcy and she was blushing which said to me that she was one of the women Amanda was speaking about. Hudson looked about as noninvolved as she always did when people started to talk about sex. The subject just didn’t interest her. Haja, however, had us all rolling when he put in his two cents. “It’s not just women…there are three or four ex-boyfriends out there with incriminating pictures of me. Probably guys don’t have to work too hard to convince other guys to do stuff like that.”

“Any way back to the subject at hand.” Daniel finally said when he could speak without dying in laughter. “So Sam…you’re good?”

My blond husband nodded. “Yeah…I mean…actually I guess, my kin are kind of a train wreck, a bunch of racists and KKKers that I’ve never met on one side and the Puckett side…well, actually for the most part they are all pretty damn awesome, but they also have a pretty tenuous relationship with the legal system. Like two of my Momma’s first cousins got out last spring from joint five year bids.”

I looked thoughtful. “Um…speaking of interesting relationships with law enforcement. One of our background singers kind of used to be the muscle for a pimp back before they moved to New York. Never got busted and doesn’t have a criminal record of any kind…but she was very up front with us, so I figured I should be just as up front with you. If it helps any, the pimp, in question is working on going legit and hasn’t got a record himself…not for that.”

The reactions around the table were vastly different. Hudson looked mildly interested as did Chet and Caesar who Amanda and Uncle Ethan had pretty much demanded join us too. Of course, Adam cared even less than those three. Haja already knew. Both Uncle Ethan and Amanda wanted to know what I meant about him working to go legit and Daniel only cared that Xena had no paper trail connecting her to the illicit business. “Actually, she filed taxes all three years she worked for him. He had a front that he paid her through and paid his taxes through.” Puck said with a smirk. “Everybody with sense fears the IRS.”

“Yeah, but the front, provides her and therefore you some protection…which is probably why he paid her through the front rather than more directly.” Amanda pointed out. Unlike Daniel and most of the rest of the table, Amanda had no problem with prostitution. She had a firmly held belief that the reason most societies had elected to legislate against the business was simple misogyny. When prostitution was legal and properly regulated, women benefited from the practice in far greater numbers than men. No patriarchal society liked it when women had ways to attain wealth that they couldn’t control and get a cut from…therefore it had to be marginalized and criminalized. She had done a dissertation on it in college. Momma had a copy…I’d read it one summer day in sixth grade when Kurt was visiting his mom’s brother and I’d been so bored I would have watched paint dry. It had taken me most of the rest of time Kurt was out of town and every dictionary I could find in the house and online to understand it all…but it had served its purpose of keeping me from being completely bored, so I counted it as a win.

The entire group got in on the whole prostitution discussion. Caesar didn’t come out and say it, but you could tell that he looked at the issue from an entirely personal prospective that spoke to his mother or some other primary care giver having been in the sex trade. Being in the music industry was really expanding my horizons. I’d never really realize how sheltered I’d been in Lima. For some reason that thought turned my attention to an important query that had been bothering me for the better part of the day. “Why hasn’t One Police Plaza said anything yet? I expected them to have hit us with some more damnation. But other than their press release Monday morning, which wasn’t as bad as it could have been; they have been fairly silent.”

Daniel looked up with a wicked grin. “I’m so glad you asked that. It took me almost an hour this afternoon to find enough information to even formulate a theory. Do you guys know who Victor French is?”

Sam spoke up first, “His name sounds familiar…but these last six months I’ve met more people than live in my old hometown.”

Puck, however, looked thoughtful. “He was the old Jewish dude that you said had to have been the real life basis for Magneto. His family escaped Poland ahead of the Germans and then had to do it again from France. Remember, Bubbie Ruth introduced us to him. Deborah had introduced her to him and he remembered Bubbie’s Bubbie from Ellis Island or something equally cool.”

“Oh yeah…he was awesome. But what about him?” Sam asked Daniel.

He and Darcy ended up kind of tag teaming the question. “He has his people all over the net supporting Puck’s statements. The buzz is that if you are getting support from French’s or any of his subsidiaries or foundations…don’t expect that support to continue if they come at KAMA. You want to know why the Commish hasn’t been truly attacking you guys, guess who was a big supporter of the Mayor De Blasio’s campaign. Those two can’t stand each other, but the Commissioner serves only at the will of the mayor.”

“And Mr. French’s office released a Pro-KAMA statement too.” Daniel said with a grin. “He pointed out that we live in America in the twenty-first century and not Germany in the first half of the nineteenth. Governmental censuring of citizens for speaking out against wrongdoings of government agencies is rather un-American you know.”

“Wow…that is really awesome of him.” I blurted out. “But why? Because he feels connected to Puck’s family? To pay forward some help his family received in escaping the Nazis? Because he fears that history could repeat itself?”

Daniel shrugged. But Darcy chuckled. “Maybe some of those might play into it…but last month Mr. French got engaged. It was all over social media among certain NYC circles, especially the Broadway and Arts sector. His bride to be is one Miss April Rhodes, originally of Lima, Ohio.”

“I knew I liked that woman.” I laughed uproariously.

“I like Mr. French. His statement was awesome. While the first three paragraphs read like pure Niemöller, the last paragraph was totally and completely the legalese version of ‘Oh you mad, Boo’. If I ever get to meet him…I so want to shake his hand.” Daniel crowed. 

Sam smirked. “There was definitely both of those, but you forgot to add the ‘don’t complain, because hit dogs will holler.”

Which, since Sam and MeMaw Rose had explained to us what that meant, made me die laughing. But my laughter was interrupted by a large yawn. A yawn that Adam soon followed along with ones from Sam and Noah, we needed to wrap things up. Amanda took my little cousin up for his bath after letting use each say good night to him. When they were gone I turned to my eldest cousin. “Daniel…get with Haja and Kurt and get your office tricked out…if Riker really is good with you guys moving here…we’d love to have you for our PR person. Don’t worry…I remember the rant you threw at Aunt Arielle when she called you a publicist.”

“Yeah, Dude…you’re family…that means you have a vested interest in making sure that people don’t put ill shit out about Cede. My aunt Mills can help you find a place here to live. Unfortunately, all our rentals are full. Real Estate goes quick here; ours especially since we made sure that all of our basement units are ACA compliant. We give twenty grand to our people for non local-relocation, but you have to agree to stick with us for six months. We know that ain’t a problem for you though. If you’re anything like Moms D and Ethan…then you’re definitely the loyal sort.”

Uncle Ethan nodded. “If we take a couple of minutes to hammer out the details, I can have the contracts available for signatures on Thursday when we all meet for the office walk through.”

Daniel blushed. “I don’t have a lot of details to hammer out…I may have told my friend Grant, who is an office manager that I would give him a job. His sister is Riker’s partner’s wife. Chris is planning to move and go with Rike to the FBI Academy if they can get in, which I’m pretty hopeful that they both will. They are great cops. But they are contractually bound to give a month’s notice. I still technically work for Revolution…but I’m on vacation and my bosses have agreed that if I come back it was just a vacation, if I move then it was my notice. I did have to agree to do a little consulting work if they need me, but I’m golden.”

Haja quickly jumped in. “Would your friend be willing to help out across the board until we get all the admin posts filled?”

“Knowing Grant, he will have the whole office running like clockwork even if I don’t ask him to. He is quiet and shy…but he hates being idle. He’s been out of work since he got laid off…Chris and Dominique’s apartment has never been so clean.”

I shrugged. “He’s hired. I have no idea what to pay him. We decided on a lower pay scale plus a rent free place to live for Hudson and Darcy…which should, technically, apply to your dude, but not charging rent is way cheaper than paying someone’s rent.”

Hudson pulled out her trusty iPad. “Median yearly salary for an office manager her is a little under eight five to a little over eighty seven thousand a year. So why not offer him sixty-five a year as salary and twenty-two thousand a year as a housing stipend. Given what you are losing in rent from me and Darcy, that still puts the two of us ahead…but not significantly if he has a lot of experience.”

I looked at Ethan, “Can we do it that way?”

He nodded. “Yes. That’s actually how a lot of companies handle things when they have to move people overseas. Want me to write that up for his job offer?” I nodded.

Daniel spoke up. “Ummm…NYC PR managers make more than I’m willing to take from you guys right now. So why don’t we do something similar for me; hundred grand a year plus a twenty-five thou housing stipend.”

Hudson showed me what they make according to Salary-dot-com. Taking the device from her; I plugged in Daniel’s qualifications. His suggestion would be undervaluing him greatly. “Yeah…how about we bump that up to one seventy-five plus the stipend?” I shot back showing Puck and Sam the reasoning for the extra seventy-five thousand a year. We’d still be getting a steal. Twenty minutes of arguing and negotiating and maybe a little bit of name calling followed. Finally, he accepted a hundred and twenty-five grand and a fifty-eight thousand a year housing stipend for the first year, and when he started pulling in other celebrity clients, then we’d roll the housing stipend back by ten thousand per client per year. Even better, we both walked away convinced that we had lost and the other was the most stubborn Harris ever born. Uncle Ethan laughed at us like the entire time. To be honest, it was really, really fun.

Darcy, Hudson, Haja and I spent a few minutes talking through the plans for the rest of the week. Daniel would be with us the next day for The Daily Show, Haja had cced him on the reply to the show’s producers’ information request, so he was prepped. Darcy and Haja would be at the office suite for the better part of the day handling the installation of the phone and internet systems. Other than that, she was taking the day to finalize her list of equipment that we would be purchasing for the office. Much of it had already been ordered, but there were some things that she wanted to take a more hands on approach to buying. Hudson would, unfortunately, be running errands that seemed to be her job but seemed a lot outside the purview of a personal assistant.

By the time, the separate conversations finished, I had no clue as to why the guys, minus Haja, were having a confab, but they seemed to be talking deeply about something. I looked at Sam conveying that I wanted to know what they were talking about so seriously. He responded with a small smile that either conveyed that he would tell me later or that he was humoring me and I would never find out…then he turned back to their conversation. We headed home soon thereafter. Rather than driving, Chet and Caesar walked us home; they didn’t come in since Manny and Binkie were already there to be ready the next morning. It took me an hour to finish filling out all the different papers my professors and stated needed to be returned the next class meeting. Thankfully I’d already written my short papers on the three classical political theory books that I’d had to read over the summer. I’d really lucked out. Plato’s ‘Republic’ was required reading for my European Literary Philosophy Masterpieces class too, so I’d killed two birds with that stone. I looked at Machiavelli’s ‘The Prince’ as beneficial for my marketing class…and since we were becoming activists…the works of Locke and Hamilton were integral to our professional life. 

Noah had had even more reading over the summer than I had. Though he hadn’t needed to buy as many books. Since I’d had the same psych class freshman year with the same professor, I’d just let him and Sam borrow my e-copies. But they too had made sure that all of their summer reading assignments were done before we headed to LA. It had made the day much easier. By the time I finished getting everything ready for school the next day, Puck and Sam had spent some time in the gym and showered. I could always tell when they found something that bothered them a little less than a lot. They would head down to the in home gym, or the hotel gym the few times it had happened over the summer, and work out until they were too tired to toss and turn all night. Sometimes I wished that I could do that, but exercise before bed that wasn’t lovemaking made me all wired. Granted, sometimes that made me pretty wired too, but it was a risk I gladly took. I took a quick shower and brought my lotion to the bed so we could talk with I moisturized.

“Tomorrow is going to be something.” I started with a grin. “You’re both covered. I have you each in simple black, with a white collared shirt for you, Sam-I-Am, and a light grey one for you Noah.”

“Did you find yourself something to wear?” Sam asked as he reached for the bottle to start on my back.

I shook my head and Noah headed to the charging station in my closet and came back with my iPad. The three of us went through a couple of sites until I found a great black and silver macro floral jacquard knit dress from Neiman Marcus. After that things fell into place. I had a perfect pair of Stuart Weitzman black leather sandals already, so I ordered an adorable, dramatic sleeve, bolero since the dress was sleeveless and studios tended to run cold at least to me. The dress didn’t need a necklace and I already owned a great pair of earrings that would look perfect with it. The look needed a pop of color so I tried to find a cute little, purple, patent leather skinny belt to set everything off…there were NONE. I pouted for a long minute, until Sam noticed that there was a perfect sized belt from Lafayette 148 New York that was turquoise with silver hardware and it was even on sale. I finished up the order and checked out, choosing to have it picked up in store the next day. I had the confirmation email sent to both me and Hudson and took the electronic device back to its charger.

When I got back Sam and Puck were waiting on me, barely awake, but not willing to fall asleep without me in their arms. I said my prayers, thanking God for not just creating them for me, but also for allowing me to find them, and be loved by them, and joined them, finding my way into ‘my spot’ and bathing in their love for me as we all fell into Morpheus’s embrace. The next morning would begin early and the day would last very, very late. But we were living the life we’d chosen. So we couldn’t complain.

***Jehovah blessed the world with Prince Rogers Nelson for 57 years. To all of us, his multitude of fans, it feels as if he was taken entirely too soon, but I imagine that Prince was needed to give the Holy Choir a new sound. Rest in Peace Prince. Thank you for creating the soundtrack to my life & my sexual maturation.***


	2. Woman/I Just Wanna Make Love to You (Etta James)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> KAMA's first week back in NYC continues with a stop by The Daily Show.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *****PLEASE NOTE: Thanks for this story’s title goes to MsLadyThankYouVeryMuch. The Title translates into Foolish Wisdom.*****
> 
> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review or leave kudos! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Ice & Fire Series by SteeleHoltingOn (Not Glee…MCU & Amazing)
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!! 
> 
> ***Jehovah blessed the world with Prince Rogers Nelson for 57 years. To all of us, his multitude of fans, it feels as if he was taken entirely too soon, but I imagine that Prince was needed to give the Holy Choir a new sound. Rest in Peace Prince. Thank you for creating the soundtrack to my life.***

Woman/I Just Wanna Make Love to You (Etta James)  
Sam PoV

Mercedes Jones amazed me more every day. We woke up that Wednesday morning and she worked out before showering, scarfing down breakfast and gathering the things needed for school and for our TV appearance…hers and ours…and hitting the ground running. After we finished our last classes for the day, we headed to the Eleventh Avenue studios where they taped The Daily Show. We were shown to hair and makeup and our beautiful woman was perfection in the time it took us to not look like two college schlubs. The hair ladies had turned her waist length, thick as all get out, black tresses into a gorgeous wealth of waves and loose curls. The makeup ladies had made her beautiful eyes pop and her lips look even more lush and full and fucking awesome. She’d changed from her college girl on the go clothes to the shaper slip, silver earrings and shoes she had brought with her and the dress, belt and sweater that Hudson had picked up from Neiman Marcus and brought to the studios for us. Noah and I exchanged a look of longing. She looked so good we just wanted to find a nice and quiet space that we could shove that dress up to her waist and fuck her until she was hoarse from screaming our names.

We were watching the show in the green room, eating from the huge bowl of fun sized candy bars and hearing him discussing the news of the day; including the poor journalist who had been beheaded by ISIS earlier that day and an Ebola report that was way more hilarious. Then the stage manager came for us, micced us up and escorted us to the mark and Jon Stewart…JON STEWART…introduced us and we walked onto the stage. The audience was very receptive. Rather than being at the desk, the four of us settled at a bar height conference table. Mercy sat between Puck and I as always, her legs were crossed at the ankles and the heel of her back shoe hooked on the bar of the chair-stool thingy she was sitting in. “Now, you three broke on the music scene last December, and not to be funny…but you’ve pretty much had some shit going ever since.”

“Yeah, we’re just a trio of trouble makers, Mr. Stewart.” I said with a charming smile.

He gave me a double take. “Well, I do declare.”

His take on my accent was way too familiar for a fan of impressions such as myself. “Hey…I’m from Tennessee…Senator Graham is from South Carolina and I am perfectly comfortable with being honest about my sexuality.” I shot back.

The audience died laughing. Jon smiled at my barbed quip. “I’d argue with you…but I try not to argue with the truth. So…you three have been out for less than a year…your debut album, ‘Necessity 4 Existence’ dropped last March…it was really great by the way. It kind of blends, for me anyway, the music I listened to in the eighties, nineties and early two-thousands with a sexy R&B vibe into one really cool experience. Nice one right out the gate, both singles went store sales platinum…which is really hard to do now, the album did too…so kudos. Still, been on the scene for about nine months and in, oh about, the amount of time it takes to create a human being you’ve created controversy after controversy after controversy. You started off with your unapologetic endorsement of being healthy for you and not trying to ascribe to anyone else’s idea of beauty. Though seriously still not sure where the controversy comes in there, my wife knows how much I love her so I can say this without worrying…Mercedes, you are a very beautiful young lady. Then your polygamist relationship got verified and then the racists and the homophobes got all upset, and let me tell you, that was actually really kind of funny to watch.”

Mercy rolled her eyes. “Actually, our relationship is polyamorous. Sam and Puck are in love with me and with each other. I love both of them. Polygamist implies that they are each married to me and don’t interact sexually. In fact, speaking of sexuality, you forgot the homosexual males who got inexplicably pissed off at me for getting in the way of the boy love like they had never heard of bisexuality.”

“Yeah. They had to get real disappointed real quick, because there would be no boy love without the Cede love. Sam and my physical love comes from our love or our woman. Neither of us were loving each other before her…not that way anyway. I mean…Sam was my bro and everything and when we all found out about his family’s financial woes, I totally considered knocking over a Seven-Eleven to donate to the cause…but he wasn’t my boo until we both realized that we loved Mercedes so much that we could see something to love in each other too. Not sure if that made sense outside my head…but somewhere out there in TV viewer land somebody got me.”

Jon chuckled, “Yeah, and I bet they are eating some Funyons and Doritos too.” The audience loved that one. “So, to continue, since THE OUTING…you’ve had the whole was ‘Puck a rapist or did he just…stupidly…not wrap his junk therefore knocking up your friend’ controversy. The answer turned out to be the second, but the conversation on consent that came about was pretty massive for a while there. Then it turned into one of the best public service announcements for Trojan since the eighties. Then Sunday night, you three joined the growing number of people calling for increased oversight of police officers and sensible gun control.”

Puck nodded. “I just think that if you are a police officer you should have the balls not to have to shoot unarmed people. The more we hear about the shooting in Ferguson and the choking in Long Island…the more pissed off I get. Especially at those Faux News jerks. They see nothing wrong with a cop shooting a kid who may or may not have grabbed a couple of Black and Milds. Hell, I’ve done worse than that and I’m still walking around. Difference is that it is pretty hard to tell that I’m not technically a white boy from the burbs. You know what I think happened…I think that Darren Wilson saw Mike Brown and his boy walking on the street and not on the sidewalk. So he pulled a U-ey to assert his badge and the authority he felt it imparted to him. Mike Brown and his boy hassled him a little but got on the side walk…the second he pulled off they did what any eighteen-year-old asshole would do…and I know because I was one not very long ago…they made a rude hand gesture and hopped their happy asses off the sidewalk. So Officer Wilson,” wow the sarcastic respect in that one was damn near palpable, “stopped and reversed to prove that he was the bigger man. Now…that right there was where shit went wrong. A real police officer…a good cop, laughs it off…because eighteen-year-old heterosexual males are almost universally assholes of the first degree. Still he came back at them hard, so…Mike and his boy split to run. Again, Wilson could have called for backup if he was so concerned about what the guys were up to. He could have kept his gun holstered and chased them. He was supposedly in good shape…Mike Brown’s pictures remind me of my boy Az…he might be able to run fast for short distances…but then he gets tired and wants to sit down to catch his breath and drink a Mountain Dew. But not Officer Darren Wilson…no he pulled his side arm and starts shooting. End result, a kid…he was eighteen…I called myself a man at eighteen, but nobody else did. What makes Mike Brown so different…he was an eighteen-year-old schmuck of a kid and now he’s dead over some damn cigarillos. That isn’t justice…that’s bull shit.”

Jon looked amazed at Puck’s in depth analysis of the situation but still decided to play devil’s advocate. “So what do you say to those people,” fake cough that sounded completely similar to the words Fox News, “who say that until the black community addresses black on black crime, the police are the least of the problem.”

Man I hope that the camera man caught that eye roll. “I say that the two are not analogous. The argument there is so far-fetched and such absolute BS…it’s like saying that because students are having sex, it is perfectly okay for a teacher and a student to have sex.” Mercedes said with a sexy growl of anger. “And if I were to say that white people kill people, so it’s perfectly fine for a black cop to shoot an unarmed eighteen white kid who shoplifted…or a white dude just shopping in his local Sprawl-Mart trying to buy a BB gun for his kid people would say I was racist as hell.”

She was getting entirely too upset, so I laid a calming hand on her shoulder. “Look, Mr. Stewart, the problem with their rhetoric is that police officers are supposed to be trained to make good decisions in bad situation. They are supposed to take an oath to uphold the law and to protect and serve. They are therefore supposed to be held as authority figures. Authority Figures are supposed to be held to a higher standard. I might not be a black man, but I know more than a few and the simple truth is that unless it is an older relative or a lifelong church pastor, one black man doesn’t have any position of authority over another. Therefore, the attempts to link black on black crime to what is happening in record numbers in this country isn’t just disingenuous…it’s just plain stupid.”

After that Jon threw to a commercial. We sat and chatted, makeup ladies came out and powdered. Darcy texted us with some trends. She made a point to remind me to get my topic in on the action. So when we came back, Jon asked me about the gun issue. “I grew up in rural Tennessee…I can shoot. I learned how at my Grandfather’s knee with him and my dad teaching me everything they knew. But I never, and I mean never, had access to a gun when they weren’t around. My grandfather had a gun cabinet where he kept his guns locked up when they weren’t on his person. Daddy had a gun safe. Now sure, my grandfather owned quite a few guns. But they all served a purpose. Hunting. You can’t hunt with a semi-automatic weapon…not the right way. You’d more than likely destroy the meat and definitely the hide. If you’re hunting with a semi-auto, then you can’t shoot worth shit, or you’re more concerned with proving your manhood than providing food for your family. WHICH, by the way, is the only reason anyone should hunt.”

Jon laughed. “So what you’re saying here is that…”

Mercy saw exactly where he was hoping to go with that one and she totally didn’t disappoint. “One of our backup singers says that men should have to whip it out and get measured if they want to buy more than two guns or anything with the letters AK or AR in front of some numbers. If they have penises above the average length…they probably aren’t going to be buying more guns than they need to compensate for lack luster endowments, so the seller should be able to demand the real reason they need so many of the damn things and deny the sale as needed. Then again, that same friend greatly prefers blades to guns for self-defense. My father, a legal, registered gun owner by the way, thinks that there should be training classes and tests before you can get a license to own a gun. Granted, that was the compromise he reached when he realized that IQ testing for gun ownership was probably a little extreme.”

I waited until the audience chatter and laughter died down to chime back in. “My Dad told me that the Second Amendment wasn’t stretched to apply to every idiot that happened to live in the US of A…until sometime during his lifetime, since then mass killings and senseless killings have steadily increased. They jumped into insanity when the Brady Bill was allowed to expire. Now, you have that walking advertisement for vetting VP candidates better painting bullseyes on people on a website and some idiot following her dumbass lead. ‘Bout eighteen months after that we have a man who certainly had something wrong with him, but probably doesn’t meet the legal definition of mentally ill, going into a movie theater and shooting men and women and children whose only sin was wanting to partake in the awesomeness that is the Batman movie franchise. And considering that my biological baby brother and sister are barely older than the kids of Newtown who were killed, I can’t even barely think about that without crying…but still our legislators have their heads too far up the asses of the NRA and the gun lobby to see past the shit they are feeding them. I think it’s time to vote all of their asses out and elect some people who really want to change things. Not the Tea Party…those people are frickin scary. I mean, I kind of think I might be related to a few of them…don’t know, my Dad cut himself off from his family because they were scary racists. I mean, total KKK, weekend cross burnings, n-word yelling asshole types. Dad will have nothing else to do with them because they hated my Momma because she is Catholic and part Italian. Glad he made the decision too…seems like they were so bigoted they were scary.”

“Man…She is black…He is Jewish… you are in love with both of them. They must be Fox News twenty-twelve election night level pissed at your relationship then?” Jon laughed and they showed the clip of the guy claiming to be my cousin, while looking enough like me that I couldn’t really say he wasn’t, talking on some news show or another. “Good to see that you didn’t let their views impact you.”

I shrugged. “While we might, and I stress might, share some DNA, I don’t know those people. Besides, why on earth would I hate someone based on things they have no control over. If God wants people to be Black and White and Asian and everything else, and He wants them to be lesbian and gay and trans and queer and everything…who am I to say that God is wrong for putting the people He wanted to inhabit the earth here. Jesus treated Mary Magdalene just as he did his Disciples. He treated the woman at the well as good as he did Zaccheus. If I call myself a Christian, how can I do any less than treating all men and women on this rock as my equal?”

Jon Stewart looked at the camera and made doe eyes. “Is he always so earnest?”

I couldn’t resist. I tried…for like two seconds. “I’m always frank and earnest with talk show hosts. In Chicago I’m Frank and in New York I’m Earnest.” I said in my very best Samuel L. Jackson.

“Oh my God.” Puck groaned even as Jon spoke up amused.

“Ah, I see, I see what you did there…Samuel L. Jackson from the end of ‘Long Kiss Goodnight’. Not bad.” He grinned. I smiled proudly in return…at least I did at first.

“Sam…what have we said about impressions in public.” Mercy hissed. Don’t know why she bothered. Her mic picked it up just fine.

“Sorry Mr. Stewart. I’m not supposed to do any impressions in public unless asked by the person the impression is of…lest I get royally sued.” I said by rote.

Apparently Jon and the audience found that just too uproariously funny. The laughter led to the second commercial break and then our last segment. “So, now that we know where you stand on the issues. Let’s talk about your day jobs.”

“What, the mild mannered college students job?” Mercedes teased.

Jon shook his head. “I’d say you guys have more jobs than Jamaicans…but I think that would get me sued.”

“No…we really don’t.” I shook my head defiantly. “Columbia sophomores, that’s one.”

“Juilliard sophomores, that’s two.” Puck counted off.

“Recording artists…three.” Mercedes added. “And, I guess, now we’re activists…that’s four.”

I looked sheepish. “Okay…so maybe we need a personal assistant for our personal assistant, but it doesn’t seem so bad when you’re in the thick of it.” I thought about it for a second. “But maybe, we should make sure that our wonderful, efficient, amazing PA schedules us time for dates every week.”

The audience and Jon found that to be just as cute as a button and the show’s producer decided that it was the perfect place to end our segment. After Jon threw to the moment of Zen, he came back and we spoke for a while. He had us rolling saying everything that he couldn’t say on camera because it was too, too true. We gave him autographed KAMA tees for his kids and got him to autograph a few things for our moms and Santana who were all huge fans. We were too, but we couldn’t quite figure out how to fangirl without betraying our cool exteriors. Until Puck said fuck it. “Dude, you are one of the coolest Jews ever, can we get your autograph for us too?” Mr. Stewart was awesome about it. He autographed our swag bags. The bags themselves had held a weird assortment of things from RPM 5 gum to a cake in a cup and peanut brittle and of course the required tee shirt, hat and gym bag with the show’s logo on them. To be honest though, we gave Darcy, Chet and Caesar our cakes in a cup. Daniel, Hudson and Chet got the peanut brittle and we decided that Haja would get the pressurized salad dressings in a can. We did keep the gum…Mercy goes through that stuff like water…and we kept the autographed totes, the tee shirts and hats but other than that, we gave everything else away. Mr. Stewart was cool though…he got us to sign his copy of our CD for him.

By the time we left the studio, the candy we’d eaten was pass by gone. We were all starving. So Chet and Caesar drove us to OBAO, a clubby Asian fusion restaurant. The food was beyond good. The Pho was actually amazing and the Thai fried rice was even better. We made it home around ten, and didn’t have time to do more than shower and fall into bed. The next morning was a return of the day before. Get up, work out, shower and get dressed, have what Cooper Anderson referred to as breakfast then off to school. We were nearing the end of our political science seminar, when both my and Mercy’s phones went off as having received a text. Mercy’s group was finished, so she was able to check hers. The sharp gasp that was wrenched from her sounded pained. When she sank into her seat and started to sob, I jumped up and clambered up the auditorium seating to her. she was crying too hard to even speak. She just handed me the phone.

Hudson had texted her a link to a new story that the indomitable Ms. Joan Rivers had passed away. I knew that my Baby had loved that woman’s show often watching red carpets and Fashion Police with Kurt and dreaming of the day when she would meet the wonderful comedienne. It hurt her heart to know that she never would. I sat down and held her while I texted Puck to see if he was okay. His reply was that he was probably doing better than his Bubbie and Mercedes, but that wasn’t saying much. The TA came to see what the problem was and I explained quickly. He saw the condition Mercedes was in and excused us from the last five or six minutes of class. He gathered our things for me and carried them to the door. As I navigated my way to the door, a few of the girls in the class were talking, loud enough to be heard, but quiet enough that they could pretend they didn’t mean to be overheard. “How fake is she? It’s not like she knew the woman.” One grumbled.

“I’ve never seen her fat ass on Fashion Police. She thinks she’s so hot because she’s got one little album out. Probably they’re gonna be a one hit wonder…like the ‘Weather Girls’ or Chaka Khan.” Another shot back. She looked kind of familiar. It took me a minute to remember that she’d hit on me in my contemporary civ class the semester before. She was a size zero, flat chested, man hands having mean girl…I had the woman of my dreams. I’d rebuffed her advances easily and with extreme prejudice.

Our TA was cool though. He looked at the idiot who made the one hit wonder comment. “First of all they have already had more than one hit. And second of all…how on earth do you think Chaka Khan could ever be considered a one hit wonder? She had hits in like three or four decades.” That made the class laugh loudly, because unlike Jealous Chickenheads One and Two, Mr. Riley hadn’t tried to be anything but heard.

When the door opened, Binkie stood from where he’d been seated waiting on us to get out of class. He grabbed our backpacks and ushered us out of the building. Puck and Manny saw us and came over. Noah’s eyes were red like he’d either shed a tear or two or fought them back but felt them nonetheless. We didn’t have long enough before our next classes to go home or anything, so we sat quietly on the steps of the building, off to the side where we were out of the way and cuddled Mercy until she was able to get her emotions under control. Finally, she looked up, her beautiful eyes cloudy but resolute. “We need to have Hudson and Haja send Melissa and her son something special and as soon as we find out when the funeral will be we should send flowers. Joan Rivers was a huge part of my childhood and part of the reason that I love fashion as much as I do. She made stars on the red carpet interesting rather than just pretty.”

I quickly shot Haja, Daniel and Darcy that quote for our statement and social media pages. Darcy texted me back asking if Mercedes was okay. Apparently, someone in the seminar had filmed her breakdown and posted it with the reason. Thankfully, it wasn’t one of the bitter bitches. Because the poster had tagged the video with the tagline ‘when someone who touched your life deeply dies, you don’t have to have ever met them to mourn their passing, RIP Joan Rivers’. According to Darcy, it was half of everywhere. Before we finished texting back and forth, she’d already put Mercy’s quote about Joan Rivers out as a tweet and the KAMAleons had responded by offering their favorite Joan Rivers’ jokes or fashion digs or even remembrances of her old late night talk show. All in all, it sparked a wonderful tribute.

We all had to separate again and go to class. Binkie went with Mercedes and it was my turn to have Manny…since there were two of them and three of us and no way in hell were we leaving Mercedes unguarded if something went down, we usually took turns having one of the guys with us when we weren’t doubled up. I was actually a little late to my class, but when my architecture professor came in with eyes, much like Puck’s had looked, I knew that he got it. Apparently, he’d heard about Mercedes’ reaction to the news and he pulled me to the side after class to make sure that I was okay. I assured him that I was sad, but just didn’t have the same connection as Mercy because of Mrs. Rivers being a style and fashion icon and Noah since he’d been wanting to meet the awesome Jew lady for most of our time in the spotlight. Professor Leibowitz nodded. “I think I would like to meet your boyfriend. He sounds a lot like me when I was his age.” He said and sent me on my way.

I was shocked when Haja sent out a mass text to everyone associated KAMA and located in the metro area inviting us all-slash-letting us all know that the next evening there would be a wine and cheese party to christen our new offices as we were leaving Juilliard that evening. I knew that the furniture was all being delivered that day and that Darcy had spent the better part of the day there with the people from the startup gigabit broadband provider we’d chosen, Pilot…they offered a full gig per second speeds for a pretty reasonable price. In addition to getting our internet handled, Darcy was also there for WCA Technologies getting everything set up for both our server farm and the infrastructure for our cloud applications as well. We’d discussed leasing our technology equipment through the same business, but ultimately with the exception of the copy machines, Mrs. Gwen had told us that the tax benefit from buying the equipment would be very, very beneficial in offsetting the direct buying outlay. Darcy had handled ordering most of the tech. She had tapped Lauren and Artie to help her decide exactly which computers would be best for each job. Even though we weren’t fully stocked in personnel, she had ordered the computers for each position…whether it was filled or not. She managed to get us a great discount on the computers and the phone system because of the sheer volume of our order. So that was cool.

However, we still had to meet her after our last class because she said that there were a few things she couldn’t order and would have to buy in person. She was waiting with Hudson, Junior and Cal when the three of us stepped onto Lincoln Center Plaza. “Okay, so here is the deal. Office tech, so easy. Tech for what I do and what Daniel does…that ain’t quite so simple.”

“Huh? I thought that you said you’d ordered yourself and Daniel those super upgraded Lenovo Thinkstations.” Puck asked her surprised.

“Yeah and they were delivered and set up today. But those will serve their purposes like making sure that you and KAMA are totally household names and the biggest thing trending four out of seven days a week…but creating your swag and making sure that you three look like totally awesome visionaries, for that we need…” she gestured at the store we’d just pulled up outside.

“Ooh good, I need some new earbuds.” Mercy said happily.

Yeah, going to the Apple Store when you were the number one artist on iTunes was actually a really bad idea. The second we entered the store, where they were playing ‘Almost Lover’ literally as we walked in…we were totally mobbed. Maybe it would have helped if Puck hadn’t heard his voice and laughed before crowing, out loud, “Hey, they’re playing our song”. We were swarmed. It took Junior and Cal several minutes to dig us out of the autograph seeking hoard. Somehow in those few minutes, Hudson and Darcy had gotten with the manager and by the time we were able to take a deep breath without touching a fan with our chests, there was a table set up for the three of us to sit at with water and sharpies and everything. Hudson manufactured a stack of our album cover pictures from somewhere in her bag of miracles and suddenly we were seated and signing the autographs in a more orderly fashion. Darcy and the store manager brought us more stacks of pics, one set was a picture Darcy had taken of the three of us on the red carpet at the AMAs, another was a candid shot of us playing bid whist in the Dayton airport’s first class lounge on the way to LA. We didn’t know it but Darcy and Apple had put out on social media that KAMA was doing a pop-up autograph signing at the Fifth Avenue Apple Store. Apparently for a purchase of over a hundred bucks you got the relaxed and natural…exclusive picture. Those who bought fifty bucks or less got the red carpet picture, and those who walked in off the street and didn’t buy anything just got the cover pic. We signed autographs from six to seven thirty and left there with hand cramps and both Darcy and Daniel’s brand new twenty-seven inch iMacs and a ton of other stuff, including Mercy’s earbuds…like five pairs…all for free as payment for letting them take advantage of the impromptu mini-event. Thankfully they were totally cool with delivering the bigger tech stuff to the offices the next day.

We left the Apple store and walked the short distance to Bergdorf Goodman. The original plan was to grab a quick bite to eat at their restaurant. But then Mercedes got that look in her eye. “No Mercy.” I said as soon as I saw it.

“But you don’t even know what I was going to say.” She pouted.

“You were going to say ‘hey, while we are here, we should do a little shopping.”

“Well, okay yeah…but not for me.” She defended.

“Then who do you want to shop for this time, Sexy Mama?” Noah said reasonably.

The twinkle went up to Dumbledore levels of shininess. “Well, remember how we said that we wanted to get gifts for everyone for when the office opens.” Damn it…she had us both there. It had actually been my idea originally. At least, I was pretty sure it was my idea first. “We send Darcy and Hudson on home and we can do that now. Tiffany’s isn’t far then Macy’s is what fifteen minutes away and that big music store is near there. We can get it all done tonight and hopefully we can get the stores to wrap stuff so we can give out the gifts tomorrow at Haja’s party to break the office in.”

I sighed. She had a good point. There wouldn’t be time the next day between classes and the party. Heck as it was we’d probably have to wear something nice to school for the party. It would take too much time to go back to the house and then all the way down to Chelsea when Juilliard was a lot closer. “And we can arrange to have the instruments delivered during the day so we won’t even have to carry them home with us or whatever.” I was so starting to catch her enthusiasm. That never turned out well for my poor feet.

My thought was completely prophetic. We said our goodbyes to Darcy and Hudson, making Darcy take all the Apple crap back to their apartment for us. I swear I loved that girl as much as I did her cousin. All those Zizes were just good people. Then we trotted around Bergdorf Goodman for just a minute, but they quickly pissed me and Puck off with the way they were watching Mercy and Junior. One would think all that bullshit would be a thing of the past, but no…they were acting like the two of them, not all of us, not the dude with the flaming skull tatted on his forehead, just the two black people were world class jewel thieves who had to be watched every single moment. So Noah and I, we decided not to spend anything there. “Hey, why don’t we go ahead to Tiffany’s before they close.” Puck said gently. “The department stores will be open a lot later than the jewelry store.”

So that was what we did. On the way out I couldn’t help but glaring at the skinny bitch who had been the worst offender in my eyes. Cal was a lot meaner. He strolled over and whispered something that I later found out had basically been a quote from Pretty Woman…telling the commissioned sales person that she had made a big, big mistake. Those Rangemen were all kinds of awesome. Tiffany’s staff were tons better. They were helpful and it didn’t take us long at all to get what we needed there. We asked them if they had enough of any of the key rings in stock for us to purchase a dozen of the same key ring, and we also needed eight of the same business card holders. In a few minutes, we had a dozen of their globe tag silver key rings, and a matching silver business card case for the management, legal and PR teams oh and Hudson of course. Then Mercy decided to pick out different pens for each of them, well for Ethan, Daniel, Hudson, Haja, Darcy and Brantley anyway. but even with the slight delay of our beautiful woman’s indecision as to whether it would seem like favoritism to give Ethan a pen set rather than a single pen…dude was the only one who still wrote stuff down with pens first anyway…we were still back to our car by eight thirty. The best, absolutely best thing though had been that Mercedes had been so deeply involved in picking out the perfect gift for each of our major players…she hadn’t even realized that Puck and I were picking out a gift for her behind her back. Then again as we were checking out, I realized that in our inattention, Mercy had also gotten gifts for Kurt, Anika, Christophe, Ms. Deborah and Mr. Cohen too. Damn, she was good.

Cal carried out bags back to the Tahoe for us. Who the hell was stupid enough to try and snatch a bag from a dude who was at least six foot five, and three hundred plus pounds of pure muscle and had a tattoo on his forehead…nobody. The drive to Macy’s took just a little over the fifteen minutes Mercedes had said it would. The shopping there was damn ridiculous though. Everyone with a desk got a desk set. And, of course, no two were alike. I looked over at Puck, because with as much as we’d just dropped at Tiffany’s I was pretty sure that we didn’t need to get those too. But he just shrugged and shook his head. Then the traitor decided that he’d found the perfect set for Darcy. Worst of all was that the bright blue and silver set really was perfect for Darcy. Mercedes then declared that we had to hit the luggage section. On the way she explained that the background singers and the dancers needed bonus gifts also and they didn’t actually play instruments. So we got them tote bags or duffle bags or backpacks, but name brand designer ones so that we wouldn’t have spent so very much more on the office staff and band. Mercy wanted to get them shoes too…but I put my foot down. No way. It might be a stupid southern superstition, but I liked the people we’d assembled. I had no desire to see any of them walk out of our lives because we’d bought them shoes. So she got them each a gift card they could use to buy their own shoes or whatever.

Then we headed to the handbags, because I thought that we should get Hudson something else since Darcy got her desk set in addition to what we’d gotten her at Tiffanys. I grabbed the biggest, black leather tote bag with a name I recognized. I was pretty sure that Tory Burch was a good brand; I think my Mom had had one once upon a time before things had gone south. It was wider than she was, so it should carry all of her stuff…that was all I was really worried about. Puck found a nice bag that he decided we should ship to Ms. Gwen, since she was pretty much the only one of our employees, so strange to think that…the only one of Team KAMA that wasn’t near at hand we’d almost forgotten about her. She ended up with a YSL black leather shopping tote that came with a wallet. Then we realized that we were still forgetting one person…the guy that took care of all of our people, Mr. Zizes. So we made a last, quick stop in the men’s accessory area and got him a Tumi Alpha Deluxe Spinner Brief with Laptop Case. Thankfully, it was on sale or I was sure that Mercedes would suddenly decide that the purses were expensive enough and we needed to get Hudson and Ms. Gwen even more. When we left that store we were laden down with wrapped gifts. And we had an hour before Sam Ash Music Store closed for the evening.

When I was being honest with myself, I had to admit that Puck and I were just as bad in the Sam Ash store as Mercy had been in Macy’s. Since we knew guitars, but not necessarily the other instruments that our band members needed, we got one of the store’s musicians to help us out. We started out with Cassidy, mainly because her stuff was near the counter where we’d stopped to ask for a clerk. We looked first at the packages, but they only had two, a really expensive version and a super cheap version. We weren’t trying to get her something that wasn’t usable, but four grand on one person was just too much. Ultimately the Pioneer PLX-1000X Direct Drive Professional DJ Turntable, ended up being the perfect compromise. It had tons of great reviews online. It wasn’t super duper expensive, and it was a good jumping off point so that if we wanted to buy her more equipment in the future, we’d have that option.

As we were making that selection, and it took us a minute to get there. Dude guy showed us everything and we’d had to search the ones he’d actually suggested on our phones before we made a purchase. So Cal and Junior had had plenty of time to look around. Junior came over and quietly asked if we were looking to get them new stage equipment or something that they could have to practice on or what. Mercy, Noah and I looked at each other and shrugged. “I guess on stage… I mean, Justin has a small keyboard he practiced on when we were on the tour bus. So he wouldn’t need another one. But him having something for the stage so that he isn’t lugging his own stuff on tour…that would be awesome. That’s pretty much true for everyone.”

“Cool, they have a really great Yamaha set over here. You’d have to personalize it, because it is basic black, but it is a piano player’s keyboard. Back in the day my Granmama played organ and piano for our church back home…this one I’m talking about is the newest version of the one that her choir traveled with.” He told us happily.

“That’s awesome.” Our beautiful wife to be murmured. “Show me it.” Since she actually knew how to play piano, we let her make the decision on that and Junior’s choice was right on point.

Cal didn’t even give us a choice. He had found a DW Collectors Series satin specialty five-piece shell pack for Dave and he was absolutely determined that Dave would love it. Considering that I was almost positive it was the same as his personal kit, just with a different color of the shells, I was eighty-nine percent sure that Cal was correct. Then he outfitted the kit with heads and sticks. He didn’t just get one of the packs that contained a bunch of heads in the right sizes for a kit. Nope, he checked each of them over before he gathered the ones he was happiest with. Cal even took his phone with our webpage pulled up so that the store could order the facing head with the KAMA logo on it. I think that Puck, Mercy and I stared at him for a long minute. Before Mercy found her voice, “Okay, what?”

With a grin that seemed like it was kind of barely used, Cal responded quietly. “I was a drummer in a garage grunge band in high school. I was a fan of ‘The Cab’. I know what Dave Briggs’ kit looks like. It wasn’t hard from there.” He was very succinct. That wasn’t a bad thing.

That left us with just Artie and Erica left to find for and we knew guitars and basses. As soon as we told the dude that we had a chick for our bassist and he got happy. “Man, I have the perfect thing for her. I mean KAMA has that great shade of purple for all their stuff right… Check this out.” He presented us with a Fender American Standard Precision bass with a rosewood fretboard best of all it was black and purple, no not just purple…it was a shade of purple that was as close as one could get to KAMA purple without specially mixing the paint.

We were so happy to see that bad boy that I didn’t even ask how much. I just shouted, “oh we are so taking that one.” Puck added a few sets of his favorite strings, a black and purple strap and a new gig bag for it and we were set.

That just left us to find something for Artie. He was way too easy. I still remember his dream guitar from when we’d sit around shooting the shit waiting on Mr. Schue to finally arrive for glee practice. As much as he loved Fender for their acoustic guitars, his dream electric was a ESP LTD EC-1000 Ever Tune electric guitar, so I asked the guy if they had one. They did…they even had a black one. With that guitar, and the gear to go with it, selected, it took us no time at all to check out. The dude guy who had helped us was almost weeping in joy at our total. He had no problem agreeing to deliver everything to the office the next day. As Junior was driving us back to the townhouse, Cal looked back. “The key chains are for their keys into the front door and their offices right?”

“Yeah, it seemed like a nice gift that would be something useful and also really nice.” My Beautiful Baby said from where she was cuddled into my side.

“Would you guys be okay with us taking them back to the office tonight so that Grunt can go ahead and add the chip that will work to release the magnetic security lock that tells Rangeman who entered and all that. We can also engrave a monogram on the backs so that each ring will go to the right person.”

I nodded, but it was Puck who spoke. “That would be great, then they won’t need those utilitarian white ID cards.” In the end they actually took the Tahoe to Rangeman, so that we didn’t have to bother unloading it. Our Rangemen were so cool. We dragged our tails up so many stairs to get to our room. It was only as I was putting my phone on the charger that I realized Blaine had sent us all a message reminding us that Cooper was heading back to LA two weeks to the day fron that Friday. We were going to figure out how on earth we were going to manage. If it weren’t for Cooper the meals we’d eaten at home, such as they were, wouldn’t have happened. He’d done the laundry for the workout room and Brittany’s studio. He really had proved invaluable. I decided that I was definitely going to convince the stubborn, Ms. Jones that getting a housekeeper was a great idea. Because the time we had to relax, did not need to be wasted on chores.

As I was taking my shower, I contemplated how to get my amazing and obstinate woman to agree. Puck would be easy. I would literally just have to point out that the only days we were guaranteed free for the next little while were Sundays when we lost several hours in the mornings to church. then I would ask if we really wanted to spend our Sunday afternoons and evenings cleaning and doing laundry…then boom he would so be on my side. But Mercy, she was hella private. She wasn’t one to want people all up in her private spaces. Hence the reason she was having so much trouble with the thought of hiring someone to clean up behind her and everything. But I had a thing I’d read about that could be of use in getting my Baby to agree. If I could manage not to orgasm myself until she said yes.

Since the next day was Friday, we all went to bed without delay after we got showered and finished up any work for classes. The next morning, we were up too damn early. Neither Noah nor I worked out on Friday, so we took that extra time to make love to Mercedes. God, that was the perfect way to start the day. Puck woke up first, so he woke me up and we took our time kissing and teasing our woman to wakefulness. By the time her eyes finally opened, we’d licked and suckled her breasts until her nipples were hard and begging for even more attention and her pussy was wet and wanting. We made love to her until she begged…and cursed…us for more and to stop by turns. Only then did we ‘suit up’, Puck sank into her tight, wet heat first. Taking his time to make her scream out twice before giving me a total ‘what the hell are you waiting on’ look. I took my place behind him, my own dick clad in latex and lubed all to be damned before finding its way inside the only man I would ever love. In a move I knew I was going to pay for when it was my turn, I held as still as I could and let Noah fuck himself on my cock and into Mercy’s pussy.

I thought that having to pay attention would have made it easier for him to last longer. It didn’t work out that way. Instead of causing him to focus more, his body almost instinctively moved in exactly right way to drive him and both me and Mercy crazy. When I came, way too soon for my manly pride, I was speaking in tongues. I grabbed Puck by the back of the neck and kissed the hell out of him, repeating the action to let Mercy know that she was just as beloved to me. Once we could finally breathe again, I took care of condom disposal, cleaned myself up and when I came back in the bedroom, it was to a sight that had me rock hard again in an instant. Puck was flat on his back with our woman straddling his face. But as sexy as that was, it wasn’t the sexiest part, Mercedes’ thick, full, lush lips were wrapped around his cock, bringing it back to life for round two. I watched for a few long moments before I joined them.

“I have an idea…” Mercedes said after kissing me to welcome me back to the bed. “Puck if you sit up against the headboard and Sam lowers his ass down on you…would it be too much weight if I rode him while he rode you?”

We said it wouldn’t be too much and it wasn’t. It was, in fact, the best position ever. With her straddling both of us and her big, bouncing titties in our faces, we were so able to suck her sensitive nipples while she set the pace of our ride. Since it was round two, Noah and I were able to last longer. Unfortunately, about three or four more orgasms was all that our woman could take. But Mercedes Antoinette Jones is the givingest person I’ve ever known. So despite the fact that she had literally fallen to the side after the fourth huge cum we’d managed to give her, she still caught her breath, took off my condom and sucked me until I came with a roar so long and loud I hurt my throat a little bit. Puck didn’t stand a chance, especially since Mercedes had been licking and tickling his balls the whole time she was blowing me. It took another long minute before we were able to move. A long, hot shower made our love bites show up faster, but it also made walking easier too.

It was a Friday, which should have meant we could go a little schlubby, but with the wine and cheese party not very long after we got out of our last class, we had to get at least somewhat dressed. I took the easy route, a pair of dark wash, designer jeans, a nice, light weight, emerald green, smedium pullover and my black boots. Surprisingly enough, Noah was in a pair of deceptively comfortable black slacks and a light gold colored pullover that had long sleeves, but he’d pushed them up to show off his strong, defined forearms. He tied on his Docs and stood, letting out a wolf whistle as Mercedes came out of her closet. She was wearing a pretty aqua blue, maxi dress with watercolor flowers in bunches down the dress. The dress only had those super thin straps so it was easy to see the thicker blue straps of her bra, but she grabbed one of her short sleeved sweater thingies that ended right under her gorgeous breasts. The sweater was the same shade of deep rose pink as a whole lot of the flowers in the dress’ print. Her feet looked adorable in a pair of tan leather thong wedges and she had her hair pulled to the side in a cute curly ponytail.

Noah and I were the luckiest men ever. She looked so beautiful and so divinely sexy…all I could do was thank God for her presence in my life as we gathered all of our things and headed out the door.

As we were leaving with Manny and Chet, Cooper handed us travel mugs of smoothie. “You three need to get started looking for a housekeeper. I’m sure that it will take you the full two weeks I’m here to find someone to replace me…and you are going to have to if you want to spend your mornings making your houseguests wear noise canceling headphones.”

“What are you talking about? This place was built with soundproofing between the floors and rooms.” Puck said defensively. George had had a long discussion with the builders about which materials would do the best at keeping noise down.

“Maybe for regular people…but she,” he pointed at a blushing Mercedes, “can belt out to the cheap seats without a mic and make them weep with emotion. He,” I got the finger this time, “is not quiet, like at all…not even a little bit on top of which, half of what he says isn’t even in anything approaching a language I can recognize, and you cuss with more passion and breadth than anyone I have ever met before.” He finished with Puck. “Don’t even try to muster an apology because you wouldn’t mean it. And if I could make a woman sound like that first thing in the morning, I wouldn’t either. Now get going…you’re going to be late.”

We barely made it into the back seat of the black Explorer that Manny was ushering us to Chet was already behind the wheel, before we all just about died laughing. A day that started off with lovemaking and laughter was shaping up to be a wonderful end to our first week back in our city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my wonderful readers...Our beloved KAMA will soon be interviewed by Rolling Stone magazine...complete with the cover.
> 
> If you could ask our fictional heroes & shero anything...what would it be?
> 
> Yup, that's right. Leave me your review with the question you'd like the RS interviewer to ask during the interview.
> 
> Even if you don't have a query for them, I'd love to hear what you think of the chapter and how I did with their The Daily Show interview.
> 
> Thanks & I hope you enjoy.
> 
> TTFN,
> 
> Anni


	3. Gorgeous (X-Ambassadors)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Accidentally In Love by cosmickym925
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!

Disclaimer: I own Nothing…Murphy, Falchuk, and Brennen along with Fox and others own this fandom and all the characters there in…Anything you recognize obviously belongs to them

 

Gorgeous (X Ambassadors)  
Puck PoV

Our first Friday back in NYC was major. It started off perfectly with us spending an hour and a half making Sexy Mama and each other scream out in pleasure. I got to my psychology class and the prof was in a chill ass mood, so we had a discussion of mental health criteria for gun ownership and how that would look in regards to the second amendment. I personally figured that she'd seen our discussion with Jon Stewart on the Daily Show the other night and decided to subtly point KAMA in another direction on our advocacy work. I made sure to pay serious attention to what she had to say. It was totally boss. Plus, I only had to take out my phone and google like three things she said. I'd only just met her really, but it was already easy to tell that Dr. Charlotte Poelvoorde was wicked smart, like twenty-five times smarter than the teachers in high school were. So I didn't always understand what she said. She was cool about explaining what she was talking about but I didn't want the other people in the class to think I was stupid, so as much as possible I tried to figure it out on my own. Sam and I were in the class together and so we had an advantage. We could take turns so we would always have complete notes between the two of us.

Her class flew by and then I had to go from my favorite professor so far that term to my least favorite teacher I'd had since I realized that Coach Tanaka was a complete douche. My economics class didn't seem like it was going to be that bad, but the teacher, Professor Brandi Hampton was already a pain in my ass. She was an adjunct professor who worked for Goldman Sachs as her, and I was quoting her here, "real job". A tall, leggy blonde, I could already tell that she was one of those prissy bitches who looked down on chicks like April Rhodes even though they gave away more ass for expensive dinners and jewelry than most Aprils probably ever had. I could have dealt with her giggliness since she really did seem to know what she was talking about, but she kept making shit weird in class. I mean seriously, even Rylie noticed and he was straight up oblivious. The most messed up thing about it was that I couldn't tell if she wanted to be up on my dick or if she wanted all up on my duckets. Still either way, I had Cedes and Sam for the first and we had an accountant, a business manager, an investment banker and our parents…so I sure as hell didn't need her for the second. I'd only had the class twice, but by halfway through that class that day, I was determined to go to the registrar's office and change to the other section that met at roughly the same time.

I put a note in my calendar on my phone to do so as I took notes on the important part of her lecture. I didn't really think that I needed to take notes, but Cedes pointed out that I had a hell of a lot going on at that point in my life. It all made it much more likely for me to actually forget something…so I took the damn note. Plus too, Sexy Mama's reward system for coming home with notes was always pretty fucking epic. Some people would say that rewarding me with sex for doing something that benefitted me in the long run was stupid. Those people could kiss my ass. I lived for Cedes' rewards. Right before class ended I got an email from the registrar's office telling me that my change of class request had been granted and I was now registered for the second session of Econ W2105 taught by Professor Woodford.

I didn't even have a chance to wonder what had happened when I got a text from Hudson that I needed to swing by the campus bookstore and grab the extra books for that class. Thankfully, Prof. Woodford used the same main text he just had a couple of supplemental books. I was more than happy to do that shit. 'Cause Prof. Hampton was irking my nerves hard. I showed Rylie the change so he could move over too if he wanted to, and then I sent Hudson an email thanking her for having my back. Then I wondered how she had the time since she was working with Haja on the party that night.

"Just doing my job, Noah…you hired me because you know I'm good like that." She texted in return. "It wasn't hard your registrar's office forms are all available online. I have all your passwords. It was a simple matter of logging in and submitting the request. Besides, I didn't just get you out of that class for you…the only reason you'd change classes this quickly were if your professor was making things uncomfortable for you. I figured that I better help you before Mercedes found out and decided to snatch her bald or take her to the carpet or something."

I thanked her again as the bell rang. Given Hudson's advice about grabbing the books that day, I texted Cedes and Sam to let them know I needed to hit the bookstore and I'd see them in computer science class. The bookstore was, well, it was a bookstore. Going by myself was hella bad planning. I should have had Sam send me Chet for fucking crowd control. As soon as I stepped inside I was seriously attacked. I kept my cool and tried to be polite. I signed shit. I smiled and took selfies with folks. That shit was crazy. In fact, it was so bad the store manager…the only person in the whole store over twenty-five…stood up on the counter and blew a whistle after about fifteen or twenty minutes of that shit and made them let me get my shit. After that it took me like seven minutes to go and grab the three books I needed. When I got to the counter, after grabbing some candy bars and snacks, I gave her a big old kiss on the cheek. Her name tag said that her name was Nell. She was somewhere around ten years older than Moms D, about as heavy as the three Moms together and had a smile that would seriously light up an entire auditorium. I gave her an autograph 'for her grandbaby', who was amazingly also named Nell, and told her thank you as she checked me out. I had just enough time to slip into my seat in the computer lab between my boos before the teacher called us to order.

The rest of the day flew by. We had lunch at Café Fiorello… the pizza was freaking awesome. In my guitar class, I got to play the riff from Metallica's 'Blackened'. So all in all it was a pretty damn good day. After our last class we piled into Cedes' Tahoe, which still had all our shopping from the night before in the back, and headed to Haja's KAMA office warming party. the traffic was a bitch. It was Manhattan on a Friday evening rush hour, so the fact that traffic was bad wasn't a shock. But still, it took entirely too damn long to traverse the two and half miles from the campus to the Eighth Avenue building in Chelsea that housed our offices. It took all five of us to get all the stuff up to the fifteenth floor. Our offices took up the entire ten thousand plus square feet floor of the commercial building. The ultra-modern wooden double doors with their rectangular frosted glass inserts were wide open. Cal and Ramon were checking to make sure that only invitees gained admittance.

We entered the lobby and the oak stock stained hard wood floors gleamed. There were three areas of seats in the waiting room. Each area had a round wood and glass coffee table, with two granite colored plush microfiber chairs on either side of one ivory one. The nine chairs were all shaped the same and looked pretty damn comfortable. The three clusters of seating were anchored by huge art pieces in the corners. The first one I really noticed was a naked woman statue, one was a statue that seemed to embody the flow of music in stone and quartz. It was really pretty. The last corner was filled with another tall statue of a lushly curved, nude woman. This one had a lute in her arms. That was when I realized that both women were Muses. That was cool. There was a big reception desk on the wall facing the door. Behind it was a cool wooden and wall paper accent wall with KAMA in the trademarked font done up in steel. That was pretty awesome.

There were two keypad entry doors in small hallways off either side of the lobby. One side led to Ethan and Daniel's domains and the other led to our team's side. Not that Ethan and Daniel weren't our team too…It was just that they would each have other clients. In the hallway that lead to their offices, there was a door that led to the room that would eventually house Ethan's paralegal pool. In fact, Ben, who had beaten us there had already decided which of the seven workstations was his. In the opposite hallway the first, more nondescript door led to the Fan Response team's work room. In that room there were three long, sort of wide wooden tables with metal legs that were arranged in a U. A total of twelve burgundy, ergonomic task chairs lined the interior of the U. Each of the two longer walls held a large black, sixteen shelf shelving unit and a white, two door, five shelf, storage cabinets. Darcy showed off one of her babies to Brantley.

There were six laptops inside each of the cabinets already charging, ready and waiting for when we had a fan response team in place. She had gotten them from directly from Acer and because, between the FRT laptops and the paralegal and reception desktops, she was buying so much tech they gave her the Office Suite already installed on all twenty one computers for free. Our tech goddess was really proud of that deal. The room also contained two Xerox wireless printers on dark wood stands that would hold all the crap one needed to have around a printer like gym clips and staples and shit. Above each of the printers was a silver, cool looking, old fashion, analog clock. Lastly, right near the door there was a mailing station which sat on a three drawer, study looking table. "Monday morning, the printer is delivering the letter head and envelops that the FRTs will use as well as a slightly different matching set for the rest of us." She explained as she showed us all around. Monday afternoon, we are scheduled to receive the swag things that the FRTs will send out from here."

She punched in a code and led us through the door to the KAMA administrative team offices. "Each of us has our own code. Sam, Puck, Mercedes…you three will need to get your codes from Lester Santos. He's around here somewhere. Brantley, our codes work for either of the keypads…but Lester said that we'd be getting a keycard or something for the front door. It will take a key if you're the first one here, but even with the key, the magnetic lock won't release without the chip in the card."

"Oh we have those. Manny and Chet brought them up. We'll give them out before the end of the night." I assured them both. Something about the way she had said our primary Rangeman contact's name made my inner sex shark sit up and pay attention. "So…you planning on climbing Santos like a tree later?" I teased our Social Media Manager.

"Oh you have no idea all the dirty shit I'm planning to do to that man." Darcy shot back. "I love the ones who have no choice but to leave the next morning." With that she led us into the administrative side's conference room.

The conference room was all dark tone wood and gleaming metal. I noticed that the wallpaper was the same ivory color as the hallway and the non accent walls in the lobby. The rooms floors were the same gleaming oak stock hardwood as the rest of the office suite, but under the table they were covered by a huge silver and deep purple tapestry looking rug with simple 'KAMA Purple' runners forming a border around it. The long, wide table sat twelve and there was a matching sideboard against the wall opposite the bank of windows. Other than the clusters of food that adorned the table, the room looked like it was ready for a full staff or conference meeting. But for that evening, Haja had turned the meeting room into a veritable cornucopia of cheeses and wine. Cheeses on slate cheese boards. Arranged around the cheese were mounds of crackers on silver platters, white or black porcelain platters of fruits and olives, gravy boat looking things that held glazes or jams or compotes that were matched with the cheese and wines. They were also clustered with silver platters containing cured meats, again painstakingly matched to the cheese. The sideboard hid a beverage center that currently held extra bottles of the wines that were paired with the cheeses. Next to it stood a bottle-free water system that looked like the old Culligan machine had gotten one hell of a come up. Atop of it was one complicated looking coffee machine. I may have peeped in the cabinets and found two tea sets, one white and one black, a dozen coffee mugs in solid black, white and purple and a full assortment of wine glasses.

I took a look around and noticed that each of the clusters had a 'menu' on a scroll next the cheese. There was also a stand showing the category that the cheeses represented. It wasn't until I saw that that I realized that they were actually grouped together. There were hard cheeses, firm, bleu, cream and fresh. There were four of the hard cheeses, two of the firm…one day I may have cared about the difference, but that day wasn't it…there was only one bleu cheese, two creams and one fresh. I looked around and picked up the first menu. Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar, Cracker-Wellington Organic Flax and Wheat Crackers, Wine-Tolosa 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles, Fruit and/or Olives-Bosc Pears, Castlevetrano Olives, Nut-Honey Roasted Almonds then it ended with the Cured Meat selection-Bresaola. With a shrug, I grabbed a wine glass and poured myself a quarter glass. Hey for every cheese there was a different wine. I didn't want to get tipsy too early in the night. I took one piece of cheese and one of each of the things that went with it…other than the balsamic glaze…I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do with that.

Once Sam, Cedes and I had our first plates…apparently we were totally expected to have tried every cheese pairing before we left…Darcy took us on to the next area. "Here is where our administrative assistant will sit." The area was well decorated with a big mahogany desk and small waiting area big enough for two. It was open to the hallway going to the team's offices and the admin would have easy access to the emergency exit stairs. Darcy led us down the hall and showed us her and Hudson's offices then Brantley's and Haja's. Everyone took a peak into the lady's and men's room on that side. They were pretty sweet looking. They were pretty much alike but the lady's room had a white painted counter and the men's room had dark brown wood. Oh and the men's room had a urinal. Sam loved that all the soap and paper towel dispensers looked cool and futuristic. Cedes found it funny that both bathrooms had full length mirrors affixed to the back of the door. It was the first time I could remember seeing that in a men's room…but Haja and Kurt were both a little vain…then again so was Brantley. We walked through the breakroom which was ridiculously efficient and cool looking. Everything was either white or stainless steel with slate floors and counter tops. I peeked in the cabinets and found that there were dishes and everything one would need for lunches or dinners if they were at the office late. One long, tall cabinet was set up to hold cleaning supplies. Damn, they had planned for everything. I looked over at Mercedes, "the stuff we got for Kurt and Haja wasn't nearly cool enough."

"It really wasn't." she agreed.

We looked through the copy room, which was already stocked with office supplies like plain white paper and shit. The server room was tricked out. we hit the conference room for a re-up. That time I got a piece of the gouda with ginger cheese, a couple of the Mediterranean Snacks Lentil Sea Salt crackers, a quarter glass of Gualdo del Re 2003 L'Rennero Merlot from Tuscany, a few D'Anjou pear slices, a dap of peach jam, some roasted pistachios and a slice of meat with pistachios in it called Mortadella di Bologna. We crossed through the lobby and said hello to Lyor, Deborah, Anika and Christophe where they stood chatting with Ethan, Amanda, Bryant and his girlfriend, Nadia. While I spoke with our band members, hearing about the cool storage room for the touring instruments, Sam went over and thanked April Rhodes and her cool, old man Jew, fiancé for their support since the VMAs. Mercedes went and chatted with the tenants…I was kind of surprised to see that Seth was there, but not really. He was good people but he still hadn't really made any friends at Princeton. To him it was just easier to come and hang out with his friends here. There were quite a lot of people in that lobby, including Bubbie, Neil and Francesca and Saul and Mills.

Haja cleared his throat and spoke loudly enough to be heard, but it didn't seem as if he was shouting or anything. "I want to take just a quick moment to welcome all of you the band, dancers, family, friends, mentors and team of KAMA to our office warming party. As most, if not all, of you know I am Haja Johnston. When I was hired as the Talent Manager for our friends Mercedes, Puck and Sam, I felt inordinately blessed. Not just because I had a job…but because as they said back then they weren't just looking for employees…they wanted to build a family. That was exactly what I had been hoping to find, a family. Mercedes, Sam and Puck have gifted me with a chance to do any and all of what I love, from making sure that they have the best managed career possible, to allowing myself and their friend and my new mentee Kurt to have pretty much total control over the aesthetics of this space. Kurt, where are you." Kurt waved but Blaine knew that wasn't what Haja meant and pushed him forward. "This is Kurt Hummel, currently a student at both NYADA and FIT. He and I worked together to create a suite of offices that are not just functional but that have character and fit the personalities of our staff. I won't take any more of your time. I know that you probably all have plans for after this soiree. Please let Kurt and I know what you think of our hard work. We will love any accolades and appreciate any constructive criticism. Enjoy the food and wine. And thank you so much for coming."

I looked up, hoping to catch Mercedes' eye. It was the perfect time for us to hand out the gifts. She must have read my mind because she was moving to the reception desk, behind which we had stashed our gifts for everyone. "Umm…I'm not going to keep you guys very long either. I promise. But we had some gifts for everyone and now, while we're all gathered, seems to be the best time." It took us a little while to get everything passed out. We should have put everything together in one bag per person or something, but we hadn't had that much time nor been that smart. "First, we have some long overdue gifts for our Warner Team. I know that now that we have our own staff in place, we won't be seeing so much of you and we really just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for believing in us and for working with us. Thank you for all you've done to help us be a success." I passed Lyor his Tiffany blue wrapped box. Inside was a Tiffany Classic box in sterling silver with cedar lining. I glanced over to where Sam had given Deborah her gift, an Elsa Peretti Padova letter opener in sterling silver…that thing looked like it was both functional and dangerous. That was pretty badass. Anika was the next up. Cedes had picked her a Tiffany square picture frame in sterling silver. Last but not least was Christophe. Mercedes had gotten a mini houndstooth tie in navy blue and light gray silk and an Elsa Peretti Teardrop tie clip in sterling silver for the image conscious man.

With those four gifts covered, Cedes turned her attention back to our staff. "To our staff and team…we want to thank you and like Haja said, we are not just here to sign your pay checks…we're want to have your back just like you all have ours. Thank you for all you've already done and all you will do. Now…I guess we should give you your means to enter and exit the office. These key chains should hold your door keys because they will also disengage the magnetic lock, but they need to be within four to six inches of the door to do so." We handed out the engraved Tiffany's silver rings.

"Well, damn, Boss Lady…" Darcy crooned as she petted the expensive key ring. "You really do love us"

We all laughed, but Sam had to take it one step further. Doing his best Shawn Wayans impression he told her, "But wait…there's more." He dug through the wrapped boxes from Macys and passed her the L'Objet Lapis desk set we'd gotten her. Mercedes gave Darcy her other two Tiffany's boxes; one containing the uber expensive pen we'd gotten her and the other the business card case that we'd gotten for everyone with an office in our suite. Going by the ladies first adage, we handed out the girls their gifts first. Hudson was next…mainly because her stuff was smaller and lighter. She loved her tote and pen but she seriously dug her business card case. Xena was next her Burberry tote bag wasn't huge but it would hold a couple of day's clothes. We'd done that on purpose, the bags would allow our band and dancers and crew to have an easy to take things into hotels when we were on the road rather than schlepping in suitcases that you barely touched in an overnight stay. The dudes were treated to the same kind of deal, the KAMA team got stuff for their office, the KAMA dancers and vocalists got stuff for the road and the band got instruments and gear. It worked. Granted, the team, the band and the dancers and the vocalists would be getting the biggest part of their bonus in their bank account the next day. Because nothing said thank you like a big ass wad of cash. But, according to Gwen and Zizes… that was best kept between us and our crew.

Once we'd emptied our Santa bags, Haja slipped us our master keys and we finally got a chance to see the other side of the office. The paralegal bank would really only house a few paralegals, two or three at most. Mainly it would be for Ethan's legal interns who would be working with the paralegals in helping him prep for the litigation for our case against Faux News and Limbaugh and their ilk…we might be adding some police unions to that if they kept getting froggy. It was cool, unlike the FRT work room, the legal team would have some separation and privacy about their work stations…not a lot, but some. The legal and PR conference room was a mirror of the other one, right down to the cheese and wine buffet on the table and the coffee cups in the sideboard. While I was there I picked another cheese combo to try. The parchment menu beside my pick said that I was getting gruyere cheese, Wasa Whole Grain Crispbread, Hersly 2014 Sauvignon Blanc from Russian River Valley, white cherries with Italian Blackberry mostarda, which kind of tasted like mustard and blackberry molasses had a love child, but it was actually pretty damn good, roasted Brazil nuts and Jamon Iberico de Bellota, which was super delicious ham. Haja really should put some kind of warning on the pork products though. There were a lot of Jews there, at least a few of them had to actually keep kosher and shit.

The administrative assistant area on that side was pretty much the same as the other side…meaning it had all the same furniture pieces, but it was totally different from the other side at the same time. That was cool. We looked into the server and mechanical room on that side. It didn't seem to have as much tech as the other one…but it did contain the suite's circuit breaker box and stuff like that too, so maybe that was on purpose. The copy room on that side was a mirror image of the other one. The two bathrooms looked just like the other ones. That was nifty. Yeah, what was cool once, when it came to bathrooms, was kind of boring the second time around. The standby offices were pretty much the same. Where the personalized offices had color and art and sit that made it look like the person whose office it was…even down to Darcy's office having a napping couch. She could say what she wanted, the couch looked like it was perfect for a midafternoon siesta. Heck, even with the amazingly short notice of the fact that Daniel was even going to come to Manhattan, let alone that he was staying, Haja and Kurt managed to make his office look really cool and it even showed his love of his woman's Native American heritage. Probably that was a little superficial, but he swore that he loved the space, so that was pretty awesome.

Ethan's office was personalized, but like the other admin spaces, his legal assistant's office was well decorated, but it was a little generic. I did hope that whoever he hired liked blue and gray. Then again, anyone who wanted a job in that office needed to love purple. It was kind of all over the place. We were in Ethan's office when I realized that there was a balcony. It was nice and large and gave a great view of the city. Best of all it connected the Legal and PR side with the break room without them having to go through the lobby. They would have to have their keychain on them to get in the external doors, but it was a cool thing for them to have.

We stood out there in the quiet for a while looking out at the city. Mercedes stood in between Sam and I wrapped in our arms and all three of us cloaked in the love we shared. I leaned down and pressed a warm kiss to her temple, the feel of her pulse under my lips reassuring me that life was perfect as it was. "You okay, Baby?" Sam quietly asked.

Sexy Mama smiled up at us. "I'm fine…it just…sometimes it hits me as all being surreal and like I'm going to wake up and still be in high school and Mr. Schue will be expecting me to just be happy swaying in the background behind Rachel, belting out the end notes."

I shook my head. Not in disagreement…I totally understood. I had those moments too. I squeezed her to me. "It is way fucking strange…but I refuse to claim that dream shit. The only dreams we are allowed to have are ones where we're fucking on stage for the delights and pleasure of fifty thousand of our fans."

A throat was cleared behind us. We'd been so into each other that we hadn't even heard the door open or close. "I do hate to interrupt, but I need to be leaving soon and I wanted to speak with you three."

"Not a problem, Mr. Cohen." Sam said turning to him with an affable grin.

We chatted for a little bit about school and the advocacy and activism we were interested in. Then Lyor got serious. "I am very proud of the album you put out in March. The numbers have come very close to shattering several different records. I know that you probably feel that we're rushing you back into the studio, but it is for a very good reason."

"Striking while the iron's still hot. People our age have the attention spans of retarded mosquitos. By getting our sophomore album out of the way so soon after the first it reduces the chances of a sophomore slump." I said honestly. It had kind of blown when we found out that the Christmas album wouldn't actually count to the fulfillment of our contract, but then we'd found out that we got to keep sixty-five percent of every dollar it made after we gave all the songwriters' heirs their cuts…so we decided that it wasn't the worst decision ever.

"There is that, but there is also the simple fact that I am personally hoping to make sure that by the time this first contract is over, you've gotten to a place where you can be the first artists on my own personal label. The Warner board of directors…it's as if they are going out of their way to make me hate them. I know that it is too much to hope that I would get along with everyone, but one would think that considering how good I am at running the company they should at least work with me rather than against me…but it is what it is. As I was saying, per your contract we need to get three albums out of the way. We are at one down two to go on that obligation. In addition, for our own benefit we should get at least full US, North American and European tour out of the way before your Warner contract ends in twenty-eighteen. That being said, I wanted to ask you how you would feel about spending next summer headlining a US tour."

Mercedes hand was squeezing the shit out of mine and probably Sam's. "You really think we're ready? I mean, we were just doing small carnivals and festivals this time last month." She said in what I'm sure she thought was a calm manner.

Lyor gave her a reassuring smile. "You are definitely ready to headline an arena tour. Look, you guys are in a great position for this tour, especially if we can get your second album out before your first dates…or link it to your tour somehow. But either way, at this stage Warner is responsible for eighty-five to ninety percent of the cost of the tour. You guys reap forty-five to fifty percent of the take."

Sam and I exchanged looks over Mercedes head. I was down for whatever. Sam was much more comfortable making money than spending it. "A lot of the planning for costumes and stage sets and everything else would fall on Mercedes and she is a full time and a half student." Sam said cautiously.

"I can loan you one of our best tour managers and it is fully within the scope of your contract that one of the other people we supply funding for would be a costumer." Lyor said reasonably.

Cedes was damn near vibrating with want…the idea of headlining a tour, no matter what size, was just more than she had dreamed would possibly happen that soon. "We will need to talk this over with our team. I mean, it sounds like a great opportunity, but we've got like twenty plus people counting on us now. Brantley should have some say in how he will have to spend the next two or three months of his life." I told Lyor and Sexy Mama both.

"Far enough. Meet with your team, let me know something Monday week." He said way too happily. I don't think he was expecting to get even that much from us.

"Wait…what does Monday week even mean?" I asked him as he was walking away.

His laughter was way loud and boisterous. "It means a week from three days from now."

"Alright, we will let you know in ten days then." Mercedes agreed.

"I really do have to go, but Deborah is bringing you three a little something from me to say congratulations on your VMA wins to the video shoot tomorrow. Have a great evening and I'll look forward to hearing your decision on the tour."

The second someone let him back inside and the door closed behind him, Mercedes Antoinette Jones lost her shit. There was squealing and kissing and hugging and jumping and groping…okay, so the groping was me but still it was there. When she finally started to calm down, she got really quiet. "Okay…I know we only have ten days to make this decision…but with all we're doing tomorrow and guys, I'm not going to lie, not knowing anything but that this is going to 'showcase my sensuality'…its bugging me out. So, I say we set up a meeting in the conference room for Monday evening, skype all the parents in and talk everything through then."

I could definitely see her point. Besides, it would be cool to know something like this and have it to enjoy ourselves for a minute before we had to share it with everyone. "Alright, so we put this in the back of our minds until Monday. So what do you want to do after this?" I asked hopefully.

"Well, I've gotta go and get some real food. Some of those cheese plates were pretty awesome, but dude, I'm still hungry." Sam said honestly.

I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to grab some food and take it to the house so we could get our boo in the bed and get her outside of her head by getting inside of her. But when I voiced my idea for the evening, I got a side swat. "Puck…it's a Friday night. We're barely twenty and twenty one. I don't really want to go home before nine…even if we do need to get up early. Why don't we have dinner out then go home and spend the rest of the night making love." Cede suggested.

"I'm feeling you." I agreed. "There is an amazing Cuban place near here. Let's make a final walk through and thank everyone and set up the meeting for Monday then head there. I bet you Manny and Caesar will love it."

"That's racist man." Sam chided as we headed back inside.

Somehow, by the time we left we were rolling pretty damn deep. When Lester heard that we were going for Cuban, he and Darcy decided to tag along. While Artie, Britts and Tana had made their own arrangements for after the office warming, Kurt and Blaine loved the idea, which gave Cooper and apparently Xena…never saw that one though it was probably just a hookup, an invite. Anyway they hopped on the Guantanamera train. Bubbie Ruth, Bones and Ramon were coming, together, and apparently Roman didn't mind in the least. But then again since he was totally with our LA realtor, he couldn't really say much of anything. Besides, he was actually working. He'd popped over to see everything and congratulate us…and probably mostly to harass his cousin. Cal and Chet had no choice, the rest of the Rangemen present decided that they were hungry and Guantanamera was as good a place to eat as anywhere else. The Dam bros, Erika and Cassidy were in as soon as Justin said he'd never had Cuban food…they wanted to see him experience the first I guess.

Seth, Jamie and Ryan pretty much fell in just because they didn't have any other plans. So did Rylie and his dad, who had come to the party at my invitation. The good thing was that since we were all going to eat at the same place, we could all go ahead and chip in to help clean up. Many hands made quick work and in less than an hour we were on our way to the restaurant. When we got there we were shocked to find that Hudson had made us reservations, but nor in the whole huge group. She'd arranged things so that couples and threesomes got their own private tables and the rest of the mammoth crew we were rolling with that night were grouped by comfort levels and associations. We had definitely hired the right person to be our PA.

Our table was in a nice quiet corner, so we felt alone even in the sea of people. The music was pretty good. It was as authentically Cuban as the food. My papas rellenas were amazing…but I had to give the appetizer round to Cedes' Tostones Rellenos, which were totally boss plantains stuffed with shrimp in a Cuban sauce. Sam had played it safe with Empanadas…they were good, but not as good as my or our wife's pick. It was way too hot for soup, so we all stuck with salads. I just went with the house salad, a simple tossed mixed green salad with tomato, onions, and balsamic vinaigrette. Mercedes salad was really good though. She'd picked a salad that was made up of shaved artichokes with avocado & parmesan cheese on a bed of mixed greens with lemon vinaigrette. But Sam definitely took the salad pick of the day title with the Ensalada de Camarones or sautéed shrimp with mixed baby greens, oranges, pineapple and mango dressing. After the bites of shrimp in the appetizer and the salad, I was dying for some more seafood. Apparently Sam and Cedes felt the same way. Sexy Mama ordered their Paella Marinera, a Spanish rice cooked with mussels, clams, calamari, bay scallops, shrimps, fish, and baby lobster tail. I got an awesome…write home to Momma to tell her all about it…seafood casserole of fish, baby lobster tail, shrimp, bay scallops, squid, clams and mussels in green pea sauce with casava and sweet plantain called Cazuela Marinera. I won the entrée round but Sam's Corvina Al Estilo Hemingway, which was a pan seared white sea bass on a bed of lima beans and clams in light red sauce, managed to edge out Cedes' paella by just a little bit.

Over dinner we talked through the other looming decision in our lives. One we needed to move on a lot sooner than ten days from then. "So…I kind of looked over our options for what we could do as far as getting someone to handle the chores we just don't have time to deal with." I started with a small, innocent, grin.

Mercedes cut her eyes at me. "First…I want all of us to agree that no matter how we look for the housekeeper, we will have Rangeman do the background checks. According to Manny…there is nothing that they can't dig up on people and Ms. Plum has some kind of weird sixth sense about sketchy people."

"Hell yeah, I'm down with that." I agreed quickly. "We don't need some freak show asshole trying to catch you naked or us all boning or something."

"Or you know stealing from us or telling our secrets to the tabloids." Sam said with fond exasperation.

"Yeah, that too." I chuckled.

Cedes gave us both grins as she finished a bite of my casserole. "Okay…so Noah, what are the differences? What should we be looking for?"

"Well the first kind of one I found was the maid/cleaning lady. They only did cleaning type stuff…no cooking and most of them didn't do laundry either. So I think that's not gonna be enough to be honest. Even being hella busy we can take care of picking up after ourselves. There are specialized ones who do laundry…but that's all they do. There are a whole bunch of people in the middle too, but I think what we're looking for would be an executive housekeeper. They are pretty much perfect for us. We can ask that the person be a nutritionist and make sure that they are cool with planning the menus and shopping lists. Then we can have them give the lists to Hudson and she orders everything and have it delivered…or if we're comfortable with the housekeeper doing the shopping they can do that too. So it would be someone who did all the cleaning, the laundry and the grocery shopping and cooking. Now the thing is, if we're doing it for the whole house, our side and Bartana's side…we'd need to pay a little bit more."

"I say we go ahead and make Artie a real, permanent part of our band and offer him, Santana and Brittany the chance to tip in five grand a year each to pay the extra cost of the housekeeper." Sam tossed in. "I mean, he can still do the videography and such that Darcy needs, but having the third guitar on stage won't hurt anything and it can free us up if we end up needing our hands in the heat of a moment."

We'd both been considering that for a while. I mean it wasn't like Artie didn't have to learn every guitar riff anyway. Mercedes nodded. "That's not a bad way to offset the extra cost of having someone take care of everything…which you know Santana would trick him or her into doing anyway. Remember that originally we'd all talked about putting money into a joint household account for groceries and staples…we could do that and just add the housekeeper on as an authorized user. If they fuck up then boom they are gone and the next one has to go through Hudson." She added.

Since we'd reached a consensus on that topic, Mercedes asked us about our first week of classes. I told them about changing sections for my Economics of America class and the shady teacher. "I've got some new books to read so I'm gonna bring them with us tomorrow. Give me something to do while you're is in hair and makeup, Sexy Mama." Cedes could only laugh because it really did take her like three times as long as me and Sam combined. Sam told us all about his awesome architecture classes using a lot of terms I didn't really get but he was hella excited so we were both really happy for him. Cedes was killing it in both her French lit class and her intro to marketing class. The French professor had made them turn in a three page paper in French on one of the works…she had chosen to do 'Waiting on Godot'. She had read it in both English and French so her paper had looked at the subtle differences translations can make. Apparently, the French prof loved it and crowed about it during class. Her marketing professor was using KAMA pretty much as a modern case study of the changes the internet has made in marketing when it came to the music industry.

Once we'd finished talking through work and school, Sam changed the subject to something even more important. "So Mercy-Baby…when we get you home…I'm thinking that me and Noah need to take turns eating your sweet little pussy until you can't barely breathe…whatcha think about that?"

We spent the rest of the main course teasing and tormenting Cedes until she shakily called for boxes and the check. Even then when we were heading back with Manny and Caesar to get the Tahoe, we still played with our boo. Teasing and touching, kissing and playing. We stopped and grabbed some gelato from Amorino and then headed home. Sam didn't lie about what he wanted to do to her. But we only licked and sucked and nibbled and tongued her flesh until we ran out of the gelato we were eating off of her. Then we took turns fucking our woman until she actual, factual passed the fuck out. I suppose in the sake of all honesty I could admit, at least to myself, that Sam and I were out only seconds after her. that was, very truthfully, the strongest orgasm I'd ever had. Sexing Mercedes Jones and Sam Evans might well kill me, but I was definitely willing to go out like that.

The next morning, we were awoken early as hell by our cell phones ringing incessantly. If that weren't enough, and it almost wasn't, Santana had picked the lock on the outer door to our master suite and Kurt and Blaine were trying to keep her from unlocking our bedroom door even as they tried to wake us up themselves. "Shit, what fucking time is it?" Sam yelled as he helped Mercedes get disentangled from me.

"Its six thirty and you three are supposed to be on your way to the Gansevoort already." Kurt said helpfully. "The limo Warner sent for you is outside. Hudson, Binkie and Chet are in the kitchen. Shower quickly…Coffee will be waiting on you."

We showered and lotioned and dressed with a quickness. Thankfully since hair and makeup would be done there, Cedes just threw on a pretty bra and panties set, some black leggings and an oversized Columbia tee shirt with the neck cut out and into a vee. She had taken off her head scarf, but left her hair up in the bun that the scarf had covered. Lip balm from a purple egg and her big ass shades her feet in some purple kicks and she was ready to go. Sam was just as bad, he'd thrown on some faded plaid cargo shorts stuffed his feet into some old dock siders and threw on a tee-shirt whose words only meant something if one could read Klingon. I happened to know that it said 'A Fool and His Head Are Soon Parted' but only because Sam had told me that when Tonya had given it to him. I could lie and say that I had put more effort into my 'look' except I hadn't even bothered with drawers. I was going commando in some used to be black cargo pants, thick soled flip flops, a black wife beater and the newest pair of super damn expensive sunglasses Cedes had gotten me. I grabbed my backpack, and wallet…my cell phone and I was ready to go. Cedes was throwing shit in a big ass purse but she was moving fast as hell. Fifteen minutes after we made it out of the bed, we were running for the limo drinking deeply from the expertly prepared travel mugs of the Death Wish Coffee Cooper had introduced us all to.

Binkie opened the limo door for us and Chet and the hotel doorman got the hotel double doors, we weren't in the mood to deal with the rotating one. We strode into the lobby Sam and I walking just a step behind Mercedes. Later, when we saw the video, we'd find out that Mr. Haussman had taken advantage of our tardiness to come up with a better opening shot for the video. He was behind the check in desk with one of his smaller cameras and caught our entrance and our meeting with the concierge who was all ready for us. He was efficient as Hudson and he got us bundled into the elevator and up to the tenth floor Manhattan suite where Deborah and Anika were waiting with the hair, makeup and costume people most of whom we'd worked with before. It took them maybe fifteen minutes to be happy with me and Sam. we were stripped, sprayed with the makeup that would make us look all airbrushed and shit and then redressed in black silk pajama pants…and nothing else. We were seated on the sofa in the prep suite, Sam going over something for our next psych class while I read the Davidson book Professor used in his Econ 2105 section. After about thirty-five, forty-five minutes, we were ushered into the connecting suite were Mr. Haussman had set up everything for filming. Sam and I were settled on the red velvet couch, "I want you two to get into each other but when Mercedes comes and stands in the door way, I want you to stand and just show the world how much passion she inspires in you." He told us commandingly.

Hell, when Sexy Mama appeared in the doorway looking like sex personified, we had no damn choice. There was nothing voluntary about our stand or our rising to the occasion. She stood there in a long, slinky, ankle length nightgown of purple silk. The nightgown was trimmed in lace, but it was easy to see the black lace of the push up bra Cedes was wearing to add even more SEX to the moment. While Sam and I were bare footed, our woman's feet were looking too good in a pair of black, silky looking red bottoms with a high ass heel and a feathery looking pompom at the back. her hair was all curly around her shoulders and down her back and her face didn't really look like she had much makeup on, just some shiny purply-red lipstick and her eyes looked magnificent.

From there Sam and I moved without a word to go to her. the room was filled with our voices and with no direction from Michael other than to show the world our passion for her, we pressed her between us and swayed to the rhythm of our single. We must have danced to the song for at least four or five repetitions, dancing and exchanging small kisses, talking quietly, laughing to our own quietly shared thoughts. After the last time through the song, a voice broke through the bubble we'd managed to encase ourselves in by yelling cut. Then we were arranged on the sofa, making out again to the song. That one didn't last as long. Hands, Cedes', Sam's and my own, started straying places that we couldn't in a music video. Then they moved us into the bedroom of the suite. The making out got heavy duty in there. I mean, since we were under the sheets, for the most part, we just started rounding the bases. Granted we stopped between second and third, but still…for the forty minutes to an hour we were in that bedroom, we had a grand old time.

We stopped for lunch after we got ourselves under control. Then we had time to wait. Despite the blue balls, we used that time to study and work on assignments for school. When we finished all of those we called Hudson over and we started talking through the requirements for our housekeeper and she said she'd have the first draft of the ad for us by the end of the day…which she would, she wasn't really doing much else. Those kinds of days had to be boring for her. She spent even more time waiting than we did. Around five, we were back in hair and makeup, this time everything they used was water resistant. Me and Sam ended up in black and blue swim trunks respectively. They ended halfway down our thighs and showed off the hard work we'd put in on our lower body. Pool shoes that matched the shorts and the hotel's big ass, fluffy towels completed our look…though the hair lady did put some pool protection conditioner in Sam's hair since he freely admitted it was a dye job.

When Mercedes came out she was covered in a bathrobe, all we could see was that her weave had been slicked back and probably had some protective stuff run through it too. Her lipstick had been changed to a brownish, brackish red with gold shimmer to it. She looked hot like fire. when we got to the roof top pool everything was in readiness. Michael got us all set up to catch the shot he wanted the most. Mercedes standing at the end of the pool with the sun setting behind her as she kicked off her thong wedges, dropped the bathrobe revealing a brown metallic, halter top one piece swim suit that hugged her curves gorgeously and ended right at the fullest curve of her hips. Reaching up slowly, like she was going into a yoga pose, Cedes instead dove into the water with her hands together. She knifed her way the entire length of the pool, swimming with a negligent ease and grace that came from years of being in the pool and going to the beach. She swam almost to where Sam and I sat on the steps in the shallow end before she put her feet down and stood. Her hands pushed her hair out of her face and down her back before she joined us on the steps.

The entire time it took the sun to sink behind the horizon overlooking the Hudson River, Michael filmed us cavorting, his word not mine, in the water. We really just did what most guys our age would do in a pool with a beautiful young lady, goofed off, showed off and surreptitiously groped her. Filming wrapped at eight. But we didn't leave there until after ten. The wonderful hair and makeup ladies helped Mercedes get her weave back into good condition and helped me and Sam get all that spray on makeup off of us before we went home. We didn't even try and act like we had any energy left after we got into the house. We vegged out on the couch, talking and shooting the shit with Bartana, Klaine and Cooper. Bartana was cool with chipping in for the housekeeper as long as it meant Santana didn't have to start cleaning her own bathroom. Once we finally got the energy to climb the stairs to our bedroom, Mercedes finally gave us the gifts Lyor had sent with Deborah and Anika. When she opened the understated black box that simply read 'Graff' Cedes did a full on 'white girl gasp'. She absolutely loved the sapphire and diamond butterfly medallion necklace inside. Sam and I quickly opened our identical boxes and found seriously expensive looking watches. The enclosed card stated that they were Master Graff dual time tourbillion platinum and black watches.

I didn't know when the next formal thing would be, but I knew what we'd be rocking on our wrists and what necklace Mercedes would be planning her look around. She made us do hand written thank you notes immediately so that they could go in the mail on Monday. Then we headed to bed and made up for all the aborted make out sessions. The next morning, we woke up too late for the Catholic church, so we went to the AME one instead. After church though, we went by the cathedral where we'd prayed for Finn and Sam showed us how to light candles for Joan Rivers. Then we took all our roommates and tenants out to dinner to really catch up. All in all, the week may have been busy as hell…but there wasn't a single thing that we would have changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Save a story...feed the plot bunnies.
> 
> You guys don't know how lucky you are. I'm watching Rocky Horror Picture Show, so I could have ended up spewing some seriously messed up review request and sworn it was brilliant.
> 
> Hope every one had an enjoyable read...make sure and tip your author...goodnight.
> 
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	4. Darling Nikki & Let's Go Crazy (Prince, RIP Your Royal Purpleness)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy & Brantley look at the second week back in New York

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Scream My Name by amber2011
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe, You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!!

Darling Nikki (Prince)  
Darcy PoV

There was never a moment when I didn’t love my job. I mean, seriously. Every time I thought that it couldn’t possibly get any better, it did. I got to play tech queen of the office suite all week getting things set up. Mercedes had allowed me to handle choosing our service providers for our internet and phones, for our entire office. I picked out which phones we’d be getting, what kind of service, VOIP all the way…and I ordered all the computers, taking into account the needs of the individual positions and the group over all. I decided how our network should be linked, what types of servers would best fit our needs, and how big our cloud presence needed to be. It was an amazing opportunity for me in my first position. The fact that it was present on my resume was invaluable…in the event that I ever lost my mind and decided to look for another job elsewhere. Then there was the fact that I moved to the biggest city in the freaking country and into a great apartment with a quiet but still totally cool roommate. They had even, pretty much, made sure that they had provided me with a ready-made circle of friends and, dare I say it, support.

In addition to all of that, whether it was simple serendipity, or grand design, my bosses kept inadvertently putting attractive men in my path. First up had been Jon. Jon Scully had been the perfect ‘welcome to New York’ gift to myself. Tall, surprisingly well-endowed and the possessor of a serious clit-in-mouth fetish…a fun time had been had by all. But given that he was totally looking for Mrs. Right because his family were firm believers in marriage and being in love and all that forever shit, he’d ended up being sidelined from fuck-buddy to just buddy. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in that stuff too, I had my grandparents’ and aunt and uncle’s and even mother and stepfather’s marriages to show me that it was all real…but I wasn’t there yet…not in the slightest. Jon was, and I respected that. So he was just my friend. Not that it was a big hardship. He was a really cool guy to hang out with. He and his roommate Ben had become two of my best friends in the city. Which was all good because a chick needed dude friends to help her comprehend the ways of the bro.

Over the course of Labor Day week, we’d gotten the office whipped into shape. Haja had decided that we needed, meaning he really wanted to give, an office warming party. So we were working on some serious time constraints. Thankfully the business we’d ordered the office furniture from had set up and install as part of their delivery package. By the end of the business day Thursday, everything that could be considered furniture had been professionally assembled and put into its proper place as assigned by Haja and Kurt’s meticulously drawn design plan. The computers and tech pieces were all installed and perfectly placed for optimal efficiency and, yes, aesthetics. We stayed a little late, joined by Kurt, Blaine and a little surprisingly, Ryan, Thursday evening and unpacked all the tchotchkes and accessories. Hell they had shit all planned out to the last detail.

For the most part, each of the individual offices measured at least sixteen feet by ten. However, there were those that were smaller, eleven by ten…but one of those would be for Ethan’s legal secretary and the other two were either being used just for instrument and stage gear storage, or as a standby office for when Uncle Ben came to town for our reenrollments and such. Of the ones on our side of the suite, both Brantley and I had offices that gave us a hundred and sixty-five square feet of space. Hudson’s was slightly smaller and Haja’s was slightly larger. All of our offices had the same basic bones, the oak stock flooring, the Benjamin Moore Mystic Grape accent wall behind our desks, the other three walls covered in lighter ivory wallpaper. Well except for Brantley who had a weird anti-wallpaper fetish…allergic to the adhesives, yeah right, his three primary walls were painted a Benjamin Moore shade called Lancaster Whitewash. We each had real wood furniture that was suited to our personalities; super dark and modern for Brantley, dark stained, but more traditional for me, much lighter stained and full on traditional for Haja, medium cherry stained and kind of modern feminine for Hudson. Everything was tailored for us and our needs. It was kind of heady. No, it was full on actual heady, and the fact that Haja knew me well enough to get me an absolutely perfect napping couch was beyond awesome. Even the light fixtures and art work was stuff I’d have picked out myself. He did great work.

Since he had put so much time and thought into making my office a place I would want to freaking live, I couldn’t not help him with making sure that his office warming party was a success. So I carefully budgeted my time getting every computer on to the network, getting our outlook set up, and Office Suite installed and set up on all of the computers in the office. We had the strongest firewalls known to man, amazing virus and intrusion protection. I’d written the code for everything myself. There was no way anyone without one of my passwords was getting in…and as warped as my mind was there was little to no chance of most semi-sane people being able to guess them. On top of all that, they were twenty-one key encryption…it would take hours for a buster program to crack even just one of them and our firewall had seven…one of which you couldn’t see until too damn late. I was pretty proud of my tech-fu. By one o’clock I was done. All the servers were up and running. Every one of the twenty-one desktops and the twelve laptops were password protected, had a well-functioning and up to date virus software installed and was set up with the office outlook, or the special outlook section I had created for the FRT and the paralegals and interns…they were on a different server with even stronger virus protections. Their emails were also going to be more carefully monitored and their internet more carefully controlled.

Once I was completely finished with my job, I presented myself for service to Haja. He didn’t make me do anything too bad. While I printed out the different cheese pairing menus on some parchment paper that Haja provided, Hudson went to several super trendy markets to buy all the non-cheese, non-wine items on Haja’s list. He had handled those corner stones of the evening himself. Hudson and I helped him arrange everything nonperishable on the conference room tables and make sure that the party rental people who were providing all the stemware, the silver platters and porcelain bowls and the cheese knives and a million other little things to make the night run smoothly were let in and that everything was in place.

Then Haja shooed Hudson and I out to go get prettified. “You have thirty minutes to get back to your apartment, an hour to get into your business casual, sex on a stick best, and then thirty minutes to get your pretty little butts back here before everyone else starts to show up.”

We headed home, hoping and praying that the subway gods were on our side. Thankfully, there were no delays, we found two seats together and somehow we shaved a full ten minutes off the usual trip time. Hudson was kind enough to let me shower first. Mainly because, like an idiot, I’d been putting off washing my hair for the last two days and no longer had any choice at all in the matter. As soon as I got out and started the hair dryer, I heard Hudson’s shower start in the adjacent bathroom. We had separate bathrooms, the water heater was fucking impressive, but we always staggered our showers as if we were still living in dorms. It was a psychosis we’d eventually get over.

I dried my hair with a diffuser to keep it wavy and headed back into my room to pick out an outfit. The decision to wear jeans and boots was a no brainer… we’d be riding back on the subway later after the party and late night subway riding for women was just less risky in jeans and boots one could run in. looking through my underwear drawer, I located my best black bra. It was functional, mostly comfortable, it was pretty… and it made the girls look fan-diddily-tastic. I found my favorite pair of dark wash, skinny, make my ass look even more bitable jeans and after pulling on a pair of padded bottom ankle socks, I wiggled my way into the jeans. I loved those jeans. They were super tight everywhere but the waist, so while they looked like I had to lay down to zip them up and couldn’t button them without making my navel talk to my spine first. They were the easiest pair to do up that I owned. However, there was no reason to piss off the denim, so I pulled on my three and a half inch, stacked heels, studded back, black leather boots and zipped their hidden zipper up before I fastened my jeans.

It took me longer to decide on a top. I had two great choices. One was a garnet red, boned, cotton, V-neck that hugged my curves in such a great way, I’d have to wear a blazer or I’d risk arrest for indecent exposure even while fully dressed. My other choice was a gray, silk faille top that had a deep V cowl neck and whose lack of sleeves also necessitated the wearing of a blazer. So skipping the top decision, in the hope that choosing the blazer would make picking the top a little easier, I looked through my black blazers. It took me nanoseconds to realize that the black leather would be too warm and who wanted to really test the actual deodorizing strength of something that smelled as good as my Dove deodorant. So I went with a summer weight, black, one button, blazer that ended slightly higher in the back than the front and finished off in layered looking points at the front. Suddenly, as if I received a command from the subtle voice of a higher being, I reached for the red top and worked over my head, zipped the side zipper and made sure that the girls looked buxom as humanly possible. I dashed on a light spray of my beloved Calvin Klein ‘Downtown’ perfume and quickly powdered my face. With the garnet top, what could I do but go for my signature bold, defiantly red lip stick. Since my lips would be so bold, I kept the rest of my makeup ridiculously natural…okay so really I just drew a thick line of purple smoke eyeliner, slathered on a heaping helping of dark brown mascara and called it a night.

When I walked into the living room, I was kind of shocked to realize that even with my indecisiveness on my shirt, there was still twenty minutes before we absolutely had to walk out the door. Hudson was nowhere near as ready. She, peeped out of her room, her hair down in what I called her Merida look, her face as made up as she was comfortable with, so basically a barely there line of slate gray eyeliner, just a bare hint of metallic sage eyeshadow under the crease, a light coat of a special brow gel for redheads she was introduced to by one of Mr. Westwood’s makeup artists in LA and an even lighter coat of rich brown Cover Girl mascara. Hudson was still wrapped in her robe. “Help me.” She begged.

Of course, I had her back. She wasn’t just my roommate; she was my friend. I didn’t want to do that thing where someone asks for your help with their clothing and you basically end up dressing them in your style not their style. I hated when my mother did that to me. So I carefully looked through her clothing. I still stood by the whole jeans on the subway late at night thing, but I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable and jeans that were too fitted would definitely do that. I found a great pair of denim trousers with a nice wide, mid-rise waist band and a medium gray wash. She didn’t have any wide heeled boots or stacked pumps, so I ended up pulling out a pair of brown and a pair of black ankle boots each with wedges to give her added height. Then it was shirt time. Hudson’s curves were pretty modest and her modesty was even worse. So, I knew that she wouldn’t even own any shirts that were in my style, which made resisting temptation super easy…I just looked for something that would flatter her slender curves, vibrant hair and pale skin.

I found a gorgeous boat neck, pullover, with elbow length sleeves and in a shade of bluish green they called ‘angel blue’. It was a great cut for her. So I put the booties back in the closet, grabbed a pair of nude pumps. When she had put on the top and the pants, she really looked lovely, but there was still a little something missing. I ran back into my room and grabbed a cute blue stone bib necklace and it completed her look perfectly, well other than her tiny little hoop earrings. They were pretty much all she wore. I didn’t blame her. With curls like hers, more elaborate earrings were just asking for a shit ton of trouble. We grabbed our purses and made it out the door mostly on time.

Unfortunately, the subway gods weren’t as happy with us as they had been earlier. But they only punished us by making us a little late. I would always take the extra transfer over having to stand the whole time. Still we weren’t too late, the only people who beat us there were Brantley and the Rangemen. As soon as Ethan and Daniel showed up, Lester Santos, our lead contact with Rangeman, walked us through the security system and gave us our personal codes to get to the office areas. I chuckled when I realized that my code was actually my bra size…three eight three three. I’d done my research on Rangeman Security, LLC when I first got hired on…it didn’t surprise me that they knew it. As soon as they were done with ‘here is your security system’ tour, I made a little time to talk to Santos. “So, is there some kind of built and sexy requirement for being hired by Rangeman…I’ve not seen a single one of you guys who wasn’t as hot as hell.” He was looking damn fine in tailored black Armani slacks and jacket and a black superfine dress shirt with the collar buttons left undone.

He gave me a dirty grin. “Well, I have to say that you would certainly qualify if that were the caveat.”

“I know. I’m hot like fire and my breasts are magnificent.” I tossed back confidently.

“Real too.” He returned with a grin.

I patted his back like a proud parent. “Good eye.”

“Yeah, well…I’m something of a connoisseur.” He shot back.

We flirted for a while before people really started to arrive. Then we both had jobs to do. I had such a friggin’ blast showing everyone around the office. I overheard LYOR COHEN…even I knew who he was and that was before I met Commune, as Lauren calls them. Anyway I overheard Mr. Cohen asking Haja and Kurt if they would be interested in redecorating his offices at Warner. Those two were pretty much glowing by that point. It was awesome. Once Puck, Mercedes and Sam arrived, I was a little jealous of Mercy’s adorable dress, but not really. With my skim milk complexion…it wouldn’t have looked half as good on me…but in another color…it would have been all mine. I gave the three of them and Brantley a quick tour mainly of the FRT workroom, the Management Team conference room, the breakroom and the bathrooms then left them to their own devices.

I soon noticed that Hudson and Brantley kept sneaking off to hit the supply room and begin the process of getting their offices all ready for them to start working as soon as they walked in the door Monday. I was really tempted to do the same but I kept getting distracted by conversations. Christophe and I discussed the fluid nature of social media and how I was handling maintaining a consistent digital presence for KAMA. He had some good ideas for how to position them for advocacy and activism while helping them to reach ever broadening audiences. And their audience was widening exponentially. Since the VMAs KAMAs sales in urban markets had almost doubled and I noticed that online negative response to the interracial aspect of their relationship was down by thirty-five percent. When I split off from Christophe, I somehow stumbled into Anika, Mrs. Mayzer and Kurt’s discussion on the upcoming awards shows and which designers might be approachable and who might be looking for a way to approach Mercedes’ camp and are just unsure how. At some point, fairly soon, we were going to have to establish who was the contact point for designers, fashion houses and such. Something told me that it was probably going to be Ruth Mayzer for at least the next few years, while Kurt finished school.

I had fun clowning with Jon and Ben…found another spiritual little brother in Seth Cohen. I’m met him a few times, but that night we actually had time for a more in depth conversation. He was hilarious and he talked even more than I did. That was a rare find in anyone…let alone a dude. Like seriously that kid needed to transfer to Columbia that next semester. It would save his family a ton of money just in the back and forth between New York and Princeton alone. I forced Seth into being my tasting buddy. There were ten stations and we tried them all. Which meant that Seth was a giggly as a little girl after drinking all those wines. He’d probably also be sick as a dog the next day…I did try and warn him, but then he started going on about pairing the wine and the cheese and creating a ‘sauce’ in your mouth of the two and so I figured he knew what he was doing and I let him go. I had to admit when I tried it his way…some of those, huh this is pretty good cheese, became totally something I needed in my life for the foreseeable future.

Then there came the point in the evening when Haja basically thanked our awesome bosses for letting him have the chance to do what he loved creatively even as they gave him a position that allowed him to do what he loved professionally. He asked for any constructive criticisms people may have, but as far as I could tell, everyone loved everything about his and Kurt’s designs. Heck, the design duo had even picked appropriate picture frames for us to put our personal pictures in. they had gone above and beyond. After he got down, Mercedes, Sam and Puck took the floor. The three of them thanked us all for what we’d done to support them and their career, starting with the guy who discovered them and backed them way more than most new groups would have been backed. Seeing all the blue wrapped boxes, I made a mental note to keep an eye out for a Tiffany mention of my bosses.

Then Mercedes started in on how much we’d all done for them, like we weren’t more than well compensated for what we do…not just monetarily but emotionally too. But even having only know them for about six months, I knew that arguing with them giving us gifts would go over about as well as Hermione Granger’s attempts to free the house elves. Besides, they really did give amazing gifts. Just look at what they gave me that evening. I received a Tiffany globe sterling silver key chain that was both beautiful and functional. My office keys went on that bad boy before they had even turned back around with my next gifts. Then I got two total ‘yeah all you dudes at MIT who swore that a chick shouldn't bother with STEM subjects let along coding, look who has the Tiffany pen and business card holder…eat my ass punk bitches’ gifts. But the piece de resistance was the desk set that they gave me. It was bold and bright almost to the point of garishness. Yet it was totally classy. It was super awesome, totally expensive porcelain and, I swear the gold was real and at least twenty-four carat. The set contained a vase, a round box with a top, a shallow rectangular tray, a pencil cup and a big ass candle in a matching holder. I was in love.

So much so that I may have let them tour the rest of the suite on their own as I unpacked my brand spanking new gifts on my brand spanking new desk. I wasn’t even that surprised when a voice spoke from the doorway, “are you sure they are for real? They got you a grand worth of gifts for doing your job on top of what they already pay you? Part of me is really happy for you and part of me is really jealous.” He gave me a lecherous grin. “But I was more jealous when you were holding that box to your chest and petting it before.”

“Yeah well, I’m kind of jealous of those pants. They do make your ass look incredible.” We shared a small laugh.

“We should have dinner after this.” Lester suggested. “Ever have Cuban?”

I shrugged. “Not that I know of. I’ve had Puerto Rican. I’ve had Dominican. I’ve had Haitian. I’ve even had Bahamian. But, I don’t think I’ve had Cuban yet.” 

He strode cross the room and looked deep into my eyes, trying to figure out the answer to his next question before he asked it. I kept my smile coy and flirtatious making him put his query into words. “So are we still talking about food?”

I shook my head and gave him a dirty smile. “Nope. Does that bother you? I mean, I am reading you right here? I’m not going to have to worry about you getting ridiculous and clingy if I lay it on you?”

Lester’s laugher filled my spacious office. “No…actually, let me not say no. My cousin said that about Beautiful and he is so sprung over her it is just painful to watch sometimes. And it has been a long time since I’ve been with a woman with breasts as big as yours…and hers were definitely nowhere near real.”

“Wanna feel me up.”

“God Yes.” He groaned. I led him over to my brand spanking new couch. Pushed him down and straddled his lap.

Holy smokes Lester Santos could kiss. He also had amazing hands. Surprisingly enough, despite my assumption that he was wanting some serious hands on time with the girls, he spent quite a bit of our make out session with his hands making my ass, which is pretty damn glorious in its own right, feel appreciated. All too soon though we had to put the whole sexual exploration on pause. As much as I was looking forward to christening my office, I wasn’t about to do so with so many people milling around on the other side of the door. I was many things, but quiet or subtle I certainly wasn’t. I pulled back. “We’re gonna have to put a pin in this. We’ll continue it after dinner at my place. Because hot or not, I refuse to do the walk of shame in the morning.”

Lester nodded and stood up, with me still in his arms. He set me on my feet and we straightened each other up. That was a little more intimate than I was really used to, but our other option was to try and sneak to the bathrooms without being seen. We were done quickly and went back out to the party. When things broke up, everyone who was going to the Cuban place Lester had suggested to me, and Puck had suggested to everyone else apparently, all stayed behind and made quick work of the clean-up. The walk to the restaurant was enlightening. I couldn’t believe that Xena and Blaine’s brother looked as if they were hooking up. Then again, given what I knew of Xena’s history and personality, having the dude guaranteed to leave would probably appeal to her as much as it did to me.

Guantanamera was freaking excellent. It was pretty close to the office. The food was amazing. The mojitos were awesome and according to the Cuban across from me the entire experience was pretty damn authentic. The conversation was really good. Mainly Lester and I traded our favorite as yet unexplored fantasies and what we’d like to do to and with each other that night. Since we pretty well packed the restaurant, we were at a rectangular table for four and best of all we’d ended up with Xena and Cooper. Unfortunately, I was doomed to disappointment, all they were talking about was how hard it was to get commercials even when you had the right look and how lucky Xena had been to get the Dove hair care spots she’d gotten and if she was going to continue to do them around her touring schedule.

Lester paid the check while I grabbed Hudson…hook up or not, no way was I leaving her to make her way home alone. She didn’t even carry a tazer…said they were illegal. Which yeah they were, but I’d be damned if I was giving mine up. The Rangeman crew had been disappearing throughout the night as their shifts came up or whatever, but they made sure that Lester had a vehicle. He was cool people. He checked to see if any of the rest of the crew that was heading back to Harlem needed a ride. Between his ride and the one Ruth Mayzer’s two Rangemen…man did I want to be like her when I grew up…between the two SUVs, we managed to give Santana, Artie and Brittany and Seth, Jamie and Ryan rides too.

Parking wasn’t a problem. Hudson and I had a spot, but neither of us had a car, so it was always empty. The walk to our apartment was short. Lester was a consummate gentleman until the two of us had said good night to Hudson and were in my room alone. As soon as I had that door locked, I stripped out of my more difficult to remove apparel pieces, meaning everything but my unmatching but working with the outfit black bra and tiny red thong. Lester hadn’t been idle either. He’d removed his jacket, shirt, socks and shoes. I was pretty sure that the only reason he’d left on his pants was because he wasn’t wearing anything underneath them.

I walked over to my night stand and opened my top drawer. “Now answer me honestly. What is your Trojan size, regular, XL, XXL or the every elusive XXXL?”

“You are the perfect woman. You really have a full assortment here don’t you.” He asked leaning over my shoulder. He grabbed the box of the XXLs and checked the expiration date. He popped the seal and took out a sleeve of the little squares.

“Are you reaching for the stars…or is five rounds attainable for you?” I asked him cheekily as I pressed my ass cheeks against the budge in his pants.

He pressed a kiss against my bare shoulder. “Gorgeous…the view from above is inspirational…but something tells me that the view from below is going to make me have to reach back into this box at least one more time.” He used his free hand to unhook my bra, which was massively impressive since it was a five hook strap. The condoms were tossed on the bed as Lester took over the support he’d taken from my boobs. He really had great hands, perfectly calloused, strong and capable…of both pleasure and pain. He spent the next hour exploring my body with his hands and mouth. He managed to do something that had never been done to my person before…he made me cum with my panties still in place. Then he took them off and made my lose my mind in the best possible way. The man earned a gold medal in cunnilingus. By the time he finally got rid of his pants, I was kind of cursing at him and begging him to fuck me at the same damn time. I had been with some men who’d been gifted by the gods with their endowments…but Lester Santos was better to me than anyone I’d ever fucked before. He was only about eight inches long, but he was so thick…so deliciously thick…so wonderfully stretchily thick that I almost broke my cardinal rule and asked him to stay the next morning.

We went through a total of seven condoms that night into Saturday morning. We fucked in Lester’s favorite position, modified missionary where my ass was on his thighs and he was hunched over sucking at the girls like they were giving him life. We did it in my favorite position where I rode him like my name was Zorro…he worshipped the girls as was their due. I even felt comfortable enough with him to let him hit it from behind. And in another first, I was even able to cum that way. Saturday morning, Lester woke me up dragged me to the shower and fucked me against the cold wall with the hot spray coming down on us. It was one of the most erotic experiences of my life. My legs wouldn’t support my weight as Lester and I stood panting in the shower. “I said I wasn’t gonna get sprung…and I’m not…but I’m sure as hell not finished with you and I don’t have to be back in Trenton until Monday.”

“Hudson’s already gone. The bosses are filming a video today, she’s with them. There is a chair in the living room that I think would be perfect for getting bent over.” Turned out the chair really was perfect for sexing. And I was totally a good roommate and tenant and put a towel over it before we got down. There was enough food and water in the apartment that we didn’t bother leaving the place all day, well until we had to make a condom run around nine or ten that night. Sunday, we had brunch with Hudson then retreated back into my room to fuck until we were too exhausted to move. He let himself out around five Monday morning to get back to Trenton and get some rest before his evening shift…and he’d actually put his number in my phone.

I made it into the office by ten Monday morning running on sheer will power and a metric shit ton of coffee. But the weekend had been totally worth it.

 

Let’s Go Crazy (Prince)  
Brantley PoV

The first official day in our offices was just beyond beyond. I spent half the morning updating my most reliable contacts on my new information. I also used it as a chance to do a little outreach for some future dates and club nights. I loved booking club nights for my people. They literally got paid to go to a club and dance and be seen. For people like Sam, Mercedes and Puck it was perfect. They were young and in love. They were going to have date nights. The club nights would be the perfect way for them to have the best of both worlds. They’d get paid to have fun and love up on each other. Perfect.

Since we had a late meeting, none of us came in all that early. But by ten everyone was there and working away to make sure that KAMA was on everyone’s lips. I was syncing my outlook calendar with the one Darcy had set up for everyone to keep track of bookings, interview, appearances and all the various important KAMA dates, when my desk phone rang for the first time. Hudson had the calls running through her phone until we got a receptionist, so I knew it really was for me. That made me kind of giddy in a weird way.

When I was working with Royale-T, we worked out of his living room. Sometimes the weed smoke made it hard to focus. I could not even count all the times I’d written shit wrong or written it right and remembered it wrong. Back then, having an office like this would have been a god send. But then again, that fool wasn’t loyal. I was in a better place mentally, emotionally and for sure physically. When I answered the phone, I was shocked to hear my old friend/boss’ voice. Speak of the devil and he shall appear…well think of the devil and apparently he called your ass. “Yo, Big Branch…” I hated that damn nickname, had since middle school. “I can’t believe that you’re working for those gay muthafuckers.” He went right in like we’d talked last week instead of like two years before.

“I can’t believe that you’re calling me out the blue like this. What you want nigga?” I shot back. Tramaine King, aka Royale-T, was one of those men that you had to maintain equality with or they would try and walk all over you.

“Lucious wants your group to be the mid-card at Leviticus on Halloween. Since he thinks that this is kind of late notice, he figured that I’d have better luck calling you directly.” Tramaine said dropping his persona and just being real with me finally. He was still a bit of an asshole…but at least I didn’t need an ebonics dictionary to talk to him when he wasn’t being Royale-T.

I guess that Lucious didn’t realize that his middle son made friends with one of KAMA’s long time folk at their record release party. Jamal could have hit Tina and she would have had an answer for him in a couple of hours if not a couple of minutes. “I thought Lucious shared your tendency to rampant homophobia?” I asked him. I’d told that fool to drop the nasty anti-gay stuff, but he was totally cool being a dick. Blamed his homophobic rantings on his Christian faith while doing drugs, fucking any chick that moved, and a whole host of other sins he never realized were just as bad as anything a gay person did. “Why would he want KAMA, when he knows that Sam and Puck fuck too?”

“Look, I don’t need to hear about all that gay shit. I don’t know. But he asked me for a favor and in return, he’s getting his son Jamal to write a hook for my next club banga.”

“Look, we’re meeting with them tonight. I’ll raise it and see what they want to do. Their friends got along well with Jamal at their record release party…so it’s a possibility. Have Becky send me all the details so I can present them the full option.”

“Cool. You’re good people Brantley.” He finished the call soon thereafter. Maybe it was wrong for me to let him think I was doing this shit for him. I was doing it because I figured that Puck, Mercedes and Sam would have a fun Halloween night and get paid for doing that shit.

Haja stuck his head in around one thirty to let me know that he’d run out and gotten lunch and we would be eating in the break room ASAP. As soon as I walked into our really very fly breakroom, Haja chortled. “Y’all will not believe the place I found that delivers breakfast and lunch. I figured that we could try them out and keep them in mind if we have meetings they could cater. Ethan…they had your Philly, but I had to tell them to put provolone on it rather than mozz. Let me know if they got it right.” He said with a smirk as he passed the slightly older man a big ass hoagie. “Hudson, I got you the eggplant parmesan…it’s pretty big, but you can save what you don’t finish for later. Darcy, I wasn’t sure what to get you until I saw that they had Cuban hero. Unless you’ve had enough of that nationality for a while.” We were all pretty clowning her. We’d all seen that she and Lester had hooked up at the party, and then she limped into the office mainlining caffeine and with next to no voice…and no one told her, but she had some decent hickies on her neck and shoulders too. Daniel, I got you the same thing as your uncle. Brantley, the chicken parm…and for myself a Monte Cristo.” Everyone grabbed what we wanted to drink from the fridge and settled in for lunch.

As we sat down, he handed us each a copy of their menu. We started lunch talking about what we wanted to try next time, then branched into other subjects. “Look, not trying to be morbid, but when Saul offered you guys his help with getting your extra income making money for you…I figured that I’d offer each of you well…I’ll help you plan for the event that you amass quite a nice nest egg and go before its needed. Free of charge…just helping friends.”

I saw some doubt on Darcy and Hudson’s faces. “Thanks man, I’d looked into it before when I was on the road a lot with Royale-T, but it seemed a little cost prohibitive.” I could tell that they hadn’t thought about the added risks associated with traveling all the time. Soon everyone had put in their gratitude.

“Good, since I’m doing it for all of you, that will make it easier for Benz, Seuss and Flood to agree to setting theirs up as well.” Ethan said relieved.

Not a single one of us was able to finish our entire sandwich, but we were all full and happy. Haja had ordered fruit instead of chips so we were feeling rather good despite being pretty full. “So…who wants to handle picking the place for dinner?” Haja asked with a grin.

“See, I knew you had an ulterior motive.” Darcy groaned. “Not it.” She quickly put her finger against her nose. Daniel followed even faster than me and Haja did.

Ethan just shrugged. “I don’t mind picking the place. Especially since Amanda and the kids will be with us.”

The rest of the afternoon passed fairly quickly. While Darcy managed to get some serious work done on the Pinterest page she ran where she showed people some of Mercedes more day to day looks and gave them three cost levels to recreate the look for themselves, I contacted the better, cross-genre clubs around Manhattan to determine the interest in KAMA gracing them with their presence. Before he left to pick up his children from daycare, Ethan sent out a link to a spreadsheet he’d put on our shared drive where we were asked to tell him any and everything we were allergic to. Thankfully, we didn’t seem to have a whole bunch of allergies at all. Because when got to the conference room, Ethan had hooked us up. He had ordered dinner from the Lobster Place at the Chelsea Market. He’d gotten lobsters, of course, but he’d also ordered a few of their fish fillet plates, one each of their seared sea scallops, their Connecticut style and Maine style lobster rolls, lobster ramen, a couple of the Clambakes for two and an order of fish and chips for his son. There was enough food for everyone and it was freaking amazing. Daniel and I split one of the clambakes for two, sharing some littleneck clams, a pound and a half Maine lobster, mussels, shrimp, chorizo, corn-on-the-cob and fingerling potatoes- served family style in a rich shellfish broth…with sliced bread to sop the broth up. Our bosses, grabbed one of the solo lobsters and the other clambake for the three of them.

Once we were all settled with our food in front of us and we manage to get all the needed parental and other wise advisors. With the projector showing two different skype screens and two facetime screens and everyone in place, we started the meeting. “Umm, I know that Puck, Sam and Mercedes called this meeting, but I got a call today asking if the three of you would like to be the mid-card performer at the Lyon Halloween Party at Leviticus. It will be a costume party. The theme is ‘so sexy its scary’, you’d go on for a forty-five minute set at ten. Other than you and the band you’ll only be able to bring in six other people.”

“Wait, I got the feeling Lucious Lyon thought that me and Puck should basically eat some shit and die a horrible death.” Sam said honestly.

I was just as honest in return. “He probably did. He’s kind of a homophobe…but you guys are hot like fire on the charts right now. Lucious can and would put his personal feelings aside for the sake of business. The offer on the table is a hundred and fifty thousand if you just do the set…and an extra hundred thousand if you stay for a three-hour window including the performance.”

“When do we have to make a decision?” Puck asked quickly.

I pulled up my email on my tablet. “Becky says that they need to go to print with the promo materials next week and would like it if I could let them know and send them any pictures you want used on the materials by this Friday.”

“Alright, well we can talk about that after we talk about something related…sort of.” Mercedes said into the whispered conversations that had sparked up from my news. “Umm…Mr. Cohen wants us to do a US tour as the headline act…over the course of the summer.”

“The average length of a US tour is four to eight months.” Daniel pointed out. “You’ll only have three…”

I looked thoughtful. “You know; it could be done. If we actually followed a logical travel progression and did a few more weeknight shows than usual…I can see how it could be done.”

“Even if we tell you that we need that first week after school and at least like Father’s Day weekend off. Tessa graduates the day after our last day of exams…and since it’s the first Father’s Day I really have a dad…I was hoping to, ya know.” Puck blushed and on the screen George Altman looked as proud as humanly possible.

“Did Mr. Cohen say why he wants you all to do the tour already?” Dr. Mrs. Jones asked thoughtfully.

Sam answered that one. “He wants us to get as big as possible before his contract is up with Warner, since he is feeling like they want him gone.”

Darcy nodded. “I can see that. I mean, either he wants you positioned so that even if he isn’t with Warner any longer you all will be too big for the board to want to screw over…or he wants you so big that you could be the foundation of his own new label or a new place at another music brand. Is that why they are pushing so hard for the next real album?”

Our trio of bosses nodded, “But none of what we just confirmed can be uttered outside this room. You guys know how this works, maybe better than we do. You know that Warner won’t like Mr. Cohen’s plans.” Sam told us all with command in his tone.

I looked around the table and decided to go back to the safer subject. “I think that I can make this happen. If you three are willing to do the tour, I will get it set up.” Besides, Sam was right…we couldn’t let Lyor Cohen’s plans leak. We all owed him too much.

Mrs. Abrams smirked. “Hey, do you think that we can get them to pay the bulk of the cost for buying your tour buses? If we can then I definitely say we do it. Touring is the best way for musicians to make their money. Three months of kind of intensive work will completely pay for the refurbishment of the apartment complex in Georgia and a set of townhouses that I have my eye on for you near Charleston.”

I think we all laughed. But it was Saul Mayzer who pointed out, “You want them to do it just so you can keep making them more money.”

“Maybe.” Mrs. Abrams said shyly. “But it’s not my fault. The more money they make…the more money everyone on this call makes. Better they be the ones making all the money rather than that Bieber kid or worse one of those rappers you can’t even understand.”

I didn’t want to agree with her, but she did have a valid point. Dr. Mr. Jones brought up another good point. “Gwen might be a little bit materialistic this time…but she has a good point. You’re gonna have to customize at least two of your tour buses this go round…you’ll be in them almost constantly for three months. I’d actually also suggest, if you’re headliners you buy one just for the three of you, one for Brittany, Artie, Santana and a few others then rent two others for the rest of the band. If there is a little more privacy, then you won’t end up hating your friends by the end of the tour.”

“Well, we have to give Lyor an answer by next Monday.” Sam chimed back in. “We wanted everyone’s input…especially Brantley, Daniel and Darcy…the bulk of the work at the front end will be on your shoulders with booking and deciding on promotionals and swag and all that stuff.”

“Yeah, and we wanted to make sure that the parents would be cool with us being away from home for a second summer in a row.” Puck added.

Mrs. Altman spoke up. “Noah, this is your job…so maybe you guys are about three years ahead of where we thought you’d be, but if we can keep your growth sustainable…then that is a good thing. We aren’t talking about you all dropping out of college…you’ll be doing it on your break. We all love you and want you to make the most of your opportunities. You’re just having different ones that we did. I don’t know how to put into words how proud we all are of you and how happy we are for you.”

It was easy to see that Mercedes had been looking forward to tour, Sam had been hopeful that they might be able to do it, but Puck needed to know that the tour wouldn’t harm the relationships he finally had the way he wanted and needed them. When all the parents, and all the KAMA team members had weighed in that we were behind them a hundred percent…that was all she wrote. I had some real work to do for the next few months. So did Haja. The crew might not realize it, but he would be the one making sure that the buses and everything were ordered, the concert riders completed and all the needed personnel handled. He would work with the label to establish the budget and make sure that everything I planned and Darcy and Daniel created happened and ran smoothly. I don’t know which of us looked more excited.

“Okay, one more order of business…we need to staff several positions and we’d like to hold the interviews for a housekeeper for our house here as well. Mr. Zizes…would you be able to make a trip here in the next couple of weeks. If you could take the lead on hiring the receptionists, the admin for the management side. Daniel’s already got his admin, but Uncle Ethan needs a legal secretary…and I am pretty sure that we should go ahead and staff the FRT too…the can help get the fan base excited about the coming album and tour…once we have everything known.”

Ben Zizes looked over at his calendar. “Let me look at my calendar…and check with Gwen…I can get the ads worked up and posted by Wednesday. I will have them send their resumes to my brand new KAMA email address. I can do the preliminary phone interviews from here and schedule the interviews all for the same week or so. Hudson, Haja, if one of you can get me a list of the positions and what you are looking for in them, that would be great.”

Mrs. Evans had a question. “Were y’all getting a housekeeper just for you or for the whole house?”

Mercedes shook her head and outlined their plain to share the housekeeper with their entire duplex, minus their tenants. “We figure that since they are making pretty good money too, they can chip in on the cost of the housekeeper. Santana said she had no problem doing so as long as it meant she didn’t have to clean a toilet.”

We all chuckled. No one who had ever met Santana Lopez would have a hard time imagining her saying something like that. “Well then, considering the size of the house…you’re probably gonna need to hire the full time housekeeper and another person to come in and do the laundry two times a week. The way you three go through sheets, if you don’t have the separate person for laundry, the turnover for your housekeeper is gonna be astronomical.”

I kind of checked out on the rest of that conversation. Instead I people watched. Mercedes was reticent about the whole housekeeper thing. That didn’t surprise me. She seemed like she would hate having someone touching her intimate apparel. Sam seemed fine with everything. Probably he was used to having to clean up behind himself, but his mother had probably been the one to actually clean the house. So for him having someone do the real cleaning wasn’t new. Puck was the most interesting. It took me a while to realize that he was giving Mercedes a lecherous look, because he was imagining better uses for the time they would have had to spend cleaning. I could kind of see all of their points. I just knew that I was happy that the Rangeman guys had hooked our office up with their vetted and trustworthy cleaning service. I barely wanted to clean my own bathroom…much less one that other people used.

When they ultimately reached their decision on the housekeeper subject, I was brought back to the table by Haja’s voice. “Okay…so is there anything else we need to touch on?” He asked.

Hudson raised a hand. “Anika and Deborah said that Mr. Haussman says that he will have the video ready for the full panel review next week. They ask that you let them know when you can meet. They want to have the video final edit ready to go out the day before your Rolling Stone cover will hit on the second of October.”

“Alright, block us some time out to meet with them next Tuesday or Wednesday evening. We’ll have to do it after classes…but they should be used to our scheduling issues by now. Haja, you’re good to sit on that?” When he nodded, Hudson typed something on her tablet and we all learned what a tentative date looked like on the calendar.

Sam looked around. “Ms. Mondi called us today. She is finished with the condo in Chicago and she would like it if we could make some time to come and do a walk through and get back the keys.”

“And change the locks.” One of their Rangemen bodyguards said kind of sternly. “You never know about subcontractors and any of them could have made a copy.”

“He’s right.” George Altman said quietly. “I had one guy who lost his license when we found out that he was selling copies of the keys to a cousin who would go back in a few months after the build and rob the clients blind. It doesn’t happen often, but it happen enough.”

“If you take Junior and Binkie with you, either of them can do it for you no problem.” The other body guard told them with a smile. 

Hudson looked up from her pad. “The only weekend available right now are the nineteenth through the twenty-first otherwise, you’d need to wait four more weeks.”

Puck nodded. “So we’ll do it the nineteenth. Go ahead and book Junior and Binkie a double room at the same hotel we put everyone in when we did the video for ‘Carol of the Bells’.” Hudson nodded. “We’d let them have the guest room…but we’re christening every single room in that place this trip…I don’t plan on letting either Sammy or Cede get dressed the whole time we’re there.” He said happily.

There wasn’t really anything any one could say after that. Nor did we have anything else we had to talk about that night, so we wrapped up, cleaned up and said good night. I made my way back to the apartment I’d lived in for most of my adult life. It wasn’t much and with the gentrification in the area, I was going to have to decide if it was still worth it. But the thoughts of moving were definitely overshadowed by my excitement at planning the first KAMA headline tour. Damn I couldn’t wait to get to work the next morning. I swear those kids were going to kill all of us…but we were going to enjoy every single minute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews, reviews my kingdom for reviews...LOL
> 
> Let me know what you think of this chapter. 
> 
> Are there any of the other non-main characters that you'd like to hear from next?
> 
> TTFN,   
> Anni


	5. The Shadow of Your Smile (Ella Fitzgerald), Martha (Rufus Wainwright) & That's My Job (Conway Twitty)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *****PLEASE NOTE: Thanks for this story’s title goes to MsLadyThankYouVeryMuch. The Title translates into Foolish Wisdom.*****
> 
> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Now and Then by TheAmazingLT

The Shadow of Your Smile (Ella Fitzgerald)  
Benton Jones PoV

I missed having the kids home. I was a dad and had been for more than half my life. It was my job to raise them well and send them out into the world to conquer their future. Every one told horror stories about what happened when fathers failed their children…but no one told us about the gaping maw of missing them that happened when fathers succeeded in making their kids valuable members of society. I had managed to do an amazing job with bot of my sons. They were each happily married and approaching the end of their education. They were good men of whom any man would be proud. My eldest daughter was more successful than I could contemplate sometimes and she was still only entering her second year of college. As happy as I was for them; as proud as I was of them; I just, I missed them was all. I’d kind of assumed that Maea and Mara would make the missing not so terrible. I knew that they would never replace their older siblings That just wasn’t how love worked. But I had hoped that having them to raise would help. I should have known better, having MeDe still at home hadn’t made the missing of Devon and Kevon any less. My two adorable little despots had created their own spaces in my heart…which did nothing to fill the holes left by the day to day absence of their older siblings.

Still I was one proud and happy father. Devon, Kevon and Mercedes had turned out so much better than just fine. I actually liked all of their spouses. I had Amaea and Amara to raise. I had Jake and Tessa to help guide. I had Sarah, Stevie, Stacey and Sloane to spoil. My relationship with my wife was never stronger. I had new pseudo-siblings or play cousins in Sander and George, Becah and Gabby. Hell, I had more adult friends that truly knew me and would have my back in any situation at that point in my life than any other before. My life was better than I ever thought it possible to be…but, Lord have His Mercy, I was sick and tired of being a dentist. I was sick and tired of other people’s lies about how often they brush and how often they floss. I was tired of the smell of halitosis and tooth decay. I was tired of being accidentally bitten and not so accidentally bitten and performing root canals and the sound of the damn drill. It was crazy how little I wanted to continue in the profession that I had loved so much when I started out.

It was with a heavy heart that I broached the subject with my partner in business, in life and in parenthood. “Dani-baby, I think I’m ready to look into selling the practice rather than expanding it. Or maybe expanding it by hiring on some qualified young dentists and I only see a few of the old, loyal set. I can’t take one more cleaning of Davin Karofsky’s rotten molar that he swears is perfectly fine, even if it smells like rancid meat and he can’t eat anything cold anymore. I can’t take one more kid coming in with yuck mouth because they haven’t brushed since the last time we saw them. I’m just plain through.”

Danica laughed. She didn’t feel my pain. Her specialty meant that she was mainly seeing patients who were in so much pain and agony that anything she did for them made her their savior. “Bent, even if MeDe wasn’t already making money hand over fist…we have the money in our retirement accounts to retire at fifty-five anyway. Now with her having paid off every trace of debt she could find…how did she even know where to look in the first place…” she grumbled. “Anyway, at this point we could never work another day and still raise Maea and Mara and send them to the best schools that money can buy. So Darling, if you want out, then we can get out. Well, you can. I still like my job.”

I thought about it for a long minute. “I guess we could make it work. But I’m not gonna be able to live off my child’s wealth. I need to do something.”

Dani’s shrug was amazingly unconcerned. “So do something. Take up a hobby, start a small business, do more volunteer work, Mother Richardson is always looking for help at the daycare center at the church. My darling husband…the world is your oyster…make of it what you will. After you pleasure your wife that is.” We spent the next hour making sure that we were both well sated before we drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, as I was going over my dental hygienist, Betty’s cleaning job of one of my longer term patients, I realized that I was too late to just get out. We had already begun the process of expanding into a larger space where we would also have several other medical suites to rent out to others. Having remembered that, I was still sure that I was really ready to pull back. But I knew that the timing wasn’t right. Instead, I would give myself six months to a year to get the new offices up and running and the landlord aspects of the new business somewhat understood before I allowed the business to settle into someone else’s hands. That would also allow me the time to make sure whoever bought the business would be able to keep the reputation Dani and I had spent the last twenty years building. It would also give me time to create a business plan for becoming a commercial landlord with a specialty in medical office suites.

It was funny, once I had a timeframe and plan in mind, I started to not really mind my days. Yes, I was spending far more time at the end of the day washing my hands…often up to the elbows, but I also got to go home and hear Sarah, Stacey and Stevie tell us all about how their day went and what they learned. Often I was able to watch Tessa and Jake practicing their songs for the New Directions. Or see Jake interrogate Tessa and Sarah about their crushes. At least once or twice a week, I got to see Beth leading Maea, Mara and Sloane, who was growing by leaps and bounds trying to keep up with the older girls. The trio of toddling babies followed Beth around in a way that often reminded me of that old Rugrats cartoon. Beth was a lot more likeable than Angelica though.

Thoughts of Beth, brought to mind David Martinez. He was in the process of trying to tie Shelby down on a date for their wedding…or elopement…he didn’t care one way or another. He just wanted to be married to her. that was more than understandable. Though we all also understood her fear that David would prefer to live somewhere other than the Fabray home. The thought of moving Beth from the home they shared with Quinn and Francie was something that made Shelby uncomfortable. She had come to care for Quinn and Francie as beloved younger sisters and she and Beth both really valued their time together. The couple seemed to be in something of a stalemate…at least until the unfortunate family dinner that early September evening. It only happened because all the family’s young ladies had not only begun menstruation, but were regular enough to sync up. The funniest part was that the girl who finally called enough enough was our sweet little Stacey. “Look, Mr. David…Ms. Shelby loves living with Francie and Quinnie. She doesn’t want to get married any time soon because she thinks you would want her to move out. Ms. Shelby…Mr. David doesn’t give a rat’s patootie where you live as long as the three of you are together every morning and every night. I declare, I don’t understand why becoming an adult suddenly makes you twice as stupid as you were when you were a kid. Not everything is ‘complicated’ most things are really easy to fix if you’ll just talk things through.” We missed the rest of the diatribe as she stormed out of the dining room, probably on a quest to find some Motrin.

“Well I guess she told you.” Danica chuckled pointing and laughing at a blushing Shelby and an embarrassed David. “Gabby, I know that you will have to give her a token punishment for not respecting her elders, but go easy on her. Those two lunkheads were driving me nuts, too. If I didn’t have such good control over my own hormones at this point, that might have been me.”

Shelby looked over at David and sighed. “I do love you…but the thought of Quinn and Francie having to come home to a cold and empty house on holidays or taking Beth from the two of them when they are home…it isn’t something that I can see myself doing. Besides, the rent they are charging me is ridiculously low. It would seem ungrateful to just move.”

David chuckled. “I never thought you would move out of that house. You aren’t the only one who has come to care for those two as if they were family. Quinn and Francie are fine with me moving in with the four of you. We talked about it a couple of times over the summer.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah, oh…” David laughed. “Now, can we please agree to get married soon…I would really love to be married to you before I turn forty.”

“Ummm. David, you do realize that your birthday is in…oh about seven days…right?” George asked him with a mischievous grin.

Like Laurel and Hardy…David and George had grown to be able to switch back and forth between straight man and comedian. That time was no different. “You know, George…I think you are right. Good thing it only takes three days to get a certificate her in the great state of Ohio.”

Shelby’s laughter brought Stacey back to the table just in time to hear her say, “Fine, you made your point. We can go tomorrow during our planning period.”

“Good, I’m glad you two got that settled.” Stacey said happily, oh the horror of the mood swings. “Sorry about, ya know, blowing my top at you. You two are just so perfect together, a total OTP… I couldn’t stand you not being together…Like Harry and Hermione or Annabeth and Percy.”

After the apology, Stacey got off so light that it wasn’t even funny. But her parents understood, heck, we all did. Watching those we love make bone headed mistakes was taxing and poor little Stacey just hadn’t had the energy to spare that evening. It was good that she had done it. From her it was cute, I’d been just days away from losing my shit on their asses too. Better her than me.

Of course, the family dinners weren’t all that exciting. Mainly it was just a great way for us to touch bases and make sure that we all knew what was going on. It had been a such a dinner that Becah had announced that she was going to go back to school to become a doctor. Another had seen Tessa asking us for advice about colleges. We all hated that she and Aidan had broken up, none more so than George. It had taken him a long while not to hiss and bow up every time the kid’s name was mentioned. Still, unlike Jake, Tessa seemed to have gotten over her hurt pretty quickly and the former couple had remained friends. Jake and Marley, their breakup had been anything but amicable. Their crew, Jake, Riley, Marley and Unique still hung out, but there was apparently some residual tension between Jake and Marley and then Marley and Unique over the cause of the breakup. The teens were working it out. Supposedly there was counseling available at the school from one of the three new counselors that Sue had hired to better serve the student body. Which really made tons of sense. There were just too many teens for just Emma Pillsbury to handle. Some of them had real problems which Emma’s educational and occupational therapy focus just wasn’t designed to handle.

Thoughts of Emma inevitably brought my thoughts back to Will Schuester. That smarmy, asshole of a dickhead. When I’d found out that he was demoted from his lead role and basically put back in the chorus, I’d delighted in his finally getting some form of a comeuppance. Then I’d felt horrible for enjoying someone else’s pain…but still he’d done more damage to my baby’s self-esteem than he’d probably ever realize. And I hadn’t gotten to put my fist through his face, so I would have to settle for the consequences the universe decided to bestow upon him. Despite my Christianity, I was a firm believer in karma…I just figured it was God’s hand at work.

I shrugged off counterproductive thoughts that tended to piss me off. Instead I mentally started looking at my personal savings account…it was something Dani and I had started when we were newlyweds. We had the joint checking and savings and investment accounts and we had the business versions of each, but we each also had our own set of accounts. That way Dani could shop to her hearts content without negatively impacting the business or household finances. I know that Gwen and Saul had set KAMA up with a similar system, though their reasoning was more about making all five of their lives easier, but still it worked. I pulled up my personal accounts and was gratified to see that, while I’d never be able to afford the kind of tricked out ride the kids were getting, I could certainly afford a down payment and the monthly payments on the pre-owned family RV that slept twelve, which was still pretty tricked out, that I’d seen on the website of the company Johnston was getting the kids’ tour buses from. If I got that then we could take some time next summer and follow the KAMA tour and that might just help to heal the missing them feeling, for all of us.

Martha (Rufus Wainwright)  
Sarah PoV

Being in Lima after KAMA got huge sucked ass. Never think that I didn’t appreciate my brother and Cede and Sam and wasn’t proud of all their success, it was just that the way people responded to us was really messed up. I was an eighth grader; I’d been on the school’s cheerleading squad since sixth grade. I was the only one on the seventh and eighth grade squad trained by the winningest cheer coach in the history of the sport…but I still had to hear how I only got to be captain of the squad because Puck was my brother. Or that Stacey got her place as captain of the sixth grade squad because of Sam being her brother. Or that Stevie was on the sixth grade football team for the same reason. Never mind that he and Ethan both made the team. Or that they were both so good there was talks of bumping them up to the seventh and eighth grade team. Coach Bieste had been working with them for like the last three years, of course they knew their shit.

But it wasn’t just those who talked about us behind our back. There were plenty of people who were quick to try and interject themselves into our social groups just to be closer to KAMA. That was not easy to do with me. I had my best friend Mia and a few other people who were my friends back when Puck was trying to rob an ATM so that I would have the money to go on a field trip. I kept my social circle to them because I knew for sure that their friendship was real. Though the simple truth was that with Moms D and Cede’s love of shopping, the facts that Mom had stopped hiding our financial situation from Bubbie and Uncle Saulie, that with Noah having paid off her student loans and her mortgage and that she and George were together and now had a two income household so there was more disposable income…that had all combined to make me the single best dressed girl in the entire school. You added that to the fact that I was definitely my grandmother’s granddaughter, and head cheerleader to boot…and I suddenly, I was the most popular girl in school. It was hard to judge people’s motives, so I just didn’t.

While I might have been popular, I was no Quinn Fabray and I never would be. I might have been the head of the cool clique, but I didn’t put up with any bullying from my friends or from those who wanted to call themselves my friends. I had a lot of street cred with the poorer kids and the nerds since I was taking high school geometry in eighth grade. I had some cred with the emo kids just because I may have had a slight attitude problem…what could I say, sarcasm was my first language. I was pretty proud of the fact that for the most part, the eighth grade was pretty well united. Not totally there was a chick who looked like Quinn and Britts had had an even blonder love child…she thought that she was the best thing since sliced bread and until Puck, Sam and Cede started making buttloads of money and sharing the wealth with the family, Ashley had been the richest girl in the class. She’d been the most popular girl in our grade all through elementary school and her stay at home mom had been the room mother who always brought really good homemade treats and ran all the PTA things. Ashley thought that it was only right that there be a social hierarchy, led by her, in our school. Suffice it to say, that her clique…comprised of two other girls named Ashley, two girls named Heather and three boys named Tyler… should rule and everything be done her way.

She was on the cheerleading squad and she and her clique were responsible for about fifty-five percent of the rumors that got spread about me. I was pretty sure that she was the one who started the rumor that I was only in the advanced math program because I was sleeping with the teacher. School hadn’t even entered its second month and I was already sick of the AssHaTs. Ashley Prime got up in my face in cheerleading practice. “I cannot believe that you let that fattie sit at with you at lunch. Don’t you have any respect for yourself…for the status that you hold in this school?”

I scoffed. “You sound like a moron right now. Maybe Lisa isn’t the skinniest girl, but she isn’t fat. If you can get out your front door and you don’t have a show on Bravo or TLC you aren’t a fattie. Besides all of that, Lisa is smart. She is kind and she has more talent in her toe than you do in that made by Mattel thing you call a body.”

“You’re calling me a product of Mattel when you’re the one who has fake tits.” Ashley said loudly.

I shook my head, “you wish that you could spread that rumor. But all of our classmates have been seeing my girls growing in for the last four years. Besides, anyone with a brain knows that my mother is a medical professional. She would never allow her thirteen-year-old daughter to undergo elective surgery to get a device that still has possibly severe medical consequences. My biological father may not be worth much, but his family is just full of beautiful people. You add his genetics to my mother’s and you get me. Beauty is only skin deep as far as I am concerned, but I definitely have more than my fair share. You come at me with that bullshit…and I’ll make sure that the rest of the school knows that your Daddy has a real jones for the Latina girls over in Lima Heights. Is it really true that your mother caught him getting head from one of your maids in the laundry room?” I said at the same volume she’d used to claim that my breasts, which were getting rather uncomfortably large rather quickly, were fake. But my statement had the advantage of being the truth. The maid in question was actually one of Santana’s cousins. She also told Tana that he was quick on the draw and had a small dick, but he tipped very, very well. When I’d told Cede about the trouble Ashley was giving me at school, she, well Santana, had given me all the ammunition I’d ever need. I tried to be like Cede and know it but not use it. But I just wasn’t that good.

I turned and walked away leading the rest of the girls back through the routine. I was a little shocked when Sue Sylvester came striding in. “JailBait…I see the makings of the next Santana Lopez in you. Beating that Fabray clone wannabe with the truth, that was a move worthy of a young Sue Sylvester. I think that next year you might well be the captain of the Cheerios B squad, the A squad your sophomore year.”

I had to admit that I couldn’t hold back a smirk. “Thanks Coach. Can I ask why you decided to grace us with your presence today?”

Sue cut me a look and met my expression with a smirk of her own. “Pippy is graduating at the end of this year and you are coming up to McKinley next year. I need to see what the tap dancing giraffes that you’ll be bringing with you next year look like. With that fore-knowledge I can begin to plan how to turn them into something I’m actually willing to call a Cheerio.” She stated bluntly.

I shrugged. “Of the two squads here…totaling twenty-four girls. Of those, there are about ten girls who are good enough right now. Seven who are only on the squad because they can’t afford to take gymnastics classes and five who suck balls but their mothers were cheerleaders and won’t let them quit.”

“That still leaves two.” She prodded.

“The other two are me and Stacey. Us you already know and enjoy tormenting.” I responded. Despite no longer being Junior Cheerios, Coach Sylvester still considered us hers. As such, she had Tessa keeping us up on the routines and up to the very exacting standards of Sue Sylvester.

“So where does the anti-Spinelli rank?” Sue grinned wickedly.

I laughed. It made sense to me that she would have loved ‘Recess’. That show had been awesome. “I’d love to say she sucked Big Foot’s ball sack, she’s more than decent. Her backbends are a little too open, she never sticks the around the worlds and her crowd attacks are weak as hell, but overall she’s solid.” I said honestly.

She nodded and actually gave me something resembling a proud smile. “Need you to baby sit Jeanie this weekend, already ran it past Handy Manny and the Warden.”

“You and Mr. Motta got a hot date planned?” I jokingly asked.

She gave me a look and then smiled chillingly. “You can be the first to congratulate me, JailBait…come Monday, Don Motta will officially be the first and only man to hold the distinction of being Mr. Sue Sylvester. We’re taking Sugar and going to Vegas to tie the knot.”

I did congratulate her. “That’s great…no prenup, right. I mean if he does something dumb enough to make you divorce him…”

“Doesn’t matter. Sylvester women never divorce. There has been a time or two where we were forced to make ourselves widows…but we never divorce. That would be too much like admitting failure.” She shot back.

I nodded. “I can see that. Well, I doubt that Don Motta would be stupid enough to make you kill him…not and risk leaving Sugar and Jeanie without either of you…so you should be good.” I looked over at the surprisingly not completely without human feeling cheerleading coach and school principal. “Still, gotta say I’m more than a little surprised that you’d take this step. I thought Puck said you married yourself a few years back.”

Sue just chuckled. “Then I had the marriage annulled and kept all the gifts. It was a good scam.” She said as she turned to walk away. “I’ll need twelve quality girls next year. I’m counting on you to whip them into shape for me.”

“You don’t think that the girls at Taft will be able to make the cut?” I asked about the other middle school that feed into McKinley. Their school was way more academics oriented. They had a squad, but it was a total of twelve girls who didn’t do aerials or any of the things the Cheerios were known for. Usually if any made the McKinley squad it as the C or D set and they rarely made it beyond the B. So Sue’s laughter in response to my question was understandable.

Of course, I had to let Cede know the great news. So I texted her and asked her to vault it until after Coach Sylvester let people in on the know. She texted me back that it was totally vaulted and that I should be on the lookout for a package containing a bunch of new bras that were technically sports bras, but actually cute. I laughed in the face of her proclamation and told her I wouldn’t believe that until I beheld such a thing with my own eyes. I absolutely loved my sister Cede. She was awesome and my favorite role model. I wanted to be like her when I grew up. I had made the decision that I would work hard and get into Columbia when it was time for me to go to college. By then, the house in Harlem would be empty as all of that crew had moved out and on with their lives, so I would live there with Mia, who was going to Marymount Manhattan College…or she was perfectly willing to die trying. We had another friend, our Kurt; I’d never believe otherwise no matter what he claimed, his name was Rigo…well it was Ricky Gonzalez…hence Rigo. He was determined to study film at NYU. So I guess he was our Kurt combined with our Artie.

I looked back at my squads. Stacey was running the sixth graders through a series of the flexibility exercises we’d learned from our time as Junior Cheerios. The Ashleys and the Heathers were conspiring in the corner. I was tired of all the subterfuge and drama. It was time to run my squad and my school my way. “Alright Ladies, Sue Sylvester just said that she is counting on me to whip at least twelve of you into shape enough that she wouldn’t be ashamed to call Cheerios next year. The McKinley High Cheerios are the winningest cheer squad in the nation. I’m a winner, Stacey’s a winner, we have the trophies to prove it and I’m going to make winners out all of you. If you don’t want to be a winner, leave now. I don’t have time for drama or power plays. In the last three years, there hasn’t been a Cheerio who applied for an Ivy League college who didn’t get in. There has never been a Cheerio who didn’t get into her top three schools. Next year we begin our journeys to college, we start to make our way the hell out of Lima. Being a Cheerio, can make that a hell of a lot easier.”

I looked and watched as several of the girls straightened their spines, including both Heathers and the other two Ashleys. I had just swept the support structure from under Ashley Prime without breaking a sweat. And best of all, I’d done it and benefitted myself and probably them at the same time. Yeah, I was the Queen of William Henry Harrison Middle School and damn it…I was going to stay that way. And use my power to make sure that none of my classmates felt the way Cede and Kurt and Tina had felt. That was a good use of power and it would make my mom as proud of me as I was of her.

After practice, Tessa picked me and Stacey on her way home. I told her about Sue’s visit…well the parts I could. When we got home, the three of us started on dinner. We were joined by Jake and Stevie after Jake had taken Ethan home. Mondays Stevie and Stacey had dinner with us. Tuesdays, we had dinner at the Jones, and Mom and George were on their own. Then Wednesday the whole lot of all of us ate at the Joneses house. Thursdays we kids fed ourselves…or we had dinner over at Shelby’s with her and Beth and the Toddlers three, while the parents all had their separate date nights. Fridays were pretty much on the go, so a lot of the time we all ate together at a restaurant on the way to the football games. The guys set the table and we were able to have dinner on the table when Mom and George got home. “So Mom, when do you start your MCAT classes?” Tessa asked her as we all dug into the Roman style chicken and radiatori pasta we’d made.

“Next week just like yours. Where your SAT classes meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, my classes meet Monday and Wednesdays, but in the morning. I’ll be working evenings for the next few months at the very least. So I’ll take breakfast duty.” She offered. Usually who ever woke up first would handle arranging breakfast. Some times that meant cooking, sometimes it meant setting out boxes of cereal, enough bowls for everyone and a gallon of milk. When Mom was in charge, it meant bagels and schmere of different versions until we all got sick them, before moving on to the next thing until we got sick of that.

I looked at my mother. “Have I told you how awesome it is that you’re going back to school to make your dream of being a doctor come true? That’s like Lifetime movie inspirational right there.”

“You and your big brother watched way too many of those damn Lifetime movies.” Mom groaned.

Jake’s laughter was loud and it was instantaneous. “You mean Noah Puckerman…the man who once said that talking about his emotions was going to make him grow a vagina, he watched Lifetime Movies?”

“Oh yeah. He loves them…especially the ones with Nancy McKeon or Valerie Bertinelli. Oh and he loves Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. But if you tell him that I told you, I will call you a filthy liar right to your face.” I said with a big smile. “Anyway Mom, seriously, what you are doing…it makes me think that I really can, ya know achieve my dreams no matter what.”

George and Mom exchanged one of their speaking looks. “You didn’t before?” my stepfather, and Dad, asked.

I shrugged. “I didn’t see how it was possible.” I admitted.

Mom sighed, “What do you dream of doing?”

“I want to be Miranda Priestly…or well, you know Anna Wintour, the real life Miranda Priestly. I want to do what Bubbie does, but so much more so. I don’t just want to be a stylist or a fashion designer. I want to be the person who determines fashion.” I said honestly…maybe a little bit earnestly. “There was never a way I could see that happening. I thought the best I could ever hope for was to become a stylist or a fashion blogger. But…I know that I could be so much more if I could just find a way.”

Jake and Tessa smiled at me. “Well, shoot, Sare…there probably was very little likely hood that you could make the right connections before, but now…the world is your freaking oyster.” Jake told me gently. He really had turned out to be a great big brother.

“Yeah,” Tessa cosigned. “Noah told me to apply to all the schools that were tops for what I want to do. He said no matter where I get in, he’s got me. Do you think he’ll do anything less for you? Shit, with Cede and Kurt in his life, you know he’s going to end up at the Met Gala one of these days. That could easily put him into the right place to get you into the right place. You just have to make sure that you’ve done everything you need to do to be able to take advantage of the opportunity.”

I nodded. “So where are you going to apply?” I was curious. Tessa blushed but looked a little reticent, so I prodded. “Come on…I’ll tell you where I wanna go if you’ll tell me where you’re applying?”

She huffed, but gave in. Something told me that even the parents didn’t know. “Umm…University of Iowa is my first choice…on all the lists that are considered completely unbiased, it comes in top three for creative writing in the nation. Emory is my second choice. It’s usually in the top five on those same lists. I’m not all that interested in going back to Manhattan so Columbia and NYU are actually on the bottom of my list even though they are both considered one of the best…I think I’m gonna try for MIT which was a shocker, but it’s on the list and hey, I actually know a couple of their Alumni…sort of. Plus, I am thinking of John Hopkins in Maryland, but that one is really iffy right now. Mainly the other five.”

I made a mental list of the schools that she’d said had great creative writing programs. I knew that I would need to know about writing and journalism in addition to fashion to be able to make my dreams come true. I would need to research schools that had both good fashion programs and good journalism programs. George’s voice was thoughtful as he spoke. “I know that Noah has your tuition covered, maybe me and Becah can help you with an apartment or something.”

Tessa shook her head. “I’ll just live on campus. You two concentrate on paying for Mom’s med school and residency. ‘My mother, the doctor.” She said sounding like a TV Jewish mom. “I’m so proud.”

Mom just laughed. “So Jake, we’ve heard from Sarah, and we’ve heard from Tessa, and Stacey and Stevie still have a couple of years to figure it out…what about you?”

Now it was Jake’s turn to look sheepish and embarrassed. Black folk definitely blushed, it was just that it was only visible if they had light skin. “Uh, I…I…I kind of want to go to school for business but maybe also chemistry. I want to do something with Puckerman Pools, hopefully take it regional and then national. But I’d also like to get into engineering and architecture so that rather than just cleaning pools, we could design them and build them and everything.”

“There are some schools offering a combined major called architectural engineering that focuses on the blending of form and function. There was a write up on it in Architectural Digest a few months back. I’ll see if I can find it and you can read it and look into those schools. You’ve got another year to figure out where you want to go. We’ll make sure that it happens.” George said with a paternal smile. I loved that I finally had a dad and that he was such a good father to all of us fatherless Puckerman kids. I missed my big brother. For my whole life he had always made sure that I had what I needed even if it meant he did without. So of course I missed him and his Cede and Sam, but he made sure that I had what I needed before he left for college. He made sure that I had others to support and help me and I couldn’t have asked for a better family than the one he made for me.

 

That’s My Job (Conway Twitty)  
Sander PoV

It was a father’s job to raise his children and to provide for them. It was his job to take care of his family and make sure that they had everything they needed. For eighteen months I had completely failed at that job. But somehow my children and wife loved me through it. Now, eighteen months after finally being able to feel like a man again, I was struck by the realization that my eldest son was doing a much better job at providing for our family than I was. That sucked donkey balls. I was ridiculously proud of Sam-I-Am…but it still sucked donkey balls that my son had paid off his mother and my student loan debt. He had discharged our bankruptcy. He had paid off every lien, loan and debt we’d ever had or ever forgotten about. Sam had set up bank accounts for each of his siblings and he gave them fifty bucks of pocket money every week. They each had college trust accounts that would allow them to go anywhere they wanted. He had a specialized trust account set up that would give his mother and I two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for a down payment when we decided to buy a house.

We split the day to day bills with the Jones and both Gabby and I had full time, career level jobs. Though Gabby didn’t make as much as she had before all the layoffs, teachers just weren’t paid near enough for all they did. But she loved her job and it made her happy and fulfilled in a way that mine just didn’t. Our income to expenses ratio was definitely tilted the right way by a large margin. Not only were we no longer living check to check in any shape form or fashion, but once the dust settled at my employer, in an effort to make sure that I didn’t sue them for the wrongful termination that had caused all of my problems, they had given me a million dollars’ worth of stock in the company. We had disposable income out the ass. As it was we invested the dividends back into our portfolio, so the stocks were definitely one hell of a retirement package, and added to the little bit of the IRA we had before everything went up in smoke, Gabby and I were covered for our old age.

But I couldn’t help but want more. It may have been greedy or ungrateful…but I couldn’t stop thinking about doing something to earn more money. To be better able to provide for my three youngest children. After Becah told all of us about her going back to school to work on achieving her dreams, something clicked inside me. My focus changed entirely as I realized that I wasn’t jealous about Sam making so much money, it was about the fact that he was fulfilled professionally. He had reached his dream. I wanted that. When I was in college, I’d dreamed about being a home builder. Of having a firm like Pulte Homes or Ashton Woods creating subdivisions and making homes where families could grow. It had been a dream deferred by well, life. I’d finished college and gone to work with a firm and until I got laid off, I’d just done my job never thinking about the plans I’d made. Then there was just the struggle to survive with our family intact. Once things got better, we were in a whirlwind of, well, Commune and later KAMA. When everything had settled down, the ennui had taken a hold of me.

One afternoon in late September, George and I were at the kids’ house touring the decorator ready structure making sure that all the ground work was in place and ready. “George, do you ever think about, I don’t know…taking your business into the big time. Becoming one of those residential building magnates that does subdivisions and I don’t know…making boat loads of money?”

George just laughed. “Man, Sander, you must be bored as hell at work.”

“Not just at work.” I said honestly. “I realized the other day that I have completely missed out on being fulfilled with my profession. I studied architecture and city planning and management so that I could create beautiful housing developments and give people their dream homes. Instead I’m finding new and improved ways to make government buildings more monotonous.”

He gave me an understanding look. “That’s pretty much why I quit the firm I was with in Manhattan. Figuring out how to create a McMansion in a high rise was actually only fun the first couple of times. I’ve still got some drawings where I decided to experiment with making a small home feel like a McMansion.”

I couldn’t help but laugh in relief, he was interested…I could tell. “I like to play around with creating houses that look like they are Victorian or something externally, but built like McMansions on the inside.”

“Yeah, because everyone says they want houses with character, but they never want all the problems that can come with that character.” George grumbled. “Why don’t we set up a meeting with Gwen and we can look over out finances. Maybe we can start small, a nice housing development of starter homes in southern Allen County near Dayton. A place for young commuters to get their start.”

“We should talk to Benton. This could be something we three could do together. We could call it Three Dads Properties or something.” I laughed.

“Yeah, we’ll have to make sure that every development has a True Love street or something.” He joked.

So that night after we made love, I talked things over with Gabby. “So, are you going to quit your job?” she asked quietly.

I shook my head. “No. Definitely not at first. Maybe if we get huge or something, but for now this is an after-hours project. We’re going to be the money and the architects, but we’ll hire contractors and subcontractors to do the work.”

Gabs looked at me. “Will this help you to feel happier about work? I’ve notice that when you go to work lately, you’ve been dragging and when you get home you seem so relieved and just happier that Dani’s been saying that you’re breaking out of prison every evening.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Momma Ruth had said almost the same thing the other evening. “I didn’t realize that I was so bad that everyone else noticed.” I admitted honestly.

“Oh you were bad, Honey.” She laughed. “For a while there I thought that you were getting jealous of Sam and wanted to quit you job and become their dad-ager.”

“Oh God no…their guitarist maybe…but never would I want to channel my inner Kris Jenner or Matthew Knowles.” We shared a good laugh at that thought. I rolled onto my side so I could look at her face to face. “You don’t think I’m crazy?”

Gabby shook her head. “You’ve always wanted to do something like this. Way back in college, it was why you chose your major. Between you and George you have the experience and knowledge to do this. You each bring things to the table that will help you set yourselves apart from the rest. When I thought that you’d need to quit your job to do it, even then I wasn’t going to ask you not to do it. I was just going to ask that you give us another year of both incomes before you made the transition. I want you to be happy and I want you to find the same professional fulfillment that I’ve found, that George has carved out for himself…that our children have.”

I thought about it for a very long time before I said anything else, “I like my job, but it is boring and there is no freedom to really create anything new. The pay is great but it doesn’t allow me the satisfaction of making a difference in anyone’s lives. George said it best when he said I was bored as hell at work. But it wasn’t just boring. It was hellishly routine. There is just so much excitement and change and difference and yet a strange sort of balance in our personal lives that the monotony at work was even worse than it should have been.”

“I understand. I had worked so hard for my degrees. I was supposed to be living the dream. But then I got laid off and when I ended up substitute teaching, I literally walked out of that classroom the first day feeling like I was finally doing something real with my life. The pay may not be the greatest, but God allowed Sam to create a world for us where that no longer has to be a consideration. Granted, I never want to feel like I’m living off of my son, so every now and then…when the pots get real big, I go toss a dollar or two on the lottery. I figure if I win then we can buy their tour buses and start to even things back up a bit.” She joked.

Our laughter filled our bedroom. I loved falling asleep with my wife’s laughter filling my soul. I slept better that night than I had for quite a while. Of course, I was blessed with the patience of Job, so it took me another week to approach Benton with the idea. No, really I tackled him at breakfast the next morning. As soon as we had Triple S and Double A&S fed and ready for school and daycare respectively, I grabbed a bagel and cornered him in his study as he gathered his things for the day. After I laid the plan at his feet he started to laugh. “Man, if we were any more alike I’d have to wonder. I just went through this same conversation with Dani and I decided to wean myself out of the practice and start a commercial real estate business that focused on renting out medical office suites.”

“Huh, that would be kind of cool. I guess you were going to approach me and George to go in with you on it too?” I responded.

“Of course, the way I figured it, it was feasible because I already had an architect and a general contractor.” He pointed out.

I nodded. He was not wrong. George and I had already started working up plans for the buildup for the place Bent and Dani had decided put in an offer on to expand their business. “You guys have put in your counterbid on that office space yet?”

“No, we are meeting with Antwan next Monday to get the final offer written. I may have been dragging my feet on that a bit.”

“Imagine, that strip mall out on Commerce Parkway, the one in front of the office park. We can buy it all together and restructure it for the dentist office, an upscale auto repair place for Burt’s foreign car repair, an office space for Gwen’s little firm. You know she said she was looking for someplace bigger since she had to hire more accountants this year. George is renting his store front but he could move it fairly easily. Oh and Puckerman Pools could have space there too, rather than Jake doing everything out of the garage at his house. Hell, Three Dads Property development can run from there and we can even see if Antwan wants to start his own practice rather than staying with his firm. If we make the whole place really toi-toi looking…we’d still have enough open spots to make a fortune out of renting to other folks too.” I said excitedly.

Then it was Bent’s turn to start looking thoughtful. “There are acres and acres of old farm land just out past that out on McCain Road, it’s been up in the county auction over and over again…never gets picked up. It’s Allen County but not Lima City. Bet we can get it for a song. We could build in three stages, townhomes near the office park, then a subdivision of homes for small families and finally a development of larger forever homes.”

“And those people would use your dental office, and Gwen for taxes and Burt when their cars go down, because they would be familiar with them, passing them on their way home as they do.” I crowed happily.

If I thought I had no patience, I was an angel compared to Benton Jones. He managed to get Gwen to meet with all three of us the very next day to figure out if there was a way to afford what we were wanting to do. “Given the scope of the project you are hoping to launch, I would suggest that you allow all of us to chip in on the strip mall buy, have it be part of Amicitiae Amore…that will allow you to focus your funds on the development project. Besides if you are going to have space for all of us, it is fair that we all put in on it. To be honest, I would love to pull Antwan and maybe a few of his clerks and other lawyers from that firm and get him more deeply entrenched in the corporation rather than just being legal counsel as needed. Roger and I had dinner with Twan and Hiram the other night. They are over the moon. Their surrogate is almost to her ‘if we can get her there with triplets, we’ll be ecstatic’ date. The house is done and the nursery is beautiful.”

George smiled. Even with building the kids’ house, he’d managed to eek out the time to do the remodel of the Berrys new house. From what Antwan and Hiram said, his redo of their basement apartment for Rachel was a thing of beauty. “Thanks, I was glad they listened to me about turning the room that became the nursery’s entirely too large walk in closet into a small bathroom. That will make bath time so much easier.”

“Yeah, Dani is dying to go shopping, but our family tradition dictates that we wait until we have official confirmation of genders before she can go.” Benton chuckled. “I like the idea of making sure that Antwan and Hiram know they’re part of all of us, not on the outside looking in because Rachel has some issues.”

“Well, this time, any little girl they may have will have a varied and wonderful group of female influences.” I laughed.

Gwen, George and Benton laughed…at me or with me was to be determined, but Gwen pulled us back to the matter at hand. “I’d like to call a meeting of the board for Saturday. My lease on this space is up in six months, we’d be looking at it being finished around that time if we move on it quickly. I do financial planning for a couple whose son is a commercial and residential interior designer down in Dayton. I already got his contact information for Mercedes, Noah and Sam for their house here, but we could utilize him for the offices as well. He works with a firm right now, but you might be able to hire him on for your property development group if he feels ready to step out on his own. His parents are getting into their upper sixties; he might be interested in moving closer.”

“What’s his name? I’ll google him and we can check out his portfolio.”

Gwen smiled. “Terry Ringler. He’s at MODA4 Designs.” We wrapped up pretty soon after that. It was as if now that we had the thing that would make us happy in our reach we couldn’t wait to get started.

The board meeting was all kinds of surreal. Will actually knew something interesting about the property we were looking at that would give space to all of us and allow us to make money on the expansion of several of the businesses under our umbrella. As soon as he was certain that we were serious, he paused us all and whipped out his cell phone. A few seconds later he was chatting amicably with someone named Trey. “Alright, Trey, you know I didn’t call you during your golf time for just anything. I’m sitting here with the rest of the board of Amicitiae Amore. We’re interested in your Commerce Parkway property. Yes, the strip mall and the office park both.” Huh, I didn’t realize that the two properties were jointly owned, that could expand our portfolio a whole lot more than we’d been thinking. “No, tell me how much you need to make on this sale. We’re not paying you that ridiculous asking price for a property that has sat empty for four years. We’ll have to do some pretty massive renovations on the office park and the strip mall to make them suit our needs. Not really all that interested in giving you more than two million for the whole thing. Your refusal to take less than three is what’s had it sitting like a bump on a log for the last four years.” He listened for a while. “Look Trey, you have until I hang up to make a decision and every time you utter the words three million, I’m reducing the offer by fifty thousand…yeah see now were down to one, nine fifty. I know you have a kid in college…so does everyone on this board. Alright…nope come down again. Okay…we’ll agree to the two point two-five million. Have your lawyer write it up, I’ll get the inspector over there Monday. If everything checks out, we’ll pay the two point two-five…if not you’re coming down for the repairs. Yeah, you are. I told you to rent that anchor super market space to that start up farmers’ market grocery store out of Georgia…if you had had an anchor, the other spaces would have filled themselves. Pride goeth before a fall.” There were chuckles and then a reminder. “Now Trey, I’ll have Deidre send Romi the particulars of the agreement before I leave here. Don’t try and renege on me again I didn’t boot you from the monthly poker game last time. I sure as hell will this time.”

Antwan shook his head at what he saw as an unorthodox business deal. But in thirty minutes, he and Gwen had literally everything that Will needed to have his assistant send to Trey’s assistant. George raised a very good point about the project. “Can you get the contact information for the grocery store that your buddy turned down? I’d like to see if they are still interested. That would be a great thing to have right outside the sub division. Maybe we can rent one of the other spaces to a trendy anti-SprawlMart type general store or even a Target. People will be able to get their sundries and groceries without really leaving their neighborhood.”

Dani smiled. “We should look into trying to get a nice day spa and an ethnically diverse hair salon there also. And a higher end wine and beverage place.”

“Game Spot or Game Stop or one of those video game stores for the strip mall.” Gabs added. “Oh and a couple of nicer restaurants, maybe one delivery and one small, niche, eat in place.”

We spent the next few hours discussing what we hoped to fill the office suites with as well as the things that would be best for the strip mall. Gwen put the bug in Antwan’s ear about going out on his own and beginning a contract and family law practice under his own banner. Will offered his ideas on marketing the homes and offered to get us put on the preferred home lists for some of his friend’s companies for their relocation packets. Antwan said that it would be okay for him to put it on the list at Anderson Merchandising as long as the ultimate decision rested with purchaser and there was nothing to indicate that he was involved even peripherally. Since George was working light crews on the kids house until they got a decorator to pick their fixtures and colors and everything, he would meet the inspectors at the property the following Monday. They had texted us the day before and told us that they would let us know by close of business Monday if they were going to be using the same lady who’d done their Chicago condo. Benton had gotten the date of the next land auction, so we’re waiting two more weeks. The auctions were held on the first Saturday of every month. He even found out that the sixty-one-acre lot we were interested in was being offered and the starting bid would be two hundred and ten thousand. That meant that we could, conceivably only pay two hundred and thirty buck per lot for our entire three section development.

We left that conference room feeling on top of the word. Only to get smacked down by that evening’s episode of The Insider.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoy reading your comments and reviews. This chapter is dedicated to all of you who let me know what you think, what you want to see and what you want to read. 
> 
> Please continue to read and comment.  
> TTFN,   
> Anni


	6. Don't Blink (Kenny Chesney) & On & On (Erykah Badu)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *****PLEASE NOTE: Thanks for this story's title goes to MsLadyThankYouVeryMuch. The Title translates into Foolish Wisdom.*****
> 
> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Christmas Cookies by bana05
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe, you are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!
> 
> Probable Spoiler Alert in the Second Part. Discussion of the Batman Arkham Knights Video Game storyline

Don’t Blink (Kenny Chesney  
Sam PoV

The days after the meeting where it was decided that we were going to launch a US, and maybe a little bit more, tour seemed to settle into something of a routine for Mercy, Noah and me. But while we were living a routine life, there was a ton of other stuff going on behind the scenes. Deborah and Haja were meeting to work out the budget. Brantley was mapping out the best route that would get us the most cities in during the three months we’d be out of school. He was attacking the whole tour in an old school kind of way where he worked on deals on a market-to-market basis rather than cutting a single tour deal with a promoter like Live Nation or AEG Live. He acknowledged that it was a more time consuming process but it should lead to competitive bidding in each market which would get us better terms on hall rentals and allow us to maintain our current system for merchandise distribution. Plus, it should make sure that we were provided individualized attention in each market, as the local promoters focused on working their own shows independently rather than having to do the tour as a whole. Localized knowledge would be a very good thing when doing promotional work.

Hell Bent and my dad had talked to a company in Nashville to find out how long it would take to commission and have two tour buses built one of them ACA compliant. Turned out the answer to that question was five to six months. The orders would need to go in around the same time to guarantee that they are finished around the same time and we can put in the order for the ACA bus before the regular one, but not the other way around. That information was relayed to Haja and Hudson along with a list of all the different decisions that would need to be made. Apparently, it was a lot like building a house. The dads were also comparing that to the timeline and cost of buying something pre-owned and having it redecorated and or completely recustomized to fit our needs. The adults all agreed that renting tour buses over and over again was cost prohibitive. Darcy was in on the action too, creating internet buzz about a possible tour and getting tons of feedback about where our fans were hoping the tour would take us. It was she who found that there were a few states, like North and South Dakota, where we would be better off doing a regional stop and letting the KAMAleons come to us. That made Brantley’s job easier. She was also in talks with a new supplier for the merchandise and finding some new stuff to expand our catalogue and keep it fresh. I kept meaning to check out our group site, just to see what all we’d put our names to, but I just hadn’t had the time. She and Noah were happy, so I was sure that it was fine.

While all that was going on in the background, we were going to classes, doing our readings, and making love to each other. Saul had brought us stocks in the company that manufactures Trojans, which was good because we went through them like water. One of the first things Mercy had done after classes started was to make an appointment and refresh her birth control. We had a million promises to keep and we took each of them seriously. That was just one of them. Our schedules were packed and I was feeling more than a little stressed, so on Tuesday, I made an appointment with one of the developmental therapists that the school made available for the students like me. Anyone with a wide range of learning problems could come in for help. I would head there every Tuesday after my poli sci class as long as I needed it. Once I was done with the reading heavy core classes, I’d probably be better off, but one thing being with Mercy and Noah had done for me was to show me that asking for the help I need wasn’t a weakness…it was really more of a strength.

Thursday, we made time to go to one of the Patriot Day events at the 9/11 memorial. We didn’t tell anyone we were going. We just went. As far as we were concerned, there was not any need for accolades. We just went to give honor to lives lost and heroes who still needed their country’s help. We’d hit an ATM on the way and each gotten out our daily limit…which still wasn’t really enough, but we wanted to remain anonymous. Every single dollar was given to the FealGood Foundation to help the first responders with their medical bills. As we made we made our way back to campus, we talked things over. “I feel like we should do more.” Mercedes whispered.

“I know. That wasn’t nearly enough.” Noah agreed. Of all of us, he was the only one actually directly affected. He’d had two family members who worked in the Twin Towers…not closely related, but still family.

“If we do anything more, it could be traced back to us.” I reminded them. They both looked at me with surprise. I really wasn’t used to being the voice of reason in situations like that. “I know; I’m shocked I’m saying it too…but I just felt it had to be said. We all know, we aren’t gonna let that stop us.”

“Cool. So what should we have Gwen transfer over?” Mercy asked with a grin.

Noah looked thoughtful. “Why don’t we have her do the three grand again tomorrow and then every month we can give another three. It’s not like they only take gifts one day of the year or like the people they are helping only need it on nine-eleven.” He raised a good point so we called Mrs. Abrams as soon as we could and we talked it over. She was even able to request that the gifts be listed as anonymous in their donor report. That made me really happy. I had been raised with the idea that the reward for doing good should come from the good you did…not from accolades for the doing.

Saturday, we were up and out on time…mainly because we’d spent Friday night after an early dinner out, in our room making love and chilling all evening. It was nice and restful. The next morning, however, was not. We were scheduled to meet Jade Quinn at her East Village loft at seven-thirty. I had looked her up and found that Jade Quinn was former military. She had taken pictures in some of the most dangerous places on earth after she was in long enough for her GI Bill to pay for her to go to art school. Five minutes after we met her, I quickly decided that she and Darcy should never be allowed to meet. Either of the women and Puck were bad enough, the thought of all three of them was really just plain frightening. Jade actually kind of looked like she could be related to Puck. She was tall and curvy, had long, thick, dark brown hair, but her skin was far too pale to make me think of the olive undertones of Puck, Saul or Bubbie. She also had the most striking green eyes. They were almost the same color as mine and Stacey’s. 

As Mercedes was passing off the rolling suitcase with her foundation garments and a selection of accessories that she was pretty sure covered most spectrum of apparel to Jade’s assistant, our beautiful woman was giving Jade Quinn a once over. I could quickly see that Mercy noticed too, “I didn’t think it was possible for you and Puck to have a child together.” Her laughter made me almost as hard as the thought of having a kid with mine and Noah’s DNA. The fact that it was impossible didn’t make it any less hot.

I quickly nipped her ear, but before I could really say anything more, Jade started telling us about the day and introducing us to her people. “Good morning KAMA. I want to thank you for being so prompt. My partner, Madison Page, will be doing your interview and the write up of the article. She’ll be here closer to lunch time. Now, I have hair and makeup here, Johanna Howard will be handling the guys’ hair, and Nora Kleypas will be taking care of you Mercedes. For makeup we have the amazing talents of Wayne Anderson and Eric Fox. Eric will be taking care of Mercedes, while Wayne will make Sam and Puck beautiful. Hudson, the wi-fi password is twenty-three twice, spelled out the first time with initial caps, I’m sure that you’ll be bored without that.” We all shared a laugh at that one. Our Rangemen of the day were Chet and Junior. Chet had driven, so he got to escape the boredom that Hudson and Junior were bound to endure. Though the two guards would trade off in the afternoon. 

Mercedes gave Jade one of her brightest smiles. “Okay, this the first magazine interview we’ve done like this. I mean, with a cover shoot and everything. Can you tell us what to expect?” I loved my Baby. I couldn’t believe she lied with such a straight face though. If I hadn’t known for sure that the closest we’d come to any magazine interview at all had been JBI’s Muckraker article when we won Nationals junior year…and he’d gotten all his material by eavesdropping on the gleeks in the bathrooms.

Still, Jade must have sensed the nervousness that smile was attempting to hide. Because the one she returned to Mercy was reassuring and calm. “Sure. We’ll actually be doing three shoots in one. There is the cover, then there are the interior pictures; one big one at the very start of the article and at least one small one to create visual interest in the article text itself. Mr. Johnston and Mr. Hummel were good enough to provide me with your sizes, so I have several selections of clothing here for you for each of the pics.”

She continued to speak as she gave us a quick tour of the loft. In the space that would traditionally hold a kitchen, there was a large area with salon chairs and big mirrors set aside for hair and make-up. Alongside the bathroom she’d built five dressing rooms suitable for the changes her subjects needed to make. “The vision I have for the cover is the three of you in leather. There is a rainbow and a decent selection of style choices over there just waiting on you to make your choice.” She gestured to the racks of clothing that awaited us outside the changing areas. “For the main interior shot, I’d like to show the real you, not the performance KAMA. Just the everyday, walking around the city triad. Then for the other small shots, I’d like to do something to show the other side of you. We’ll have the rock stars on the cover, the students at the start of the article. The third set will either show the you you could have chosen to become…I believe it was an architect, an accountant and something businessy? As I was saying that is one choice, but the other is that you all speak often and strongly about your faiths. So I was considering a Sunday morning…or Saturday evening in your case, Puck look. But there will be plenty of time for me to make that choice. I may make you take pictures for both sets and decide which to use later.” Her smile was warm and yet still totally frightening. “Alright, we’re burning day light. Please select what you’re going to wear before heading to hair and makeup. Myself and my assistants, Beatrix and Sabian will get things ready out here. You have an hour to make yourselves pretty.”

We took her at her word. I quickly found the racks of clothes in my sizes and checked them out. Since the she said we were doing the cover shot first, I went to the rack of tanned cow hide first. Looking through the racks of everything from some Angelus like black leather pants with a black leather sleeveless shirt, to a brown leather suit jacket and matching trousers, I got a little overwhelmed. I looked over and saw that the other rack of men’s clothes was similar, and yet not the same. Puck pulled off a black suit, similar to the brown one, but differently cut enough that I was almost sure that Mercy or Kurt would say they had different designers. Holding up his jacket, I could see an eggplant colored leather tee shirt. So I checked the other side of the jacket I’d kind of seen, but not really and saw a shirt the same storm purply, grayish cream we’d chosen for one of the bedrooms in Chicago. It was a great color with the medium brown of the suit. Checking over my other shoulder I saw Mercedes pull out a purple leather dress that would hug her curves deliciously. The color was a shade of purple somewhere between the almost black of Puck’s tee and the lighter storm purple of mine. I held the suit up for approval and felt Noah come up behind me looking for the same assurance. When she nodded, we headed into the changing rooms.

I stripped down to my boxer briefs and pulled on the suit pants, the shirt and the jacket. I was changed in seven or eight minutes flat. With putting on the deep brown loafers, I was ready in ten. Puck was waiting on me when I stepped into the ‘hallway’. We were shown to hair and makeup by Beatrix, who kind of reminded me of what would happen if Mercy and Lauren had a love child. She was a lot taller than Mercedes, yet shorter than Lauren and had an aura of ruthless efficiency. We were quickly seated in the two chairs and Wayne started on Puck’s face while Johanna did this thing where she made my hair look windswept and kind of hot.

Then they switched and when I looked over at Puck his eyes looked like amber flames with olive green flecks. The awesome thing was that they looked like that and his lips looked plumper and sexy but he didn’t actually look like he was wearing any make-up at all. Johanna didn’t have much to work with on Noah. He had enough hair to brush and it covered his scalp, but he’d cut it really low the Saturday before the VMAs. The day before he had said he was considering growing it out some on top. Still she managed to make it look tousled and kind of sex heady. By the time they finished with us, Mercy came out of the room having changed from the skin out. That damn dress was way sexier on her than it had been on the hanger. God it hugged her curves and its sweetheart neckline offered her cleavage up to be worshiped like the goddess we knew she was. She had on the diamond vine necklace Puck had surprised her with after our shopping trip in LA, the matching earrings that had been my gift to her and of course the Rangeman bracelet and her engagement ring. the skirt of the dress ended above her knees and she had picked a pair of laser cut, open toe, black leather knee boots that tied up the front and boasted a four-inch stiletto heel.

“Oh my damn.” Noah breathed beside me. “We are the two luckiest bastards to ever walk the damn earth.”

“Hell yeah.” I agreed. 

We watched as Nora turned Mercy’s deep brown streaked black weave into voluminous waves that were then pinned up in the back on one side so that they flowed gently over her left shoulder. Her makeup was beautifully done, her eyes made to look like the warm, deep brown we were used to contained flecks of pure gold. Her soft skin was so smooth it didn’t look real, and yet, I knew for a fact that the makeup only enhanced the true perfection underneath. Her lips were a shade of red I’d never seen on her before, a brighter…truer red than she usually selected for herself. But I loved it. From Puck’s reaction, I could tell that he felt the same way. As soon as she was finished, Sabian arrived and he led us out to where Jade was waiting.

The photographer was standing in front of a big ass green screen. She took a bunch of shots. There were some that were playful, like when I picked up Mercedes and held her bridal style while she leaned her upper body back against Puck. There was another where she was bent over looking towards the green screen rather than the camera with me and Noah leaning over her bent back…none of us liked that one. It seemed kind of degrading or something. We all agreed that the best one was a great one where Mercedes was standing between us, but with our legs behind hers. We were all standing in the Superman pose with Mercy’s arms linked through Noah’s and mine. We really looked like we were ready to conquer the world. Jade took what seemed like rolls of film of each pose, sometime taking us back to one she liked. Often she would have Beatrix and Sabian move the reflectors or change the directions of the lights and have us take on a new pose or a previous one we’d believed we were done with. Finally, she sent us back to pick out lounging outfits and get changed. That was a lot easier than that picking the leather…which had been hot as hell under the lights by the way.

I found an awesome tee shirt that I knew was meant for me. It was a smedium Avatar blue shirt with a picture of Jake Scully’s Na’vi avatar and one of my favorite quotes from the movie and kind of my life mantra. “Sometimes your whole life boils down to one insane move”…like going to a prom on a budget and then choosing to risk asking the best girl you’d ever known if she would date you and your bro at the same time. Best insane move I’d even contemplated making. I quickly grabbed a pair of jeans to go with it and decided that my navy blue All-Stars would work and went and changed. I was so confident that time that I didn’t even bother checking with Mercy. I beat Puck done that time. He’d grabbed a dark gray Henley and some jeans and threw on some tech boots and was done. We were done in the hair and makeup chairs even quicker so we had some time to talk.

“Hey, I’m thinking that when we get your bike…maybe it’s time to downsize from Cede’s Tahoe. Like find time to take it back to Lima and get her something smaller for here in the city. We never take it anywhere since it’s so big to find parking for…”

I nodded. “True. And we’re not going to have the Rangemen forever. Parking isn’t really a hassle with them driving, but it will be a pain in the ass without them. I mean, now that everything has died down, we can probably dial their services back to just them monitoring the bracelets and the thingies on the bikes and Mercy’s car.”

“Yeah, they will still have the security monitoring at the house and the office. They are watching the people Daniel set them on that Dev found online. Having bodyguards going with us everywhere is really only cool in theory. Maybe we can go more on an as needed basis and hire them for the tour next summer…but let go of the day to day shit.” Puck cosigned.

“We can talk it over with our Baby and the parental units before we talk to Mr. Manoso.” I reasoned. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that nothing happened really, but at the same time. It was weird that we had to be worried for our safety just because we spoke out against a wrong. Sometimes I wonder if all those ‘live and die by the constitution’ types have ever even read it.”

Noah rolled his eyes. “Like you’ve read it.” He huffed.

“Hey, I know the preamble by heart man…and I did a report on the First Amendment in middle school.” I defended. No I had never read the whole thing, but really no one had. Well, I guess like the president had. “So, um, how much editing do you think Mr. Haussman had to do to keep from showing our boners the whole time?” I asked changing the subject.

Puck laughed. “I hope he showed the world. We ain’t got nothing to be ashamed about.”

Mercedes finally came out and I swore. She looked even better all soft and comfortable than she had all done up in the leather dress. She was wearing a pair of deep brown leather leggings…they were so close to the same color as her pretty skin I had to take a quick second look. The leggings were covered to her knees by brown suede tie up the front heeled walking boots. She had on a really thin poncho looking, asymmetrical tunic top which allowed us to easily see that she had matched her bra more to the shirt’s natural-ivory color rather than going darker to hide it. The end effect was that it was easy to make out the lace and cups of the bra against her dark skin which somehow made the cashmere seem like a sheer material. It was really fucking sexy, and yet since she was literally covered from neck to hips, it still seemed demure. When her hair and makeup were finished her look was less glamorous, more girl on the go pretty. Other than her permanent jewelry, she wore the cross her dad had given her our senior year. She really did look like she just needed to grab her purse and we could all go grab lunch.

Rather than putting us back to standing in front of the green screen, Jade’s crew had set up a table and chairs like one would find at an outdoor bistro. Granted the lunch scene was set up in front of the green screen. But I got it. This would allow Jade to create a restaurant shoot in the much more controlled environment. After a few shots with those props, the lighting and props were changed for a park bench and a more subtle light diffusion. We had a ton of fun relaxing, and maybe making out a little, on that park bench. There was a third prop set up, but it seemed to be more of maybe an outdoor shopping kind of thing. There was a chest high stand with apples and fruit on it. That one was kind of boring…not much we could do to play with the poses there, and all the fruit was fake. Probably that was why Puck and I ended up chucking some of it back and forth while Mercy leaned against the stand and hid her face in her hand and hair.

A tall, thin, blonde woman came bustling in with a tote bag that was bigger than she was. She came over and saw the shots Jade was taking and chuckled. “Oh you’ve gotta use those somewhere.” She said affably. “Hi, I’m Madison Paige. As soon as Jade is done with you, we can talk…shouldn’t take more than an hour or two and you guys can have the rest of your Saturday to enjoy. That good with you? Great.”

“You do realize that you said all of that in one breath and never gave them a single chance to answer what seemed to be a question posed to them.” Jade said dryly.

Madison gave her a cheeky smile. “Oh please…they are a captive audience. Besides they are gonna get sick of answering all my questions soon enough.”

Jade shrugged. “I like these guys. They don’t try and tell me how to light them or what angle to shoot them from. Don’t treat them like you did that woman who wrote that super popular, housewife porn series…she came across as a major douche.”

Madison looked like she said nothing but I could have sworn she’d said, “That was because he was a total douche.” But when I could see her lips move all she said was. “Well, I’m here and I’m ready when they are and if they are good people in reality, then they will continue to be good people in print.”

I guess we couldn’t really argue with that. But we didn’t get a chance to try. Sabian and Beatrix quickly had us back in the hallway to pick out our Alternate Universe apparel. Since my dad and George were both architects, it was really easy to know what to pick. I grabbed a pair of black Timberland boots, some jeans that were more fitted; after all too loose clothing could be a safety hazard; a nice light green dress shirt and a black sport coat. When I changed, I dug through my stuff and found the shades I’d been wearing when we arrived. Stepping out of my changing room, I was kind of shocked to see that Puck was finished before me. He’d had a line of suits to choose from because with his degree field, no matter what his actual job title, he’d more than likely be in a suit every single day. Though truth be told, he looked really fucking good in that suit. Since Beatrix and Sabian were nowhere to be found, and our hair and makeup took little to no time to get done. I decided we had a little time. So I pushed him into my changing room and laid a deep, long, slow, wet kiss on him.

When we heard Mercedes’ curtain pulled back, we broke apart and headed to the chair next to her. from the state of my hair and our lips, it was pretty easy to see why we were late. Our artists still had us both ready before Mercedes. She looked gorgeous in a lilac, figure hugging, office appropriate sheath dress, black blazer and a pair of super high, super pointy toed, super shiny black pumps. Nora turned her hair into a pretty chignon at the nape of her neck. It looked kind of like how Madonna’s hair was on the Evita movie posters. She was wearing just her cross and a pair of diamond stud earrings. Puck and I both snuck out to Hudson and put on our Bubbie Christmas watches…because unlike the other shots, the expensive, but still suitable for daily wear, watches fit our business professional looks. Looking over towards the green screen area, it’s easy to see why Sabian and Beatrix didn’t come to rush us along. They, Jade, Madison and Junior were moving things and setting up the props for the pictures we’d be taking for the last series of shots for the day.

Jade was cool people. She had a place for us to sit while she arranged Mercedes in an executive chair behind a big ass desk filled with important looking spread sheets and graphs. She took come pictures of Mercy on the phone and just looking amazingly beautiful and professional. The last set of pictures showed our beautiful songstress kicked back in her chair, her heels up on the desk, headphones on singing. She really did look like a business woman relaxing in a few minutes of downtime, thinking about the road not taken. Noah’s shots were just as good. He was shot looking at a computer screen with a spreadsheet so complicated I was pretty sure it was an example they downloaded from somewhere. Another series of shots showed him with his jacket off, his sleeves rolled up furiously typing something. But then he was shown playing air guitar with his ear buds in. For me it was a big drafting table and blue prints. Thanks to my classes, I was actually able to understand what I was looking at, so when she said to look like I was working, I started to do a very rudimentary mark up. Before I knew it, that was pulled away and a slightly worn looking yellow hard hat was shoved onto my head and rolls of prints shoved into my hands. A fake pile of cinderblocks appeared next to me and some other construction site props completed the ‘scene’. For my ‘relaxing scenario’ I pulled off the hard hat and the jacket, pushed up my sleeves and was looking up at the sky day dreaming.

That hadn’t been the hardest shoot I’d ever been on. I was admittedly leery of female photographers after the woman in LA, but Jade was professional and she had done her best to make us comfortable. “Alright that’s a wrap. I really want to thank you. I believe that this is one of the most productive celebrity shoots I’ve ever done. The fact that you took my directions and allowed me to make my vision come to life will really make the pictures much more interesting. I will send the final edits to Mr. Johnston and Ms. Friedman for your approval. Once you have changed, you are free to…well do whatever it is Madison has planned for you. Again, thank you for making this one of the easiest and most productive shoots of humans that I’ve ever had.” She told us with the brightest smile she’d given all day. It was only seeing that smile that allowed me to realize that the earlier ones had been much less real.

It didn’t take me and Puck any time at all to get back into our street clothes. But then again, we had it easy. The hardest thing I had to do was make sure that the jeans I put on were the ones I wore there and not one of the two other pairs I’d changed in and out of and possibly left on the dressing room floor. Once I was back in my jeans and my penny tee my cousin Sam had given me when we saw her when we were in Seattle during the summer, I headed to makeup. After he finished up with Noah, who had totally beaten me by like three steps, Wayne removed all the stuff he’d used on my face. Mercedes came in to the hair and make-up area for the final time in a pair of super distressed jeans, and a black slashed tee shirt that read New York Girl in silver glitter paint. She was rocking a pair of black and silver walking boots and some big ass, silver hoop earrings. She kept her make-up on and just asked Nora to help her with her hair. Between the two of them and Johanna, they had her weave taken back down and laying in curls and waves around her shoulders. Once she was happy with the way she looked, the three of us headed out to take care of the interview with Madison Paige.

If Jade Quinn looked like she could be my and Noah’s love child, then Madison Paige was definitely the missing link that should have connected me and Quinn as relatives. “Look, I’m not a real big fan of the formal sit down interview. Why don’t we go and grab something to eat? We can take over a booth at a restaurant and chill until I have what I need for the article.”

We exchanged looks and nodded. “Sure, that’s fine with us.” Noah finally spoke up. “We’ll have go and take our things down to the car and let Junior and Chet switch…but after that where do you want to go?”

“I’m kind of obsessed with this place called DBGB Kitchen and Bar. Its super close, you should totally bring your people. They will love it.” Madison said happily. Wow, she was peppy, in a weirdly zen-like way. I mean…Brittany S. Pierce levels of Zen-Pep…it’s a weird combination usually associated with fictional characters like Luna Lovegood and Harley Quinn more than any one in real life.

It took no time at all to get the suitcase we’d rolled up and Mercedes and Hudson’s bags down to the Tahoe. Madison asked us about it and Mercy told her the back story of the getting the car from her father, who was a dentist, when he no longer had to chauffeur kids around once her brothers were both in college and she could finally drive. “I’m thinking that maybe it really is getting to be time to take this back home and let it be our Lima car…it’s kind of too big for the city.”

“You know what you should get…you should get a Mercedes Benz…that would be hilarious. Mercedes driving a Mercedes.” Madison said happily.

“Okay, I have to ask, are you in any way related to the McCarthy family of Rochester?” I blurted. She acted way too much like Artie said Brittany’s aunt did and we all knew Brittany could be even worse.

She looked thoughtful. “I don’t think so. I was adopted so I guess it is a possibility. All I know is that my biological family came from upstate New York somewhere.”

“Oh…sorry. It’s just you act a whole lot like our friend Brittany…kind of look like her too. Just thought you guys might be related. I didn’t mean to bring up a sore subject.” I apologized humbly. That had not been in her bio, or I never would have said anything.

She just shrugged. “It’s not a sore subject at all. I had a great childhood. My parents are pretty much the very definition of the word awesome.” As soon as Chet had the car all locked up, we walked the few blocks to the restaurant.

The next three hours were filled with laughter and storytelling and fun. It seemed like she asked a million questions, but most of them were asked in such a way that it was like we were talking to this really cool person we were getting to know. She never minded when we asked her questions of our own. The interesting thing was that while she asked a lot of questions about our relationship, she didn’t seem interested in our sex life. That was actually pretty refreshing. Mainly, the interview reminded me of that really cool interviewer when we were interviewing for Columbia and NYU. The questions were part of the conversation, not the end all and be all. We may have forgotten that there was a digital recorder on the table a few times, we were made that comfortable. That and the brioche French toast was amazeballs.

But sitting in a restaurant got really boring once all the food was eaten and the dishes cleared. So we got our check and took the rest of the conversation on the road. We went up to campus and talked as we walked the grounds. When Madison had wrung all possible information out of us, and gotten the contact information for our office so she could get permission to name names for Ethan and Daniel and I think Saul…the conversational nature of the interview made it go smoother and faster, but it also made it harder to keep track of everything. Once she was finally through with us, she rode the train back to the East Village while we went home and thought about getting our school work done. We hadn’t really anticipated being home so early, but since we were done before five, we decided to go back down to Chelsea and attend Temple with Bubbie Ruth, Saul and Mills. Going to Temple, allowed us to sleep in the next morning without feeling too bad about it. Which was very necessary since Mercy, Noah and I hadn’t actually gone to sleep until about two hours before we’d have needed to wake up for Mass. Modeling always made Puck horny as hell. Still, as enjoyable as the weekend had been, I was glad that week was finally over. We lived in interesting times, that was for damn sure.

 

On & On (Erykah Badu)  
Mercedes PoV

Saturday went a lot more easily than I had anticipated. I just channeled my inner Rupaul and worked it and, really, before I knew it, it was all over. I did have a much better understanding of why Noah and Sam would be so tired after their shoots when they were modeling…and why they would be so horny. There was something really hot about that kind of work. I was a total vixen Saturday night and Sunday morning. Then we slept in and when we got up, we dressed and took the whole tribe out to a very late lunch, and met with the band to let them know about the tour the following summer and the performance we’d agreed to so at Leviticus for Halloween. I’d dragged Kurt with us which meant Blaine was in attendance too. A fact which turned out to be a god send. As soon as the band learned that we were actually expected to perform in costume, the arguments over who we should be or if we should even be anyone or basically just get up there half naked began. Thankfully the farm to table restaurant we’d met at was actually pretty quiet on a later Sunday evening.

Blaine waited until there was something of a lull in the Santana led lingerie versus the Bae-Bae led uniform based costumes argument that had outlasted most other ideas to speak up. “I actually have a great idea. Why don’t you base your costume around the Batman comic books or video games or movies or cartoons universes…in fact, just have Bats as the jumping off point. That way you can really do it up right. Like okay, you three,” he gestured to Sam, Noah and me. “Will be like Batman, Nightwing and Batgirl…then you can have the band be different villains. So, like Bae, Jaja, Britts and Rainbow can all be Harley Quinn right?”

“Wait…there are enough incarnations of Harley that they could each be a different one. Like Brittany could be in the corseted steam punk look from Arkham Knights…but then Elena could be in the softer crop top and leggings look from Arkham city.” Sam said jumping onto the idea.

Artie wasn’t about to be denied. “So the Dam Bros can be two different versions of Robin. Like Damien can be the darker Arkham Knight version but Adam could be the nineties movie, Chris O’Donnell version. Dave would make a great Bane and Justin is built just like The Riddler.”

The next addition came from a slightly surprising source. “So, Tana and I can be two different versions of Catwoman…I can be sixties, Julie Newmar, Catwoman and Santana can be the version from the game the one with the red goggles.”

Simeon jumped in next. “If the lady dancers are all Harleys then me and Jack have to be Jokers…”

“I could have so much fun choreographing that. It would be full of aerobatic moves and I wonder if we can find a giant, fake mallet.” Rainbow said joining the insanity. “I really want to be the totally insane, dark and mourning Harley from when Joker was dead in Arkham Knights and she was desperately searching for revenge on Batman.”

“Okay…three points…if we’re doing something that elaborate…then some of you will be stuck in your costume all evening we will have to make sure that you love it. Second point…if we’re doing something that elaborate…we’re gonna need to get started immediately to have the costumes ordered, back and altered in time for you all to practice in them. Last point…there is no way we can handle all the body makeup and everything that we’d need to do this alone. Hair and Makeup for the event is going to need to be booked the soonest.” Kurt pointed out. He sounded disgustingly excited. Blaine must have infected him with the superhero luv bug.

“I have a point.” I blurted out. “Where the hell are we going to find a Batgirl costume to cover all of this?”

“Girl, you know that Kurt is not going to be pulling stuff off of racks. He’ll order it to your exact measurements and it will be the bomb. The problem will be with keeping Sam and Puck up off you ROUS when they see it encased in black Kevlar or leather or whatever.” Santana both soothed and teased by turns. “I think Eureka would be an amazing Poison Ivy…Cassilady…hey, Artie…in Batman Beyond that chick with the dark hair that Baby Bats and Original Bats were both drooling over and then they found out she was really her dad in her body…what was her name?”

“Oh, Talia…Ra’s al Ghul’s daughter.” Artie answered. “Yeah, I can totally see that one. Cass you have a very exotic look…you’ll make a good Talia.”

“I wanted to go as a female Freddie Krueger.” I pouted a little.

“We’ll have to be there for some time after the performance…you are not gonna want to stay in a full body Batgirl costume all night. Besides once we get you off the stage, we’re peeling you out of it and you won’t want to put it back on.” Puck said with his usual blunt honesty. “So for the performance we’ll be the good guys trio…I call Nightwing by the way…then we’ll change. If you’re gonna be a sexy lady Krueger then I’ll take the dude from Friday the Thirteenth.”

“So Sexy Lady Freddie…Jason…I’ll do Mike Myers, from Halloween, not Austin Powers.” Sam chimed in. “Umm…Sexy Lady Freddie…can that include you in some fishnets and hooker boots…because I’d really like it if that meant that you were in some fishnets and hooker boots.” 

Given the way that his and Puck’s eyes glazed over, it was no surprise that it was soon decided that Kurt should move on the costumes as soon as possible. He was also to help Hudson and Darcy, himself and Blaine with their costumes. We also decided to offer the final two tickets to Que and James, since they were the closest of our friends not in the band…but if they couldn’t come…we’d offer them to Ryan and Jamie. Hudson had been taking notes the whole time…sometimes she could be so quiet I’d actually forget the she was there. With that, Kurt had everything he needed to get started. He made arrangements to meet with each of them over the first half of the week to take their measurements so he’d have the most current information before he ordered everything. We’d gotten to the restaurant around seven and it was about ten when we called for the check and headed home.

We made love a few times Sunday night. The first was so fast and frantic after my boys had been so hard for so long thinking about me in fishnet stockings and hooker boots and very, very little else that I only came one time. But Noah and Sam made it up to me with slow, sweet, make me lose my mind loving the second round. The third round was me blowing each of them by turns until they blew their loads into my sucking mouth…which was then followed by them working together to bring me off one final time with their hands and mouths. We took a long, relaxing bubble bath and were ready to take on the world when we woke on Monday morning. Monday was a regular day and therefore was a total breeze. We even had time to help Cooper cook dinner. It was his last week with us, so we were hoping to find some time to do something nice for him. Mr. Ben had posted the ads for a housekeeper and the other positions we were looking to fill over the next few weeks, but he wasn’t coming to do the interviews until after we got back from Chicago. We were all going to have to pitch in until we were able to get somebody hired. After dinner Kurt made us suffer through his obsession with having us half naked and attacking us with his measuring tape.

Tuesday’s classes all went really smoothly. Sam and Puck both said that the day had crawled by, but to me it seemed to have flown. Probably because I was pretty well dreading watching the video…having other people see the video. Of course, once classes were over then time started to fly. We had very little time between the end of our last classes and the beginning of the meeting at Warner Music Group’s Midtown offices at seven. There was no time to go all the way back to Harlem and then come back to Midtown, but we found a work around. The JW Marriot Essex House was almost perfectly in between Juilliard and Warner’s offices. So I made the arrangements to have us a single room reserved. Sam kind of thought it was wasteful, but both Puck and I preferred not to walk around all day dressed up and all three of us hated the very thought of going into an important meeting looking like some stupid kids. 

So when Hudson, Binkie and Haja met us at Juilliard, they had our garment bags and an overnight bag with them. I loved the hotel room change for one very simple reason, I was able to grab a quick shower. My vocal performance prof had decided to spend the day focusing on making sure that no matter what we might have do during a performance our tone and key stayed steady while we were singing. I needed a shower in the worst way. Since I had planned for a skin out change, I felt better having taken one anyway. After my shower, I re-moisturized before pulling on a white lace demi bra and thong set. Then I forced myself to don my navy blue shaper slip. I gave myself a wry grin. By that point I owned one of those bad boys in every color known to man. Only once my curves were well contained, did I wiggle my way into a pretty and professional setting appropriate, Veronica Brand, Mojorra, ruched leaf-printed, navy and white silk sheath dress with shoulder tip cap sleeves and a high round collar. Since the dress buttoned up the side, I was actually able to get dressed without having to bother Sam or Noah in the slightest. I put back on my cross, added my silver watch, a pair of simple platinum knot studs and let those and my beautiful engagement ring do me for jewelry…well and my tracker bracelet…couldn’t change that if I wanted to. I pulled my hair back into a curly, low, ponytail, dashed on some sedate, but still shiny, wine colored lip gloss, threw on my three inch, navy blue sling back pumps and I was ready for anything. 

Noah and Sam had already started to change before I even made it into the shower, so they were ready and waiting good enough to eat, Sam in a deep, almost navy, blue Hugo Boss suit with a dove gray shirt. Puck looked just as delicious wearing a sexy, charcoal on charcoal slacks, dress shirt and sport coat combination. I’d just taken a shower but seeing them looking so sexy and mature in their suits had me right back in moist panties. They handed me my navy Tory Burch, nylon tote, waited on me to throw in the small cosmetics bag I still carried. They had grabbed all out dirty clothes and the bags and consolidated everything down. I’d cleaned up behind myself as I’d gotten dressed, so when I joined them, we were ready to walk out the door. We did take a minute to check out on the TV, left a fifty on the table with the keycard and headed to our meeting.

While we were exactly on time, when we were showed into ‘our’ conference room at Warner, the viewing meetings were a little too big for the conference room at our new offices. Until we got to the point where we didn’t have to have quite so many execs give the okay to the final edits, we’d still have to have these meetings at Warner. The Warner ‘Think Tank’, the barely familiar executives that had to be happy with our video before it could move forward, came in not very long after we’d finished greeting Deborah, Anika and Christophe and meeting Anika’s new assistant, Melody. The best thing about doing the meetings at Warner’s offices was that, whether it was Lyor’s doing or just Warner policy, whenever we had a meeting there after six pm, it was treated as a dinner meeting. That evening we were treated to a meal from The Grand Tier Restaurant. Hudson and Melody had taken care of making sure that everyone would have a meal that they would enjoy.

As soon as everyone was present, the Assistants directed the staff from the restaurant in placing the first of the three courses. My first course was a delicious crab cake served with smoked paprika aioli and herb remoulade on a bed of mustard greens. Puck got their toasted farro "Caesar”, a mock Caesar salad that consisted of Anson Mills farro, baby romaine, marinated asparagus, fava beans, black olive crouton, with fresh Piave Vecchio on top. Hudson remembered Sam’s love of soft shelled crabs so she surprised him with the crispy soft shell crab which came atop marinated green papaya, avocado mousse and was drizzled with a rhubarb-brown butter vinaigrette. All three first courses were delicious but the soft shell crab was simply amazing.

Our second course was served after the first course dishes were cleared. Hudson’s selections for the second course were just as well thought out. Sam received the slow cooked salmon served with asparagus roasted in morel vin blanc accompanied by English peas, fingerling potatoes, pistachio, ramp and nettle pesto. It made my blonde husband very, very happy. I tried it and loved it quite a lot as well. but I had to admit my herb roasted chicken, which came with braised greens cooked with country ham, Anson Mills corn bread, the same roasted asparagus that Sam’s entrée had and a small pot of smoked chicken jus, was just a little bit better. A fact that amazed me…it was a very rare chicken indeed that was better than any well prepared salmon. However, the definite winner of the best tasting entrée went to Puck’s beef tenderloin, wine roasted asparagus, crispy spin rosso polenta, mushroom ragu, roasted garlic-bone marrow butter and sauce bordelaise. It was simply perfection on a plate. I noticed that Hudson had made sure that the Rangemen, herself and Haja ate as well as we did.

As we ate our first and second courses, we chatted amicably with the execs. Mr. Lowenstein congratulated us on having one of the most successful festival tours of any Warner artist outside the country label in the last several years. Ms. Lee cooed over the VMAs we’d won. She claimed the credit for the helping us plan those videos in the first place. Michael Haussmann was more than a little excited and couldn’t wait for us to see the video. We knew because he kept telling us so. By the time the wait staff served dessert, he was chomping at the bit. Finally, Deborah took pity on him and nodded at Melody, who pressed some buttons on a remote and the big screen descended from the ceiling as the blinds on the windows closed. We were all quiet as the opening strains of ‘Rub You the Right Way’ came from the room’s sound system. The video started in black and white, the three of us walking into the hotel lobby looking tired and really like we’d just finished a gig and were coming in to get some much deserved rest.

As the song moved into the first verse, and would it ever be normal to hear me or Puck or Sam’s voices coming from the speakers, the color infused the scenes in the hotel room. We danced and touched and kissed before moving to the bedroom and the music’s thumping beats and strong guitar riffs made the sensuality of our movements under the sheets just a little bit more dirty than it should have been. There was one moment when I was sandwiched between my lovers and Sam was behind me whispering in my ear and Puck was in front of me saying something just as hilarious, and I threw back my head in laughter…it was a gorgeous moment. Truly, breathtakingly gorgeous. Then when we were in the bed there was a scene where whatever had been going on under the covers made me arch my back and press my hips and head into the mattress as I writhed under their combined attention. That was another scene that made me feel beautiful and loved. After the first chorus, it showed us ‘the next morning’ still in our pajamas making out on the couch…though the nature of the music made it seem more like we were back in our pajamas rather than still in them. The diving scene was shot at a point of view that allowed the viewers to see me dive in from Puck and Sam’s perspective though close up as if the video watcher was my men. The rest of the video showed a whole lot of them and I playing in the pool with the sun setting around us, before cutting back to more of the bedroom scene for the final chorus. It ended with the three of us heading into the well-appointed bathroom and closing the door. It looked really naughty but other than a few times when the cuts showed the world how well-endowed Sam and Noah really are and how hard my nipples can get; it wasn’t obscene or distasteful or anything. The cinematography was really beautiful.

Once the lights came back up I realized that I hadn’t touched my chocolate pistachio layer cake the full four and half minutes we were watching the video. Ms. Willthorne was the first one to speak up once the lights came back on. “I actually don’t really have anything negative to say…nothing at all.”

However, the same executive who’d worried that I had shown too much cleavage in ‘ColorBlind’ spoke up his concerns that the video was really more for the late night video audience. “Yeah, if this was nineteen-ninety. She showed far less skin than Lady GaGa usually does.” Anika rebutted.

“Very true. It was far less revealing than ninety percent of Rihanna’s video catalogue.” Mr. Lowenstein said with a smile. “The video will certainly change the way people see you Mercedes. It is very beautifully shot and my notes pertain to a couple of scenes where I think if we played them just a hair slower than the rest, it would make the beauty of the scene…the beauty of the love you three share, almost palpable. The scene where Mercedes is throwing back her head in laughter, the one where she is arching her back under the covers and the scene where she is diving into the pool…each of those scenes showcase a beauty that Mr. Haussmann wanted to show to the world.”

Haja looked over at us. “I agree with Mr. Lowenstein… those shots in three quarter time would make them pop, but I’d love to see that scene when Mercedes comes into the living room and Sam and Puck see her, stop making out and stand, that one should be slowed down to…let the world have a minute to see the way they really look at her.”

Michael Haussmann looked thoughtful. “I can do that. I was thinking of the scene when she was coming out of the pool and pushing her hair back…but decided that it was a little too Bond-esque, so I kept it to regular speed.”

“Actually,” Ms. Lee proposed quietly, “If you slow down the other shots and not that one alone, it wouldn’t seem too Bond-girl at all.”

The discussion continued for another little while before anyone realized that not a single member of KAMA had said a word. “So, what do you three think?” Deborah asked gently, as if a little afraid of our answer.

“That was very intimate.” Sam breathed. “Mr. Haussmann, I do love how you managed to show Mercy exactly as Puck and I see her, but that video was a little like we’re giving everyone a peak into our bedroom. It was beautiful, but at the same time, sharing that much of our intimacy might take a little getting used to.”

Noah nodded in agreement. “I really loved it, but it also kind of made me harder than any porn I’ve seen in the last three years so…ummm…there is that.”

“I don’t actually look like that do I?” I blurted out. “Because I wasn’t wearing a spanks or anything under that night gown.”

“See what we have to deal with?” Puck groaned.

Mr. Haussmann just laughed. “Don’t feel too bad, it’s not just her. It’s like women are hard wired not to see themselves as those around them do. But I actually take that as a compliment. Mercedes, to answer your question…yes you actually do look like that and that is exactly why we had to make the video and need to release it.”

I gulped but nodded before I could change my mind. “I’d like a copy for our parents to see before we drop it, but if Sam and Puck are good with it, then yeah, release it with the changes everyone has agreed on.” My husbands cosigned and there was some discussion of the preliminary plans for the tour, but really, once the video was agreed upon, the meeting was finished. The execs and Mr. Haussmann left talking about the profitability of the video, but Binkie, Junior, Haja, Hudson, Sam, Puck and I helped Deborah, Anika, Christophe and Melody get the room back into order before we headed out.

Our lovemaking that night…hell the rest of the week was very, very intense. We were all looking forward to the trip to Chicago so that we could really turn off our minds and unwind. We were packed by Thursday evening. Hudson was staying behind and we were only taking two Rangemen…they would really only be needed at the airports, so it wasn’t like we needed all of them. We had all our work done and we weren’t taking any of our text books with us. The weekend was to be fully dedicated to rest and relaxation. It was going to be perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello dear fans, in the aftermath of this chapter, I leave you with the usual entreaty to let me know what you think of the chapter. But I also ask that you let me know if you would like to read the Rolling Stones article after this chapter, or would you prefer that I post it after Chapter 8 during which it hits the stands and is available in the Story-Verse.
> 
> I hope that all my wonderful readers had a great Memorial Day weekend.
> 
> Happy Birthday to God's Grace...11 is a big step in a girl's life.
> 
> Please read, enjoy & review...
> 
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	7. Don't Stop Me Now (Queen) & Cry Me A River (Justin Timberlake)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Rut by LadiJ

Don’t Stop Me Now (Queen)  
Puck PoV

The rest of the week dragged by. Wednesday was slow. Thursday was glacial and by Friday I was pretty much sure that time was going backwards. Michael Haussmann had the video finalized way quicker than we thought he would. Since nobody wanted it leaked before it was supposed to come out, he messengered us a flash drive with the finished four and a half minute clip over to the office on Friday morning. Haja allowed Darcy and Brantley to see it. Ethan and Daniel were both offered the choice to view it or not. When Hudson explained the video’s concept…they both chose the second option. Once they’d watched it, supposedly Darcy experienced her first bi-curious moment and Haja experience his second hetero-curious one, Hudson put it in a tech protecting FedEx pouch and overnighted it to the parents with a note about the video and our desire that they all see it in advance so that they wouldn’t get slapped by it when it hit the airwaves. 

We packed Thursday. I told them there was really no real need…we were gonna be naked the whole weekend. But some time when we weren’t paying attention, Mercedes had snuck off and gotten a whole bunch of sexy time lingerie that she was determined to bring. Plus, Sam pointed out that we were going to have to answer the door for pizza or go shopping for groceries or something because we couldn’t go seventy-two hours without eating. So I grabbed some lounging clothes, one nice outfit in case we decided to actually leave the condo and find a restaurant or something. When Ramon and Cal picked ups up for classes we made sure that we had everything we needed both for school and for our weekend away from it all. Hudson would ride with Cal, to take Junior and Binkie and us to the airport. Then she and Cal would return our backpacks home and be free of us for an entire weekend.

It all went off without a hitch. After our last classes at Juilliard, we hopped our happy asses into the Tahoe and booked it to LaGuardia. We didn’t have any checked baggage, and we were getting really good at the whole traveling thing, so getting through security didn’t take a hell of a lot of time. We were in a pretty good time of day for flying too, around dinner time where most people were, at best, catching their connecting flights not catching a fresh flight. The wait in the first class lounge wasn’t too bad, all things considered. We weren’t really bothered. Binkie glared at a few people who were trying to take our pictures with their cell phones and they put them away. Then he and Sam settled down to talk about the bike that Ranger’s contact found for him which was scheduled to be delivered the first weekend of October. Junior, Sexy Mama and I talked about whether there was any continued need for such a major guard presence when we hadn’t experienced anything like what the parents had feared. “It won’t be a problem to step us back to one and one protection per shift…but the times you travel or have events, you’d have to pull in a couple of extra guys. You’d definitely need at least four of us on tour with you.”

“Would we be able to keep up all the monitoring?” I asked stressing the word all. Daniel had hipped me and Sam to the scary dark web shit Dev had found when he was trying to protect his baby little sister. Since it was such a big concern for us, Caesar, who had been with us at Ethan and Amanda’s, had let Grunt and Hector know about it. It had taken them very little time to find and track down the worst of the offenders. They had turned up the cyber monitoring aspect of our package to included making sure that the worst of those wackos were kept track of. At some point we’d probably need to let Cede know about the nastiness…but we were hopeful that it wouldn’t ever be a real necessity.

Junior nodded. “Yeah, the tracking and cyber monitoring are part of every one of our body guarding services. You’d be surprised how many times one of our clients will decide that they wanna give their guard the slip, but still remain active on their social media accounts which lets us find them in minutes or hours rather than after something goes wrong.” He recovered, after realizing the slip about the cyber monitoring could have caused Cede to question shit we weren’t ready for her to question. Personally, Sam and I were trying to put off telling her about that shit until we saw Devon again. That way he could be the one to tell her.

Thankfully, the boarding call for our flight sounded at that moment. We’d lucked out. the plane’s first class section on our flight was still the big leather seats not the ‘I’m too cool to interact with the person next to me’ pod thingies. As soon as the seat belts lights went off, Sam and Cede moved their middle arm rests, Cede scooted over and I joined them. We didn’t do much besides cuddle, the flight was only a couple of hours long. “So what did you think about Madison Paige’s suggestion that you get a Mercedes, Mercy?” Sam teased. He’d been joking about it all week.

Cede just gave him a side eye. “I’m good with the Tahoe. I mean, she runs fine. We’ve been through a lot together. She’s my baby…as long as I don’t have to parallel park her. Maybe, I’ll look at replacing it next year after we get back from the tour. We can drive it to Lima and leave it there when we go for Tessa’s graduation.”

Sam and I had actually planned on getting her a car for Christmas. That was the real reason that Sam kept joking about the ‘Mercedes driving a Mercedes’ thing. I personally wanted to get her a cute little Porsche, something young and fun. “You know; we should drive home for Christmas. We’ll have the car and my truck so we’ll have plenty of travel solutions when we are home.” I suggested casually.

“Yeah, we should totally do that. Plus too, we can shop early and if we don’t have to worry about flying with the gifts.” Sam added quickly picking up what I was laying down.

Mercedes looked contemplative for a long while. “We should invite Hudson to come home with us. No, just think about it. Darcy, Haja, Brantley…all of our band members and dancers, they all have family to go home to for Christmas, even Xena…it would suck if Hudson was stuck all by herself for the holidays.”

“Yeah, we’ve gotta make sure that she’s taken care of and has a good Christmas.” I agreed. “George said that they would be finished with the bulk of the construction on the house next month. We’ll need to have the decorator chosen by then, so that we can get the last of everything finished up. Which reminds me, he wanted me to find out if we were going to pick out a decorator ourselves or let the moms handle it?”

“Dude, isn’t Becah studying for the MCATs? She don’t have time to pick us out an interior decorator.” Sam chided.

I smiled My mother had been worried that I would have some stupid, negative reaction to her wanting to go to med school. But I thought it was fucking awesome. I couldn’t have been prouder of her if I tried. Sarah, Jake and Tessa were just as proud of her as I was. “Yeah, she is. My mom is gonna be a doctor.” I crowed proudly.

Cede and Sam laughed at my ‘Jewish mother’ moment. But then my sexy ass wifey had the bomb ass idea. “Lima isn’t all that far from Chicago. If we love what Dianna did in the condo…we could always offer her the chance to do the house. What’s the worst that can happen? She says no and we look for a designer next week.”

“That will work, I guess. But it took her two months to do the three bedroom condo…we want the house ready for Thanksgiving, Christmas at the very latest. Think she can do it by then?” I asked.

Sam shrugged. “I guess we just tell her the time period, the size of the house and our budget…let her make the decision for herself. We told her that she could take her time on the condo.” That was true. She probably had taken on or worked some other projects at the same time.

“Alright, that works then. When are we looking at the Cali place being complete?” I asked.

Cede rolled her eyes at me and I knew exactly why. Kendra CCed both me and Sam on every update she sent to Mercedes and Haja. “All the contractor and subcontractors are in place and have signed the nondisclosure agreements. The interior demolition has been started and the pool company assessor has been out. he checked over the pool system and the pool itself. the filtration and pump systems are in good working order, the filters will need to be replaced along with their covers and if we want to move it from a chlorine system to a salt water filtration system…we need to move on that in the next little while. Even with what the original appraisal said, we won’t know for sure the condition of the electrical and plumbing until the interior demo is done. The hope is that since they built with an eye towards the future when it came to the earthquake codes, they did the same with the wiring and pipes. Which you would know if you read the emails Ms. Mann sends us.”

Despite the snark, she snuggled into my side. I couldn’t resist leaning down and giving her a deep but quick kiss. “I wanted to run something by you two. I want to look into buying Tessa a place she can live in her college town.” I had been thinking about that since Tessa and I had talked about her next level school over the summer.

Sam gave me a smirking grin. “You don’t have enough faith in your little sister. Don’t you think that she can handle dorm life?” he taunted.

“I don’t not think that she can’t deal with living in a dorm. I just think that there is no reason to force her to shower in a communal setting if she doesn’t have to.” I tried to evade admitting that I was pretty sure that if Tessa Altman had to live in a traditional college dorm she would probably kill someone inside the first semester.

Cede’s laughter rang out through the entire cabin. “I’m not even gonna try and spew that BS Puck just threw out. I do not think Tessa would make it two semesters without committing a felony if she got some party girl, ridiculously vapid, loud ass, annoying roommate. Then she’d take over the whole damn prison and that wouldn’t be any good for anybody. I’ll talk to her and see where she is planning on applying and we can look for houses or condos around the school. Maybe we can find her a two bedroom and she can either have a dedicated writing space or she can find someone she can actually stand for a roommate.”

Sam leaned around our woman and gave me a long, deep kiss. “You’re a good big brother.”

“So are you and Cede is a good sister.” I assured them both. “There isn’t anything that you wouldn’t do for Stevie, Stacey and Gabe. Just like there isn’t anything Sexy Mama wouldn’t do for Mara and Maea. Shit any of us would do whatever we needed to do to take care of any of the eight of them…or Dev and Kev and Tonya and Tricie. That’s who we are and why we work together.”

That led to some serious, dick hardening making out. right around the ‘put up or shut up-approaching the point of no return’ level of arousal, the pilot announced that we needed to get our seat belts back on for the descent into O’Hara. We’d left New York at six fifteen and we arrived at O’Hara at seven twenty-five local time. So that was kind of cool. There was a black Suburban waiting on us at the airport and even with the quick stop at a hardware store for the new locks, we were still at our condo by eight fifteen.

Dianna Mondi was waiting for us in the lobby of the building that housed our condo. We thanked her profusely for meeting us after business hours. “It isn’t a problem. I’ve really enjoyed having such a free reign with your space. I truly think that you will love it. She said affably as we entered the elevator. “Now Hudson, Haja and I were able to get your cable and internet turned on this week, so everything is in total readiness for you.”

She opened the door and headed inside to hold it open for us. As we got ready to enter our condo for the first time, Sam and I couldn’t resist. We linked our arms together like the Cheerios did for a basket catch, scooped our woman up and carried her across the threshold of the first place that was entirely, unequivocally ours. As we entered the heavy wooden double doors, she squealed in surprise, but smiled hugely as we entered the small foyer. The hardwood floors gleamed and the gray paint had dried quite a bit lighter than it had looked on the sample, but that wasn’t really a bad thing. The chrome and glass chandelier gleamed, and lit the entry way. I noted the smallish alarm pad in the wall. Rangeman didn’t have an office in Chicago, so the work around was for us to have the Xfinity home package as part of our cable bundle and Rangeman would watch the watchers or something like that. There were tall marble columns defining the arch way that ushered us into the condo itself.

We turned left after coming through the archway and then immediately right to pass through the remodeled kitchen. It was pretty much a galley style kitchen, but the free floor space was about six or seven feet wide rather than being uselessly narrow. The cognac stained hard wood floors gleamed. The cabinets were real wood. The bottom cabinets were a different color then the uppers. The bottoms were a shade or two darker and a shade or two more reddish than the floors. The upper cabinets were an antiqued light gray, the tall floor to ceiling pantry cabinet, that stood right inside the entry way on the left hand side of the kitchen, was the same color as the upper cabinets. The counter tops were a very light, almost white, gray quartz with lines and ribbons of darker gray throughout. Past the pantry cabinet there was about two cabinets worth of countertop before the stainless steel, five burner, twin oven range, with the matching stainless steel microwave-vent hood combo dealy above it. That side was finished with two more cabinets above and below. On the right side of the door way stood a stainless steel, two doors, two drawer refrigerator with the ice and water in the door. There was a thin base cabinet separating the fridge and the stainless steel dishwasher. The sink was one of those apron front ones with two sinks, one smaller than the other. I knew that under the counter we had a top of the line, super low noise, garbage disposal. The LA house was more of a showplace…this condo was our love nest; I was way more interested in Dianna’s updates than I was Kendra’s.

The quartz countertop continued past the sink and around the end of the cabinetry on that side, and the column over that way to form a breakfast bar just big enough for the three of us. In fact, there were three square back, black wood, bar stools with light gray cushions. Stepping further, we entered the dining room where a copper and ebony, round dining table sat surrounded by five chairs that looked like the bar stools pretty much, same color palette but the cutout back part was shaped a little differently. Above the table was a nine light, frosted glass and blackened metal chandelier and at the table’s center sat a tall, wide, round candle holder with a big ass pillar candle inside. The candle holder was black metal and glass and continued the cut out shape thing the chairs and bar stool had going on. That same theme was continued in the mirrored bar cabinet along the wall leading to the balcony double doors. The French doors were bracketed by heavy, teal, plush, blackout curtains, smaller versions of which covered the great room’s other windows. The teal color and the plush texture of the curtains was mirrored in the microfiber, deep, sectional with its right hand chaise lounge. The plush cushions of the sofa were decorated with velvety looking teal and silver damask throw pillows. In front of the couch was a dark wood, storage ottoman with a softer topper that matched the throw pillows on top to cushion and protect it from feet.

Arranged for the best interaction with the sofa were two plush, gunmetal gray armchairs with silvery teal pillows in the seat. Each chair had a thin ‘chair table’ beside it that was made of black painted wood and came to the perfect height for sitting in the arm chair with a drink. The tables each had a door and a slide out table top extension thing. Across from the seating area was the entertainment center in the same black painted wood as the chair tables and the storage ottoman. On top of it sat a huge…freaking epically huge…eighty-five inch, curved, HD smart TV. Inside the entertainment center sat a new X-Box One, a PS4 and a Wii and Wii U. it was everything I’d ever need when I wasn’t balls deep in either Cede or Sam. Dianna was having a fields day at our reactions. We were loving every single thing she’d chosen. A huge area rug covered the hard wood floor and it seemed to bring in all the colors of the room, the teal and gray, the copper and black in a cool abstract motive. There was still room for a few other things down there and Dianna had put tall, funky looking, silver and black lamps on either side of the entertainment center to finish off the room. “All of the lights are controllable by the environmental controls, the same with the TVs and the blu ray DVD players. There is a tablet in the storage ottoman that controls everything from the temperature to the security system.” She told us as she ushered us from the great room into the guest room. “The game controllers are also in the ottoman.”

The guest room was painted a more purple than gray storm color…but other than that the predominate color was ivory. The queen bed had an ivory upholstered head board and platform bottom. It was made up with an ivory and taupe duvet and several pillows in ivory and taupe. The legs of the bed were dark brown wood and the rooms two chest of drawers matched. They bracketed the doors of the walk in closet. There was a soft ivory plush rug on the floor and the rooms nightstands matched the chest of drawers. Atop each nightstand was a very traditional ivory lamp with an ivory shade. The only thing that gave the room some color was the teal, brown, chocolate, and ivory art work above the head board and a teal and taupe area rug. The curtains were bands of ivory, from light to taupe. All in all it was a nice room.

Dianna showed us the mechanical room where the AC, the tankless natural gas water heater and the circuit breaker all lived. Then it was into the music room slash office. The first thing I noticed was the antique upright piano on the interior wall. On either side of it sat empty guitar stands just waiting to be filled. “It is all tuned up and in perfect working order. I know enough about pianos to pick one out. I have no idea about guitars, or violins…so you guys will have to purchase those on your own. I didn’t want to ruin the job by getting you crappy instruments.” She said honestly. I really did like her; Dianna Mondi was pretty awesome. There were three desks on the wall with the window, each facing into the room with a comfortable looking chair behind them. The center desk was far more feminine than the other two identical desks that flanked it. Cede’s chair was white leather and me and Sam’s chairs were brown…all rolled and looked pretty boss. Under each of the two windows was a nine cube bookshelf, with cool objects de art and music books on the shelves. “I’ve placed some pieces for you, but this room is your workspace, and only you three know what will inspire you.”

That was when I noticed that the walls were still pretty bare. Instead of art work, there were pictures of Sam, Cede and me framed on the wall. “I hope that you don’t mind. Hudson got me some of those from your parents.” Our designer told us as we were taking the black framed collage. The center shot was one that Darcy had taken before the VMAs, us all decked out in our finery standing together. Among the fifteen other pictures were pictures from both proms, candid shots from barbeques and other gatherings around Lima. There were some group shots of us and all our friends and others of us with our family. She had even gotten her hands on some of our performance stills showing us with the whole band. It was perfect. 

“No, it’s perfect.” Mercedes gave voice to my thoughts.

The last room we saw on the ‘won’t be touched this weekend’ side of the condo was the bathroom. The bathroom’s floor was large blocks of silvery travertine and the walls up about two thirds of their total height was thin mosaic tiles in shades of gray and white. There was a grey dual sink vanity with white stone countertop and sinks. On the wall above the vanity was a matching grey framed, rectangular mirror that went the breadth of the vanity. The room had the required toilet, white, bathtub…modern claw foot, white interior, grey exterior, and shower stall…white frameless with perfectly clear white glass doors and a large, shiny chrome rain head shower head. It was stocked with towels in a pretty shade of silvery taupe that Dianna had pulled from the travertine tiles. “Both bathrooms have heated floors as does the master bedroom. So there is little need for bathmats. Hudson has the information on where you can order them to match the bath towels if you decide that you do want them.” My new favorite design person said with a smile.

“That’s good. We may have them ordered for this bathroom just in case we have our younger siblings visit us here.” Sam told her with a charming grin. The damn walk through was taking up more time than I had thought it would I was ready to kick everyone out and get to boning.

Thankfully, someone upstairs liked me because we finished up that side and headed on to the master suite. With a quick stop to peep into the washer and dryer closet with its stackable washer and dryer, we headed into the master suite. The master bathroom was first. It three dark, dark cherry stained floating vanities each with a tall, deep, white porcelain sink sitting on top with shiny chrome fixtures. The mirrors were big, and framed in the same dark, dark cherry wood as the vanities. The floor was had the same travertine as the other bathroom, but the tiles were bigger, and where they met had been cut on an angle and a sandy colored tile diamond was placed in the juncture. The wall tiles were a mosaic tile again, but less about the grays and more about the beiges and taupes and sands. The white toilet was settled in a small water closet which made Cede hella happy. The big ass shower would easily fit all three of us. There were heads enough that we could each have our own, but they were also big enough that they could easily be shared. It had two levels of seats in the back of it and could double as a sauna whenever we damn well felt like it. I loved that damn thing.

We looked into the walk in closet and saw that it had three sets of shelving, which would work fine for a while. Eventually Sam and I would end up relegated to the closets in the guest and music rooms, but until then, they would fit the couple of outfits we had with us. Finally, we got to our last stop. Our bedroom. The bed was a big ass king and dominated one wall with two nightstands on either side of it. The covers were pretty. The duvet cover was brown with teal and rosy ivory damask shapes on it. The bedding was piled high on what I was hoping was a really good quality mattress. “You have two other sets, as well as towels and extra sheets and pillowcases and the like in the linen closet off the master bath. As you can see, I went with black stained wood in here, no television set. I figure this is one room where you can make your own fun.” Dianna taunted. “You have two gentlemen’s chests as well as the dresser and mirror. And a seating area for the three of you with velvety microfiber upholstery. Your chandelier is on a dimmer switch, which can be controlled by the tablet in the bedside table. The entire master suite is its own zone.” She ushered us out onto the private balcony through heather gray blackout curtains just like those on the windows across from the foot of our bed. It was glassed in and I could easily tell that the glass was different. “As we discussed this glass allows you to see out and no one to see in. It also blocks harmful UV rays and is mildly tinted to keep a cooler ambient temperature. As you can see I kept it really simple out here. A three seater sofa and the two bar carts. One can hold towels and fun things and the other has been modified with a mini fridge for water and drinks. You can add other things as you see fit.”

Cede, Sam and I all exchanged looks and turned to her where she stood anxiously waiting on our ultimate reaction to all her hard work. I decided that since this one was the most mine of our houses, I’d be the spokesperson. “We honestly, love pretty much everything that you’ve done with this place. it is pretty but we still totally feel like we can mess it up if we want. It has everything we need and yet still gives us areas where we can make things even more us. Its mature, yet still fun. The master bed, bath and balcony are all perfectly sexy…we love it all.”

Sam and Cede cosigned the feeling quickly before Sam continued my frame of thought. “in fact, we have a house that is being built in our home town of Lima. It’s kind of on the huge side, six bedrooms, six full baths, a few other half baths…”

“And apparently that wasn’t counting the master suite.” I broke in to add. George had confessed that the other day.

“Okay,” Sam drawled. “Plus the attic and the basement will be fully finished and need to be fully furnished. I think that there are full baths on each of those levels too. But I’m not sure how that adds into the six count.”

“Anyway…they said all that to say that we love this place so much, we’d like to offer you the chance to do all the interior design.” Sexy Mama said professionally. She was really hot when she got her business on. “We’d be perfectly willing to augment your usual fee to cover the travel and to cover the fact that I’m sure you may need to bring on an intern or two to help with the increased work load and the time constraints since we need the entire house finished by Christmas at the latest.”

Dianna Mondi looked like a guppy for a long moment. “I…I…I really want to say yes. But I need to look at my books and find out where Lima Ohio is and vendors and contractors…can I research it and give you an answer by close of business Monday?”

“That will be perfectly fine.” I said reasonably…mainly to get her out of there so I could strip my lovers and fuck them in that sweet shower. “I’ll give my stepfather your contact information. He and his crew built the house and will be at your beck and call as contractor and subcontractor.”

She still looked poleaxed but she pulled herself together and said her goodbyes. As we walked her out, Junior and Binkie passed me, Sam and Mercedes the keys to our new set of locks. “There is a pizza in the oven and some sodas in the fridge…we got you guys some napkins and paper plates. That should hold you over until morning. The locks have been changed. Lock up tight behind us…we’re at the Courtyard Chicago Downtown, room numbers 1422 and 1424. You have our cell numbers if you need us. If not, we’ll be here at seven Sunday night to head back to the airport.” Junior said with a grin.

“Thanks guys.” We chorused. We knew that they would listen until all three locks had been engaged before they walked away, so we did that and set the alarm on the keypad by the door.

I grabbed both of them by the hands and dragged them to the bathroom. “Strip.” I commanded imperiously as I headed into the closet where our overnight bags, and hence the condoms, were located. I took a strip of the latex and probably the only soap we had in the place, Mercedes’ body wash. When I got back Sam had Cede down to her sexy ass purple tap pants and matching bra and he had lost his shirt and unbuckled and unbuttoned his pants. Probably they would have been farther along, but seeing Mercedes big old titties overflowing the cups of that pretty purple bra was distracting as hell. I couldn’t blame Sam for stopping to kiss our beautiful woman. I got rid of my clothes, grabbed Cede’s body wash and the three of the pearl blue washcloths, and opened the glass doors of the shower. I turned on the full Monty, which would allow us to both get clean and get our fuck on in a sauna at the same time.

Only once everything was in readiness, did I allow myself to touch either Sammy boy or Sexy Mama again. I joined them, moving up behind Cede, unhooking her bra straps before I pressed my chest to her back. Since Sam was busy kissing her lips, I attacked her neck…for the first time in what felt like forever, completely unconcerned with avoiding hickeys. Fuck, I loved leaving marks on her dark skin…maybe I really was the Neanderthal that Kurt always called me. But whatever the reason, something about seeing hickeys or fingertip bruises on her…or on Sam to keep shit really real…just did it for me. I was so involved leaving a really good KAMA logo hickey on her shoulder that I was a little startled when I felt her hips shimmy as Sam finally got rid of her panties. “Shit Sammy…get your ass naked. I want to feel the both of your mouths working my dick in that fucking shower.” I groaned as the soft, round globes of Cede’s sexy ass pressed against me.

“You and Mercy go on and get started. I’ll be right there.” He returned as he stepped back and raced into the closet.

Didn’t know what he was doing, but I did take his advice. OR rather Cede did. She grabbed my hand and pulled me with her through the shower doors. With care for the fact that her hair was so not put up, she pushed me up to the higher bench so she could kneel on the lower and keep here weave mostly dry. “We are going to have to go to a Jilly’s or a SprawlMart or Sam’s or something tomorrow, Noah. I don’t want to have to think about my hair if we wanna play in the shower again. Which you know we will.” She chided gently.

“Besides, we need food.” Sam agreed as he joined us with the small butt plug he must have brought in his bag. “We’ve gotta hit someplace to get this place stocked with toys too. This can’t be our love shack and we don’t even have enough lube to get down outside the bathroom.”

“Damn your stupid logic.” I moaned as Mercedes beautiful mouth incased me for the first time all fucking day. FUCK she had a perfect mouth. She had little to no real gag reflex so she could take either of us damn near to the hilt. Her tongue was strong and soft and so fucking agile. “Love…damn….yeah, twist…fuck that thing.” I babbled incoherently. Sam got down there with her, surprising me when he licked the plug and sent it up my asshole. “NNNeeeeuuuuughhhhh.” I gasp-groaned as I erupted like Mount fucking Vesuvius. “Shit yeah. Fucking love you.” I muttered when my tongue was back under my own control. I didn’t even get a little soft after that orgasm as I watched Sam and Cede snowballing my cum back and forth between the two of them as they kissed passionately. 

I was in some kind of zone though. As soon as they broke apart, I had Sam pressed against the shower wall kissing the shit out of him. “Wanna fuck your tight little ass, Sammy boy…wanna fuck you and then jack your dick until you blow your load all over Sexy Mama’s tits.” I growled as I slowly stroked his cock. “Then I wanna wash my dick and fuck her titties until I shoot my cum all over her face.”

“Fuck yeah.” He groaned. “We should totally do that, right after you fuck Mercy real hard for playin’ with our pussy without permission.”

I glanced over my shoulder and sure enough he was right. She had her thick, sexy, chocolate thighs spread wide and she was using her little fingers to make her whole damn body shake. “Fuck, Babygirl, your pretty pussy is fucking dripping.” I moaned. I released Sam and dropped to my knees and crawled over the warm, tumbled edge tile to replace her fingers with my tongue.

“Fuck.” She hissed deliciously as I licked her from taint to clit and back again. I went all in. licking every silky drop of her pussy juice from every single millimeter of her labia and upper thighs. “Shit yeah, Noah. You love licking my pussy, doncha Baby?”

I could only nod because it was the truth. I’d been licking pussy since I was thirteen years old and I had never not liked it…hell if not for pussy, I’d have been as tubby as Finn getting my sweets from candy bars and shit. But I’d learned young that pussy was a better sweet craving satisfier. And there was no pussy that was sweeter than the one that came attached to the beautiful soul of Mercedes Jones. I couldn’t get enough of her. That September evening was no different. I shoved my tongue into her chasing the flavor and managed to poke the rough patch on the top of her walls, just a little to the right of center, just right and she flooded my mouth with the awesome torrent of her passion. Smacking my lips, I managed to get my head from between her thighs and a condom on without missing barely a beat. 

“Oh my God.” We moaned together as I sank into the perfect tight, wet, rightness of home and heaven between Cede’s legs. As always, even more than two years into our relationship, it too work to get fully and deeply into her. My thighs and arms were shaking as I carefully thrust and retreated until she could take all of me. Once I was buried balls deep in my love, I stood up and turned so that my back was to the seat and she felt so good riding my dick once I sat down I almost wept. But I was a man on a mission. So rather than just letting her set the pace and control the speed, I slid my forearms under her knees and got to work fucking her hard as hell. The position allowed me to lift her up and thrust up into her so I increased the intensity of the fuck from the gentle ride she’d have set, while making sure that she didn’t hurt her head or back on the tiled bench. It was a win-win.

Sam smirked at me as he joined us. He clambered up onto the bench, straddling our wildly moving bodies and took Cede’ face between his hands before feeding her his cock. As soon as his ball sack was swingin’ in my face I started multitasking like a muthafucker. I licked it and blew my breath across his balls. I licked up between his ass cheeks all while pushin’ Sexy Mama to the mother of all orgasms. Not a single one of us lasted too much longer after Sam started fucking Cede’s throat while I fucked her tight little cunt. Our screams and grunts and shouts of pleasure reverberated all around that shower, beating back at us and keeping us locked in the decadent tension of our release.

When he could unlock his knees, Sam widened them and sat on the bench above me and Cede. “Okay…Puck…you had the best fucking idea ever when you said this was gonna be sexy times central for us. But we’ve gotta stock it up. Because, I think we should bring our asses here every month just to relax and make love and unwind. So…when our legs start to work in’ right again, we go through and make a fucking list. Tomorrow we get up early and go get everything we need for the apartment…no perishable food, when were only gonna be here two days once a month, we can order in. But we need toilet paper and paper towels and more condoms and lube and toys and Mercy’s hair stuff for here. We go and have breakfast try to get it all done by one, have a late lunch on the way home and fuck until dinner. That sounds good right.” He babbled breathlessly.

“Yeah, that sounds good…but before we make the lists…can we eat? I’m really hungry.” Cede breathed against my neck from her boneless collapse against my chest.

It still took us a few minutes to be able to move and get cleaned up. When we headed to kitchen, we were still wrapped in towels. Hell, we only bothered with those because we didn’t remember if the curtains to the main balcony were open or not. The box read Michael’s Original Pizzeria & Tavern and it may have been that we were just that hungry, or whatever, but it was one of the best pizzas I’d ever had in my whole entire life. We actually started making a list while we stood around the kitchen, wrapped in ocean and pearl blue bath sheets eating pizza. The list making was actually both really easy and really hard because we didn’t have anything. We needed everything from pots to paper towels, from dish soap to ass soap. It was almost ridiculous how much we needed.

Then the weirdest thing started to happen. I kind of started to get excited about filling in the shit we still needed. It felt weirdly adult. Plus, we’d be able to get just what we wanted…no Kurt to tell me that something didn’t go or something else was juvenile. “We need a coffee maker and coffee shit.” I added with a grin. I was sure I was gonna get one that didn’t take a degree in engineering to use.

“We should text Junior and Binkie…because there is no way we can do all of this in an Uber or cab.” Sam said wisely.

Once we’d trashed our napkins and put the last couple of slices of pizza into the fridge. We headed into the living room. By the time we went to bed, we’d christened the storage ottoman…Sam took my ass right there with our towels under us, of course, and the dining room table…that time was Sam eating Cede’s juicy pussy while I feasted on her tig old bitties. Then we christened our bed with Cede’s soft, pretty curves sandwiched between me and Sam’s hard bodies. We had to add laundry stuff to our list, because, I’d fucked that amazing ass bareback and those sheets seriously, seriously needed washing. The next morning, we were back up at seven and we met the guys at a restaurant called Marmalade that was only open for breakfast and lunch. Between the three of us we tried the French toast, the pancakes and the fried chicken and waffles. Everything was really good and the Applewood smoked bacon was just about perfect.

After breakfast we went to a local beauty supply store and Mercedes was like a woman possessed. She had some serious shopping mojo going on. She knew exactly what products she wanted and which ones she didn’t. In under thirty minutes she spent about five hundred bucks to get all the hair care stuff that she had in our bathroom at home. After that we found this awesome, and surprisingly classy, sex shop called Tulip. We took longer in there than in the hair place because there were decisions to be made. Like were we going to try some deeper role play and what did we need for that. We grabbed some shit that we…or well…I’d seen online or in porn or something and wanted to try…but that we’d never really had the privacy to play with. A decent selection of hard core movies, a vibrating cock ring and nipple clamps with bells on them were just the beginning. Of course, we got a boat load of fun lubes and some shit to tease and please our woman with. Unfortunately they didn’t have the dark room like the Lions’ Den had held, so I texted Lauren to get the contact information for her boy Brandon. He was a definite hookup, I was so grateful that they had kept in touch. After we left there we headed to 900 North Michigan Ave…a higher end mall that had some serious stores. It came as no surprise at all that the mall shot our time table all to hell. Even with Binkie and Junior we got caught by selfie and autograph seekers a couple of times. We started with the kitchen and ended with Mercedes beauty products. We didn’t even get out of that damn mall until almost three. We hit a Walgreens for things like soap, cleaning products and dish washer pellets. Yeah, it was more expensive, but we got lost trying to find the SprawlMart.

When we got back to the flat, it took us half of forever to get everything in. the first load our new dishwasher ever ran was actually full of sex toys…though the second was plates and Tupperware and shit. We ordered dinner from a random Chinese place Sam found on Yelp. The food was really good. We boned the rest of the night real nice and easy…just the three of us making love. We made love in the guest bathroom bathtub, on the kitchen breakfast bar counter, the sofa in the living room and again in our massive sauna shower. When Sunday morning dawned, it found us on our private balcony watching the sun rise over Lake Michigan. Sam was balls deep in my ass and I was balls deep in Cede’s, fucking her marvelous ass even as I fucked her tight, sweet pussy with a fat, vibrating dildo with soft, fake skin, vein like ridges and ‘balls’ that stimulated her clit. The three of us didn’t turn on the TV or even pick up our cell phones until we were getting our shit together to head back to Harlem. That was when we realized that we each had a metric shit ton of voicemails, emails and texts. We didn’t even have time to go start going through them before Junior and Binkie got there to head to the airport.

I read a couple and I know my ass was pale as Hudson’s probably always was. “Shit. Shit. Shit.” I groaned as I read the link Mom and Bubbie Ruth had both sent me.

Mercedes must have found the news story that had broken while we were in our little cocoon too. “Puck…did you…”

“I didn’t know, Cede. I mean, it was one time on the last day of school. You remember when she told us all she wasn’t going to see us the next year because she was moving back to her home town to take care of her sick mother.” I tried to explain quickly.

“Puck…we were in sixth grade…you were like twelve.” She sighed and shook her head.

Sam looked up from his phone. On the small screen he read a lot slower than he would have on a tablet or something. “Dude, you lost your virginity to a teacher? But I thought you said that your first time was with another virgin?”

I sighed. I had promised to take this secret to the grave…but then again…so had she. “She was a virgin. She just happened to be my sixth grade math teacher. Ms. Shirling. We promised to never say anything to anybody. She was…ya know…old and she wasn’t the best looking woman. But she had the nicest, sweetest personality. No matter what I did, she kept encouraging me and she kept treating me like I was worth something. I stopped by after school to say goodbye and she was crying. Which sucked because, you remember Cede…she was really funny. Anyway, I gave her a hug and hell I was twelve and she smelled good and she was nice to me and she laughed in this kind of weird way and said that she was going home just as much a virgin as she was when she left fifteen years before. Before I knew it we were driving to her house and it happened. Okay maybe it happened a couple of times within that one time…but I thought that she was too old to need anything. Not that I had anything and neither did she.”

“So this is possible?” Sam prodded holding his cell phone out towards me as if I didn’t know what it said.

I just hung my head and nodded. “She never told me though. Why tell the world but not tell me?”

“The article says that she has stage four pancreatic cancer. That’s a really, really aggressive one and it is already in stage four. Her parents are both dead. Maybe she didn’t think she had time to try and get through the wall a lot of celebrities have built up around them. She couldn’t die and leave behind an eight-year-old daughter and no way to get her to you.” I heard Mercedes say.

“Okay…so let’s say that she is dying and she wants me to take the kid…I can’t have a kid at this point. It would ruin everything.” I groaned. “That is the main reason that Beth is with Shelby full time and us only occasionally.”

Sam chuckled, “well if I’ve learned anything from South Park, I learned that you definitely cannot abort an eight-year-old.” He joked.

Unfortunately, we’d arrived at O’Hara by that point and since we’d shown up on a billion and a half Instagram accounts on Saturday, the press was waiting on us. “Puck, Puck…is it true?”

“Puckerman…Did you know?” another yelled.

“Puck, you would have only been thirteen. Have you had therapy to deal with being molested?”

“Will you seek criminal charges against your abuser?”

I tried to keep my mouth shut and just press on through the crowd, but I wasn’t built that way. I stopped and turned towards that last question. “Ms. Shirling was not an abuser. She was every bit as much of a virgin as I was…probably more than me, because I grew up in a house with my father…at least some of the time. As for criminal charges, if she is dying of cancer, what worse can happen to her.”

“We will contact Ms. Shirling, who was one of the best teachers I ever had and I am very sorry to hear that she is ill unto dying.” Cedes said calmly. “IF the child belongs to my husband then she will, of course, find a place in our family. Even if she isn’t his and Ms. Shirling asks us to find a place for her daughter so that she can rest in peace…well then she will find a place in our family.”

“Beyond that, we literally found out about all of this on the way to the airport. I’m sure that our team will help us to find more information and then we can set up some kind of statement or something. Until then, please allow us our privacy to handle all of this.” Sam finished off for us.

“So you two are going to stay with him after all of this?” somebody shouted out.

Cede gave them one hell of a side eye. “I never understand women who get mad about things from their man’s past. This happened like six years before Puck and Sam and I got together. It has nothing at all to do with us, other than possibly giving us another daughter to spoil. And a husband who needs our support.”

We let that do us and we barely, and I do mean barely, made it to the gate in time to board our flight. The return flight was far more quite than the flight out. I guess that the reports at the NYC end figured that the Chicago crowd had gotten the march on them because there were far fewer of them. We didn’t bother to reiterate anything that we’d already said. When we got back to the brownstone, Kurt, Blaine, Santana, Brittany and Artie were all there for us. They sensed our mood and for the longest time we just sat in the quiet surrounded by their support.

Of course, Santana had to ruin it. “Man Puck, I know that you’ve always said that every woman was beautiful in some way…but damn… Ms. Shirling was a hot shitty mess from the forehead down. I’ll give her that she has some pretty hair. That was literally the only thing pretty on her.”

“Tana hush. Ms. Shirling was a great teacher. She helped me to figure out how to make a quiet place in my head where I could think…numbers have been easy for me to understand ever since.” Brittany defended.

Finally, it was Kurt who asked the question that was on all of our minds. “So what are you going to do?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

 

Cry Me A River (Justin Timberlake)  
Artie PoV

The return to NYC after the VMAs, was really fucking epic. My Instagram and Twitter feeds were blowing up after everyone saw me playing on that stage. Hell, I’d been following Spielberg, Lucas and Tarantino since I started my accounts, that Monday, when I checked my shit, Tarantino and Lucas were following me back. That gave me life. Which a man needed, because I was rocking a full course load, working on a plotting out a documentary about living as a college student with a disability in a city like New York and on top of those two and the job as a guitarist and sometimes videographer for KAMA, I was still expected to satisfy my two super-hot girlfriends on a nightly basis. That last one wasn’t a hardship. I just still really liked to say it.

I had to admit though, my class schedule was pretty easy. It started early, but it also ended early. I had the time to work on my documentary and to be honest, I had started to get a little bored with the routine. Then we found out about the Halloween jam at Leviticus…which was awesome. I’d grown up listening to Lucious Lyon, so the thought of playing in his club was pretty epic. Unfortunately, since Blaine had the course load from hell that semester, I ended up being Kurt’s go to brain to pick about the costumes he found. The major characters and traditional looks were no problem for him, but he didn’t really have a frame of reference for some of the alternate universe looks. But I couldn’t say no since I kept swinging between being the Arkham Knight, which would require me to rent a re-walk, and Scarecrow, who could…conceivably end up wheelchair bound. If Cedes wasn’t gonna be Batgirl, I might have gone for a gender switched Oracle, but there was also the fact that the band was technically supposed to all be villains. Ultimately, when the time ran out to keep changing my mind, I didn’t wind up picking either of them. I ended up as the Earth Two, wheelchair bound version of Hugo Strange. 

Kurt was serious about his shit. He pretty much had to be. Between real world and online courses, he was taking two full course loads of classes and working more than part time for KAMA. It was a lot to juggle. Plus, he and Blaine always seemed so tight, but the truth was, I couldn’t see what they really had in common other than both having been out and proud and tortured for it. Though considering how deeply into the DC multi-verse the Halloween styling project was taking Kurt and how much he was discovering he actually liked Batman and his world…maybe they were finding more common ground every day.

I knew that that was the truth of the situation for Tana, Britts and I. Santana’s family belonged to all three of us. Heck, Maggie McCarthy and Abuelo were living together and each of Taurino’s NYC based kids had caught them at least once getting some ‘bout ready to pop nookie. Since, we’d gotten back, we’d had dinner with at least one section of the Manjarrez extended family once a week. Santana had gotten me addicted to her guilty pleasure, older episodes of CSI, where the science was more real and not so TV friendly. We were all enraptured with the new Showtime series Penny Dreadful, even going so far as to have read many of the short stories and novels that gave rise to the series while we were on tour over the summer. We still had areas where we weren’t really going to change or compromise who we were…like our religions, decent Jew, lapsed Catholic, and complete and total agnostic. But rather than worry about changing each other or forcing compromise before we were ready to try that, we just rolled with it. I went to Temple with Puck and his family when I wanted to go. Santana went to church with her family when she wanted to…which was almost never. Brittany would go with which ever one of us she felt like going with, or she would stay home and dance. Britts was very spiritual, but organize religion had a tendency of confusing her…besides, she felt God everywhere.

I had once counted Rachel Berry a friend. I was probably one of the few people who had originally found her particular brand of crazy mostly harmless…at first. But then she started hurting Mercedes and Cedes was my sister from another mister. She and I had been cool for like ever. Still, Rachel’s actions had never really been towards me. She had done some fucked up shit…even to my beloved Santana…but never directly to me. Being on the outside looking in meant that I didn’t respect how fucking nuts that bitch was. So much so that when I realized that she was in my Text and Ideas Democracy, Knowledge, and Equality class, one of NYU’s core curriculum classes that everyone to get a degree from any of its associated schools had to take, I barely thought about it. Heck, it wasn’t until three weeks into the semester that I told Tana and Britts that she was in my class.

But Rachel still hadn’t tried me, I mean there was that little bit of an attempt in the Kaplan class back in Lima but that was more her coming for Santana and me putting my two cents in. Then all hell broke loose with Puck’s teacher affair thing. I guess, Rachet thought that with the tribe in circling the wagons mode for Puck, she would try and pick off the only one of us she could get alone. But her run in with Santana had taught her something about plausible deniability. Rather than come at me herself, she did an end run by having a couple of guys from the rugby team start harassing me. I had to give them credit, they started off subtle. They would take the opposite position on every subject we were discussing in class and basically try to beat me over the head with their opinions. Only problem was that I wasn’t just a film geek, I was pretty damn smart.

When I was totally able to shut them down on a debate as to the merits of teaching black history in schools right alongside all the whitewashed shit we all learned as if that were really how America was built…well they didn’t take that too well. So despite being college age and supposedly mature, they decided to push me down the stairs of the poli-sci building. Thankfully, it was only like six steps down. Unluckily for those poor bastards, one of the campus security guards was nearby and saw the whole thing. Those poor fools had no clue how much extra trouble could be brought down on their heads for assaulting someone with a disability. My original plan was to chalk it up to them hating the fact that I had gotten the better of them in the last three debates we’d engaged in and it was only the sprained wrist caused by the incident that had left me with choice but to tell Santana and Brittany. It wasn’t until I saw that Rachel had somehow managed to get the whole thing on her phone and posted it on her Facebook that I connected the douchebags to her. It took me a little time to find proof. Santana was right, she really did need stronger passwords. Rachel had come at me hard…I knew that I was not one to let that shit stand. I just had to decide what to do with the knowledge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been said that I always go back and tie up my loose ends...I'm not gonna pull a George Lucas and SWEAR that I have everything planned out. But the loss of Puck's virginity has been foreshadowed since the very beginning of Growing Ensemble. I'd say the pregnant teacher in the news for sleeping with her students on the news recently had totally stolen my thunder...but you all, my faithful readers know the truth.
> 
> Please leave me a note to let me know what you think. Ideas for what Artie can do to mess with Rachel and reek his vengeance would be greatly appreciated. Most of my ideas are, well, I'm not ready to end her permanently yet.
> 
> Oh and 1 last thing. No, the teacher is not the Finn's replacement death, though you won't have to wait too incrediably long to see who is.
> 
> Thanks for reading & hopefully reviewing.
> 
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	8. Rolling Stone Article 10.2.2014

ROLLING STONE

Magazine Cover Shot:  
Under the Rolling Stone banner, there was a picture of Sam, Mercedes and Puck standing as if giants above and among Manhattan…tall enough that the citizens would be as ants to them. The sky was bright blue and the day looked as if it was one of those days people were simply unable to stay inside. Sam was wearing a brown leather suit from the Ralph Lauren fall line with a storm gray tee shirt under it. His feet were shod in dress shoes that looked as if they were hand tooled from the world’s finest Italian leather…because they were. Mercedes wore a darker than royal purple body conforming, sheath dress that ended at just above her knees, paired with a pair of knee high, black leather, cut out boots. Diamonds glinted at her ears and her neck. Her face was beautifully made up and her hair was blowing softly in a breeze. Puck was in Diesel black leather punctuated by an eggplant shirt. His booted feet seemed to be crushing the city under his heels. With their hands on their hips, their arms threaded through each other, they looked like a band of super heroes or villains determined to make the world their own. Despite not being the focus of the picture, it was very easy to see the understatedly extravagant engagement ring on Mercedes left hand and the simple but very meaningful bands on both Sam and Puck’s.

Article Cover Shot:

KAMA standing outside a city market next to their fruit stands. Mercedes stood in a beautiful, ivory colored, slightly sheer, asymmetrical tunic top, brown leather leggings and brown suede boots. The laughing diva was trying to hide her face in her hair as Sam in an Avatar tee and jeans tossed a cantaloupe to Puck wearing a dark gray Henley, jeans and black tech boots.

Dreams Come True When Opportunities Are Seized  
by Madison Page (Photos by Jade Quinn)

Everyone has a certain image of the modern R&B star, of a country star, of a rock star. Usually we expect them to be aloof but hungry for every bit of attention they can claim. Many of the younger ones always seem to be looking for the next big thing to attach their name to, a new way to be on everyone’s tongue. Current stars can often be ‘overheard’ criticizing their fans for bothering them when they are in public, or they give long diatribes about how the internet and the availability of ‘stolen’ music is destroying their lives and the industry. They ignored the fame and accolades…taking them for granted as if it were their due. It was quite refreshing to meet three MTV Movie Award winning, VMA winning, platinum selling artists who, honestly, do seem to be thoroughly enjoying every aspect of their careers.

KAMA, the genre defying music group that burst on the music scene last Christmas on the soundtrack for the award winning movie ‘SongBird’ sat down to speak with Rolling Stone at DGBG Kitchen and Bar for brunch. The group made sure that their small entourage was seated with them and the Stone reporter because inclusion is extremely important to all three members of the group. One has only to look at their band for further evidence of that. Their rhythm/backup guitarist has nerve damage from a car accident in his youth so severe that he can no longer walk. They have a biracial turntablist, a dark skinned Puerto Rican bassist, a Black drummer…all three members asked that I not use the term African American, since none of the Black members of their band, management team or anyone they know really were born in Africa and became naturalized American citizens… “I’m Black. I’m an American who happens to have darker skin. As I see it, to call me African American is to try and make me less of an American.” Mercedes Jones said when asked why they preferred the older term.

It is interesting how often the word American is utilized only when referring to Caucasian American citizens, all other races have some preceding word to give them an ‘other’ status. That is not at play in the KAMA circle. Their friends, band and management teams are the very definition of equality and inclusion. Within their circle they call a transgender woman and a transgender man their friends. They live in a home with Columbia and NYU students from their home town of Lima Ohio. Their roommates, some of their very best friends, cover the gambit from gay to straight to bisexual. Their PA is unapologetically asexual. Puck affectionately refers to one relative as omni-sexual. Their talent manager is proudly gay. They have no clue what their band members’ sexual orientations are…not because they go out of their way to make sure they are being HR correct bosses, but simply because it matters not to them. “What do I care if our guitarist is in wheelchair? I’ve known him since before the accident and after. He is one of the best musicians that I know. You hear him sing, and you’d swear that his skin color was wrong and he was the biggest pimp in the game.” Noah ‘if you aren’t those two or our family call me Puck’ Puckerman replied when I asked about their motivations in creating such a wide-ranging and tolerant group. “Who you are inside is way more important than the color of your skin or your ethnic background, sexual identity and how you love is more important than who you love. When it comes to making music, the talent is the important part. That’s being forgotten every day in this country. Talent and intelligence are more important and last longer than beauty. Sam and I just lucked out that our woman has all three.”

The story of their relationship is romantically adorable and rather well known. After their junior prom, where Sam Evans and Mercedes Jones went in a group with two of their other friends and Puck attended with the current NCAA Heavyweight Silver Medal holder in Men’s wrestling, one Miss Lauren Zizes. When Lauren and Puck ended the evening with an amicable break up, the trio of friends walked back to Puck’s home during which Puck and Sam tried to convince Mercedes to try dating both Sam and Puck as they both had feelings for her but didn’t want to hurt their own friendship. The triad has been together ever since. What wasn’t well known was when did Sam and Puck first develop the feelings they had for the woman they both loved. “I guess I was a putz really.” Sam answered easily. “I’d seen Mercedes on my first day at McKinley. She was sitting with some of the other girls from glee and she was smiling and laughing back. The sound of her laugh wrapped itself around me and made me look over. Her smile was just plain gorgeous. I started dreaming about her that very night. But I was so busy trying to be popular that I didn’t get to know her until after life kicked me in the butt and made me grow on up some.”

Puck’s chuckle was very self-deprecating. “At least it was only a few months for you. I’ve been jerking off to thoughts of Sexy Mama since puberty hit. But I let everybody convince me that thick girls weren’t hot. I let them define for me what beauty is…when every person should define beauty for themselves. Not to mention that the simple truth is that every woman has something that is beautiful about them…even if it’s just their personality or their eyes. So instead of manning up, I tormented her and her boy Kurt. I was a bully. I took out shit I was going through at home and the feelings I was suppressing about Mercedes out on everyone. If I hadn’t gotten my ass kicked in juvie, who knows if I’d have ever grown the hell up.”

When the question was posed about their own relationship and how it developed. Puck’s answer seemed to say it all. “A pyramid is more stable than a tripod.” 

So on to the subject of the stability of their relationship, when asked about the fact that they often refer to each other as their husbands and wife but they are not married. “Unfortunately, polygamy is not only illegal in America but those laws are also enforced. The places that we can marry legally are very limited. Even more so because while Sam or Puck could marry multiple women but as far as I could tell in my research, I could not marry both of them. Even in countries where it is legal for old men to marry young girls, Sam, Puck and I cannot get married. If we were able to find somewhere to allow us to legally wed, our marriage would only be completely recognized in that country and in Sweden. After graduation, we’re already planning to have a celebration of our commitment to each other. According to my friend, Kurt, it will probably take him until then to design, make and hand embellish my dress.”

However, there was some scoffing from their PA, “As if Mr. Hummel didn’t start designing you the most extravagant and fabulous wedding dress he could envision years ago.”

Apparently that wasn’t something anyone at the table could argue with. “We call ourselves husbands and our wife, because that’s what we are in our hearts.” Puck finished for Mercedes.

The answer seemed to satisfy all that they wanted to say on the subject, so we moved to a related topic, children. “Yes, I’m positive that we will eventually have more children. We already have Puck’s beautiful daughter, even if she lives with her adoptive mother, we still see her when we can. She spent time with us over the summer and at Christmas. So, yeah, we’ve always agreed that we were going to give her some siblings. If we can’t have them naturally for some reason, then we’ll adopt. Hell, we might have some and still adopt some.” Sam answered happily. “We all have plenty of experience with watching younger kids…

“Yeah and not to be funny, but considering how cute, Beth, my little sister Sarah, Cede’s baby sisters and all three of Sam’s younger sibs are…our kids are going to be like the cutest babies ever.” Puck agreed with a wicked smile. “They won’t be in the industry though…and hopefully Halle Berry and Jennifer Gardner and their lawyers will all be able to get legislation in place that will make it illegal for the papz to harass kids.”

“Oh I wish a…whoo…what I meant to say was that any paparazzo who takes pictures of one of my children, or any child I just happen to be with, without my express written permission better hope that the cops get me before I get to him.” Mercedes Jones growled. “I would pay the fine, do the time…but I guarantee it would be after they had to surgically remove my foot from his ass. There is no reason for the children of celebrities to have their faces plastered all over the place.” Despite not yet having given birth, the motherly instinct to protect hers, was already prevalent and well developed in Ms. Jones. It would be a very brave soul that tried to harm any child associated with her family.

The subject of nannies and au pairs was raised, so were the hackles of all three of the members of KAMA. “The world won’t stop if we change our kid’s diapers or potty train them ourselves…Okay, so probably I’m gonna have some of the parents come for a visit when it’s time to potty train…I really hated having to empty the potty.” Sam’s distinctive lips curled up in disgust. “But…we’ll either take some time off and be parents, maybe we’ll just write music and let the others record the stuff we write until we’re good with taking the on the road with us.”

“This is really looking at least ten years in the future…but Faith Hill and Tim McGraw made it work. We can too.” Puck’s answer was surprising. One didn’t expect the rocker to know country acts. The surprise must have been evident. “We all love music. We love each other, so we share our favorites with each other. That has really allowed us to remain free of limitations when we write and when we sing. Besides Faith Hill is freaking gorgeous and Tim McGraw and Garth Brooks were huge stars when I was little. Everyone knew them.”

Small Picture Insert: 3 Bar Shot  
Bar 1: Sam dressed in a black blazer, light green dress shirt, fitted jeans and black Timberland boots seated at a drafting table marking up blueprints.  
Bar 2: Mercedes wearing a lilac sheath dress, a black, drape, one button blazer and a pair of sky high, pointy toe black pumps reclining in an executive chair with her feet up on a big wooden desk, her pulled back hair topped with headphones as she clearly sang along.  
Bar 3: Puck in a subtle gray plaid business suit, wearing a phone headset while crunching numbers on an open spreadsheet. 

 

We continued our discourse turning to the photo shoot they’d experienced earlier that day. During the shoot, they’d been asked to dress in what they would wear if they’d not been discovered and gone into more mundane careers that would coincide with the majors they were currently studying. “I’m really studying business and management because it would be foolish not to be able to check behind the people who manage our money. That is true even though we’ve put people in place that are truly trustworthy. And I know that they really are as trustworthy as I think because they all applaud the fact that I want to be able to run a check and balance system as it were. Besides, the main person who manages our accounting and stuff…her son is studying to be a director. If Artie, yeah…our guitarist…if he becomes the next Spielberg, then he will need her and we’ll understand that she can’t do both.” Mercedes gave the world a beautiful, if rather wry grin, “Now would I necessarily want to be a business manager. Probably not. I’d probably have that as my day job and run a fashion and beauty blog on the side.” As she was sitting there looking beautifully attired in a trendy kaleidoscope print blouson top, a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and black walking boots with hair flawlessly curled around her shoulders and her makeup done to look both effortless and enhancing, it was easy to see that she would have done well as a blogger for either or both industries.

  

Sam just shrugged when asked about his architecture major. “Would I love to be a real cowboy…maybe in a rodeo? Sure. Of course I would, but I could see myself being a successful architect. My dad is in the field, Puck’s dad, George, not his biological, that asshat is the most pathetic mofo to ever walk the earth. Anyway, George was an architect. I love to draw, but I’m not really -- like…if I thought that I could do comic books, then I would. But I don’t think that I can draw like that, so architecture seemed a good fit for me. Besides, now I can create our forever home when the time comes.”

Puck’s answer was brief but very characteristic of the unapologetic young man. “I’m great at math and I love money…accounting and finance works for me. Would I want to be an accountant? No. I started a business when I was fourteen cleaning pools around Lima. When I was sixteen, I expanded it to the entire Allen county area. Now my brother Jake and some of his friends run it. If I wasn’t making music…if I wasn’t here with Sam and Cede, I’d probably be making plans to open a new store front in Columbus with my eventual goal to take Puckerman Pool Cleaning service nationwide before I was thirty.”

It was interesting to see that they had planned for their future if their dreams had been forced to change. However, many have wondered why they were continuing with college when their dreams had exploded on a major scale. “We made a promise.” All three answered.

“Our parents didn’t have to let us seize this opportunity that we were given by Mr. Cohen.” Mercedes said calmly, referring to Lyor Cohen, the head of Warner Records who discovered the group while they were on a date at a Manhattan restaurant. The then high school juniors were in New York to compete in, and ultimately, win the National High School Show Choir National competition in 2012. “My family is very, very, very serious about education. The first graduating class from Howard had a member of my father’s family. The first classes that graduated from both Morehouse and Spelman Colleges each had a member of my mother’s family. My parents were very determined that I was not going to be the first Jones or the first Harris not to get a degree of some shape form or fashion. So long before we met Mr. Cohen, we had an agreement, I could follow my dreams, but I had to get my degree. Is it hard? Yes. But is it worth it? Totally.”

Puck just pointed at ‘his Cede’. “To get her father’s approval to be with her, which was vitally important to both Mercedes and Sam, I had to agree to take my education more seriously. I had to promise to work for good grades rather than accepting the crap ones I got for doing nothing. I may have resented it a little at first, but now when I talk to my little girl and tell her about how my life is going, I can be proud of my accomplishments. That and being with these two…that is worth everything.”

“I have dyslexia. I’ve been very upfront about that. Every day that I get to go to class at an Ivy League institution is a victory. And not even just for me…it’s a victory for every little kid whose letters swim on the page and look flicted. I’m proud of that…that I can show them that we really can learn and we aren’t stupid. No matter what classmates or teachers may tell us. I had a second grade teacher who pretty much convinced me that I’d better be pretty because I was too dumb to make it in the world otherwise. Now, I know I wasn’t the dumb one. Education is important. I’m staying in school because why wouldn’t I? I mean, Emma Watson was already Hermione Granger…her future was set. She still went to college and she graduated this summer.”

It was telling that they all spoke of how hard juggling both school and their career was, and yet they were determined to stick the course. The conversation took a lighter turn as we started to talk about their summer. Despite having taken part in a very successful festival tour, Sam couldn’t stop talking about the Guardians of the Galaxy and other Marvel Movies that they had seen in a theater during some down time. Which begged the question, given that Mercedes had already had big screen success, would Sam or Puck like to try their hands at acting. “I don’t know. I guess…I’ll keep it real…if I got offered a part in like any Star Trek Movie ever…or Star Wars even…oh my God…the rumored Avatar sequel. I wouldn’t be able to resist. Even if I stunk up the joint…the experience alone would be something to tell our great-grandchildren about. I could die a happy man.”

“Nerd.” Puck said with tender affection. “I probably shouldn’t act. The last time I tried to act I was a flying monkey in elementary school. I knocked the Wicked Witch down twice and Dorothy punched me in the chest afterwards.”

“Yeah, sorry about that…but in my defense, when you knocked me down, I ended up showing the world my underwear.” Mercedes said sounding really rather defensive. “And you took total advantage of the fall and felt me up…we were only in third grade.”

Puck looked unrepentant. “You were hot.” He laughed. “Actually, I totally did not mean to grab your ass that time. I was just trying to stand up, I kept tripping on that stupid tail.”

No one at the table was silent after that point. The laughter was unbridled and unrestrained. One of their Rangeman, LLC provided bodyguards posed a question that struck a chord. “So, if they made the KAMA bio pic…who would play each of you?”

Mercedes rolled her eyes. “They would probably either cast the chick who played Precious, or the girl from Good Luck Charlie both of whom are close…but entirely too tall and way curvier than me. Then their next choice would be Raven Symoné, who is the right height, but she is way too light skinned. I’d hope that they would do like a nationwide search and find someone with curves and dark skin who could actually sing.” Ms. Jones was obviously referring to NAACP Image Award winner Chenese Lewis of Precious and Raven Goodwin who played Ivy Wentz on Disney’s long running sit com.

Sam however disagreed. He suggested Brely Evans and Shar Jackson before finally settling on Orange is the New Black’s Danielle Brooks. He felt that the OitNB actress had the right proportion of curves and a smile similar to Mercedes’. Upon googling the actress on his phone, Puck agreed. The rocker then offered his choice for who would be a good choice for Sam’s on screen portrayer, Captain America himself, Chris Evans. However, Sam then returned with Cap’s best friend to the end of the line, Sebastian Stan for Puck. When asked who he felt should play him, Sam just shrugged. “If you got the Olsen guy from NCIS: Los Angeles hooked on Cool Ranch Doritos for a while…he’d be good. Or maybe the guy who played Francis on Malcolm in the middle. He was unassumingly cute.” Mercedes grabbed his hand and spoke fervently to him quietly.

While they spoke, Puck distracted me with an apology. “Sometime Sam has a problem seeing himself as the rest of the world does. We’ve gotten Mercedes through to the other side of working through her self-esteem issues. But we are still working on Sam’s. It’s a process.” In the US about ten million men will be diagnosed with an eating disorder ever year, however the numbers of men with inappropriate dissatisfaction with their body images are far harder to deduce. “He is pretty sure that his issues can be traced all the way back to the second grade teacher who made him feel as if his looks were the only thing he had going for him. Now, he still has moments…even days…when he can’t stop feeling like he has to look a certain way to be accepted. Yet, it really hurts him when Cede says something similar.”

When asked about his own ‘issues’, Puck laughingly said that he was totally awesome and now that he finally accepts that he has more to offer the world than his genitalia, he believes that more and more. It is rather inspirational to see that these young people that most would say had it all, still had normal post adolescent issues that they struggle with every day. Sam and Mercedes rejoined the conversation, carefully steering it in a new direction.

The question of their former choir mates arose. The 2012 and 2013 National Championship New Directions are all, a hundred percent of them, are attending college. The seventeen choir members, including KAMA, who graduated in 2013 are attending schools ranging from two year institutions up to several Ivy League universities. Noah spoke proudly of his best friend from kindergarten, Finn Hudson and how he was doing after his horrific, football ending car accident that spring. Mr. Hudson is continuing his education at OSU with Lauren Zizes by his side. Mercedes proudly discussed Artie Abrams, Santana Lopez and Brittany Pierce who are all part of KAMA’s band and Kurt Hummel who assists with the group’s styling and who had a hand in redecorating the group’s recently opened Manhattan offices. Sam spoke of their other choir mates who graduated the previous summer. “They are all in college and working towards their own futures, too.”

However, for every success story, there is always a failure. “Rachel Berry was a member of the 2012 New Directions. However, she changed schools over that next summer. She does not count any of us as her friends…so we’ve chosen to return the favor.” Was all that any of the three would say on that subject. Ms. Berry did receive some measure of momentary, local fame over the summer when she was cast as Fanny Brice in the acclaimed Broadway revival of ‘Funny Girl’. However, before the show could be brought to the stage, Ms. Berry had an argument with the shows male star, Jared Leto, Berry was fired and replaced by her understudy, Willa Stark, who is rumored to be in the running for a Tony for the role. Ms. Berry has been named in a lawsuit that TMZ filed in reaction to a suit filed by KAMA’s legal team of which one of Ms. Berry’s fathers is a part.

While they refused to comment much on Rachel Berry, the trio had far more to say about their former teacher. “Yeah, it sure was a pity and a shame to hear that Schue got fired from ‘Memphis’.” Sam said with a grin that belayed the sentiment of his words. “Maybe his precious Rachel can put him in contact with her boyfriend, the gigolo.” His ‘wife’ swatted him for that comment. “What? He hurt you. I’ve got no love for that man after he couldn’t even apologize for refusing to see you.”

Puck just shook his head. “At least we finally know why he was always shuttling Sexy Mama to the background. I got the feeling that he was kind of homophobic…but it kind of threw me to find out that he was racist too.”

With a deep and thoughtful sigh, Mercedes Jones simply said, "I assumed it was because I was fat. Whatever the reason…his inability to be professional, and apparently act well enough to fake it, is what cost him the role. I do hope that he finds something else soon. This is a cold, cruel world and hate and ignorance only make it both colder and crueler. I would never wish any bad to come to Mr. Schuester or Rachel. That just isn’t who I am nor is it who I want to be.”

Around that point in the discussion, my phone alerted me to a new trending topic. A series of pictures taken of the people sitting across the table from me at the 9/11 memorial just a day or two before had gone viral. In one of the photograph they were clearly donating a large sum of money to one of the first responder assistance charities. I showed them my phone and they all looked suitably embarrassed. “We’d hoped it would remain anonymous…just some extra cash…they wouldn’t even have to know it all basically came from the same place.”

The trio of teens actually give quite significantly to charity and their home churches and synagogue. It was quite difficult to uncover their donations as they are often done anonymously. Fortunately, the organizations they give to have meticulous records even if the names of the donors will never appear in their published donor reports. They have also been vocal in their quest for equality and more oversite over police officer involved shootings. They shared with me their thoughts on the current civil rights movements in the news around the country. Puck was very, very vehement in his fear for his younger half-brother, whom he only discovered during the trio’s senior year of high school. “Jake is biracial…which is just another way of saying he is black. So I had to speak out…because yes ‘Black Lives Matter’. No one is saying that Black lives matter more than other lives, but until we can all admit that the threat against black people is greater and more rooted in the establishment than the threat against any other race, we can’t change shit and shit needs to change. If it didn’t need to change, our parents wouldn’t have been so scared for us that they hired Rangeman.”

Mercedes and Sam both agreed with Puck on that issue, the issue of the need for expansive reform to gun laws in America and many others, though they differed in a few as well. It was interesting to see that they had no desire to change the others minds on the subjects upon which they disagreed. They seemed to extend their feelings on tolerance and acceptance to most aspects of their lives. They intend to raise any children they have in the future in all three of their faiths. All three of them fully believe that they serve the same deity and no one religion has it all correct yet. They talk of the work of a relationship and state that they will continue to put in that work until the day they pass on. The thought of being with anyone other than the three of them seemed almost physically abhorrent. When we started to talk about the current climate of people ‘stealing’ music, all three agreed that they weren’t very concerned.

“I’m twenty years old. I’m not going to lie and claim that I’m an angel who’s never done anything wrong. I’ve gotten tons of music off the internet. But I always paid for good music. Aretha, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Adele…I paid for all of their music in the iTunes store. Biebs, his I may cop off line. Because he only has one or two decent songs. I’m not paying upwards of twenty bucks for a ‘CD’ and get maybe two or three good songs. We recorded thirty-five songs for Necessity 4 Existence. Fifteen got deleted for being craptacular.” Mercedes said heatedly.

Sam and Puck both agreed. They also pointed out that they picked every track. They didn’t allow others to tell them which song tested better. Instead they only put songs they were proud of on their CD. It was so important to them that that caveat is written into their contract with Warner. A contract industry insiders point out has cause much discussion among the Warner Board at how a brand new act ended up with such an artist favorable agreement. The artists point to Mercedes uncle, Ethan Harris. A lawyer regarded throughout the Midwest as a ‘shark’. One former coworker said that he’d rather deal with a real shark than Attorney Harris, “the shark will just eat you and be done. Harris is going to make you think you really want to be eaten and then you won’t even understand why the hell it hurts so bad.” High accolades indeed for the lawyer who now heads KAMA’s legal staff. An attorney, who by the very virtue of being a beloved and respected family member, is willing to fight hard to ensure the future of his niece and her ‘husbands’.

Attorney Harris is not the only family member who is working for KAMA’s best interest. West Coast tech PR progeny Daniel Harris, Mercedes eldest cousin of her mother’s family, made himself available to deal with the potential backlash from Puck and Sam’s comments on the VMAs, which both young men later reiterated on ‘The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’. The thirty-year-old Mr. Harris actual holds a very rare doctorate in his field and is credited with the rehabilitation of the public image of Kromtech after its very public data breach in twenty-eleven. The trio of teens entrust their long term financial planning to Saul Mayzur, Puck’s uncle and the behind the scenes money maker for many of New York’s rich and somewhat famous.

All three members of the group are well grounded and kind. They have seized the opportunity given to them by Lyor Cohen and Warner Music Group and have quickly become one of the most successful music groups to debut in the last several years. Their music has received critical acclaim and is beloved by their fans, affectionately called the KAMAleons, pronounced like the color changing reptile. When asked what was coming in the near future for KAMA, Mercedes, Sam and Noah each gave one sweet tidbit. The group’s management team is beginning to plan their first US tour which will begin in May, twenty-fifteen. They are releasing a Christmas-slash-Chanukah album in November, the proceeds of the first single will go to Toys 4 Tots and the Trevor Project. The final look into KAMA’s near future was that after they finished their first semester of their sophomore year at Columbia and Julliard, they would be going back into the studio to work on their next major studio album…tentatively scheduled to come out spring of next year.

Dreams do come true and for a change, it couldn’t have happened to better, kinder or more talented people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My heart breaks for the families of the 102 killed or injured and the countless other victims of the Orlando Pulse Shooting.  
> The more I hear about the shooter, the more I believe that those families had their loved ones injured or killed not because Mateen was with ISIL or Hesbolah like he claimed previously. He may well have been 'radicalized' but I fully think that he was a man who couldn't admit, even to himself, that he liked other men. He blamed gay people for his own sexuality. He was so closeted that he hated...he hated homosexuals and he hated himself. I believe that he is rotting in hell and he finally understands that being gay doesn't give you a one way ticket to damnation...hatred and murder does.  
> My thoughts and prayers are with the recovering victims and the families who have to learn to live without the people they love. My thoughts and prayers are with the Orlando LGBTQ community that has lost friends and loved ones and had their safe haven decimated.  
> My intense dislike and disappointment and ill will goes out to politicians who have their heads so far up the NRA's ass and their hands so deep in the Gun Lobby's pockets that they refuse to even hear laws that would save lives. They have gone out of their way to pass laws that have directly led to increased death tolls in the years since. So I hold them all just as culpable as the actual shooters every time some dilhole decided to take an AR-15 or AK-47, or any assault weapon that should only be in the hands of our soldiers in war-zones, and harm and kill any of the rest of us.  
> Sorry for the soap box, but I just Couldn't NOT say it.  
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	9. Unsteady (X Ambassadors) & Wrapped Around Your Finger (The Police)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Model Behavior by ZeeJack
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe, you are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!!

Unsteady (X Ambassadors)  
Sam PoV

Some things in life can knock you off kilter no matter how sure your footing may be. Finding out that your husband had lost his virginity at twelve or ‘thirteen’ to his thirty-five year old teacher…who was also a virgin at the time was definitely one of those things. Mercedes and I both knew that it was really twelve. Noah had told us everything that had happened once we were safely ensconced in our bedroom in the brownstone. However, when dealing with anyone other than the three of us Puck was very careful to say that he’d been thirteen. He’d changed the age as soon as he realized that twelve meant much harsher charges and there was no way his former teacher, and apparently other baby mama, wouldn’t spend the rest of her time on earth in the US legal system. I knew that Mercedes was right and it was long before us…hell at least she knew him then, I didn’t even meet him until like five years later. But for some reason, as much as I loved and accepted Beth, the thought of Noah having another child with someone other than me and Mercy sucked ass as far as I was concerned. Yet, at the same time, I couldn’t help but wonder what she was like and if she would like me.

Daniel and Ethan met us at the brownstone Sunday night and we hammered out a statement. It basically said the same things that we had said at O’Hara. It went out as soon as it was finished and all of the morning news shows that talked about the story had at least that much of Puck’s side of the issue. Daniel left as soon as it was ready. He’d already been fielding calls from Madison Paige even though the Rolling Stone issue we were scheduled to be in, had already gone to print. Of course Noah ended up having a very, very, very long conversation with Becah and George. Before we finally went to bed, we asked Darcy to work her magic as soon as she could and by the time we got out of classes that Monday evening, we knew more about everything. Mabel Shirling was a forty-three year old former teacher who, according to everything Darcy could find…which included way more avenues of search than I was necessarily comfortable with…was dying of stage 4 pancreatic cancer that was discovered far too late to do much about it.

Mabel had managed to finish out the previous school year teaching middle school advanced mathematics, but that was really with the very understanding help of her school’s principal. There was a newspaper article in their local paper that talked about how all of her students that she’d taught since she moved back to Billerica in two-thousand and six had come to the school to be there for her good-bye party. According to the article, she was a very beloved teacher and member of the Billerica community. Unfortunately, she really wasn’t expected to live to see Christmas. Mabel Gretchen Shirling was the mother of an eight-year-old daughter, Nikolette Hypatia Shirling born February seventeenth two-thousand and seven. Nikki was a third grader at Vining Elementary in Billerica, Massachusetts. Mabel and Nikki lived in the house Mabel's parents had purchased new in nineteen seventy-five. The pair attended Temple Shalom Emeth in nearby Burlington; well they had until Mabel had gotten too sick.

We wanted to go and see her and talk to her immediately, but all the parents and all our team said that was actually the worse possible idea. So instead, Ethan and Bubbie Ruth went up to Massachusetts to talk with them. Mabel allowed them to have Nikki tested to determine if Noah really was her father. But while we had to do the legal part to make sure that we would be able to help somehow after Ms. Shirling passed away, Bubbie Ruth was positive as soon as she met the child. She told us so as soon as she and Ethan got back to Harlem. “I don’t…she looks like a mixture of what Rebecah and Saul looked like at her age…just even shorter than your mom was if you can believe it. Nikki has beautiful blue eyes which come from her mother, and her hair is even thicker than ours, but Noah…I am positive that she is your child.”

He sighed and sat down. “So what do we do now?” Mercy and I sat down on either side of him.

Ethan looked over at him. “The lab in Massachusetts has already begun processing the samples from you and Nikolette. You will still have to wait the five business days for the results. But I had Hudson look over your schedules before we went up there. The earliest you can go to talk to them will be the first weekend in October. The test will be back by then.”

“But that doesn’t change the fact that we can’t be parents yet…not full time. We barely have time to wipe our own asses let alone raise an eight year old kid.” Puck growled.

“Well then I guess you should have used a damn condom.” I snapped. “Sorry, it’s just, none of this is Nikki’s fault. It kind of irks the dog shit out of me when you make it sound like you’re forgetting that.”

Mercy shrugged. “Oh, don’t worry. It’s been three days. It took him almost two or three weeks to move from trying to convince Quinn to have an abortion to being pissed off that she wouldn’t let him be Beth’s dad. He’s processing. Uncle Ethan, we all know that we cannot give her up for adoption. Putting aside the fact that children her age are almost never adopted, the rejection by Puck after just finding him and after losing her mother would be too much for any little girl to handle. Hell, I’m twenty and I wouldn’t be able to handle it. But, what about him retaining his parental rights and…Becah and George have offered to act as her guardians until we can finish school, and then we will let her decide if she wants to live with us or stay in Lima?”

Bubbie took over Puck’s pacing. “If Lima is too far and you three want to be more of a part of her life…maybe she could come and live with me instead of Becah.” She finally said when she came to the end of her inner monologue. “I have more than enough room for her. It isn’t like we’re talking about an infant or a toddler. She is old enough to be in school when I’m at work. And if she is with me, then she will be close enough not to feel rejected by Noah and she can really get to know all three of you.”

I felt something loosen inside me that I didn’t realize had been tense and tight. “Really?” I breathed quietly. Every one heard me and Puck and Mercy shared a telling look while Ethan and Bubbie Ruth did the same.

Bubbie came over and crouched down in front of me. “I know how much Noah and MeDe miss Beth, but you’re so good about taking care of them when they get down…that we forget that you miss her too don’t we?” I blinked long and hard to make sure that nothing came leaking out, but I nodded. “And being away from Gabe, Mara and Maea is hard on you three too.” I nodded again. “The thought of Nikki being yours and being all the way in Lima too, it was just too much for you, isn’t it?”

I started to cry like a baby. I really didn’t mean to. I wanted to be strong for Noah and Mercy. I needed to take care of my family, that was who I was. It was hard as hell being this far from Beth, but Shelby was her momma more than the rest of us were her parents, plus that was a done deal when I met them. Nikki…I’d been reading how to help young children who lost a parent since we got back. She should be with us so we could take care of her. I knew that we weren’t able to be full time parents to her yet. But the thought of her being ten hours away, it just…it just didn’t sit right with me.

I didn’t realize that I had said all of that out loud until Noah and Mercedes enveloped me in both their arms. “Sammy, you don’t have to be strong for us. We can all be weak and strong all together.” Mercy said her voice thick and her cheeks wet with her own tears.

“God, Sam…you’ve gotta tell us this shit. I guess I should be glad you broke down like this rather than beating the hell out of my ass again.” Noah joked darkly. “I know she is mine. I felt it from the moment I read that article. Hell even if she isn’t, I can’t let her end up in the foster care system. As far as I’m concerned they have a sixty/forty record. I can’t risk the child of someone I have very fond memories of ending up like some of Xena’s friends. I don’t want to pawn her off on anybody else, But I…I can’t think of how to take care of her without breaking promises I made…we made before we knew that she even existed. I promised that I wouldn’t allow anything to stop me from graduating. We’ve got a tour already being planned.”

“So? Look Noah, parents make their lives work with their children in them all the time. Here is what we are going to do…when Mabel passes on, we’ll…we’ll lay her to rest. She doesn’t have anyone else. No brothers or sisters. Her parents were in their later thirties when they finally had her. So we will sit the Shiva…then we bring Nikki here. Our new little darling will stay with me full time. She can stay with you guys whenever you want her to. You do the tour. It will be summer…I can take some vacation time…and we can come with you for parts of it.” Bubbie suggested.

“Sam, we can handle anything and everything together. What we can’t do is let anything drive us apart. You keeping all of that inside puts weight on you shoulder that you can’t let bear you down or else you’ll grow to resent us. Resentment breeds contempt.” Mercy said with a sigh.

Ethan waited until I nodded and apologized for not telling them how I was feeling, or at least the parts of what I was feeling that I understood. Then he spoke with authority, all his usual joking and all his usual kidding aside. “As soon as the tests come back we are sitting down and we are going to hammer out a Will and a living will for all three of you. If you are getting that child then you will need to make sure that she is taken care of no matter what. Her and Beth too.” We all nodded. We would always do whatever it took to take care of our family.

That week was so damn slow. It was like time was literally mocking me. Monday we found out everything Darcy could find about Mabel and Nikki. It was just the way our week was going that we also found out that Dianna Mondi wouldn’t be able to do the Lima house, so we needed to find someone else quick fast and in a hurry. Thankfully, Ms. Gwen had the name and number of some dude out of Dayton who was going to work with the parents on some big project that they were really busy not telling us about. Tuesday, Ethan arranged the meeting and the testing. Wednesday was emotional rollercoaster day. Thursday and Friday we were prepping for the damn photo shoot we had to do on Saturday. Thursday evening, not sure if it was to relax us or just because we were almost a month out from our last spa appointment and they wanted us to look polished on our CD covers or what, but we found ourselves heading to the Mandarin Oriental Spa after classes completed for the day. For the next three hours there were facials and manicures and pedicures and massages and just whoa. Unfortunately for me, well and Puck too, we still had some reading to get done for our psych class the next day. Thank God Hudson and Darcy had come with us…mainly to take advantage of the spa visit on Darcy’s side…but she read my assignment to me as me and Puck were getting our deep tissue massages. Best of all she made all these really cool connections between the topics covered in the reading, the general differences between Jung, Freud, Skinner, Kinsey and Maslow, and the different sci-fi or pop culture shrinks that utilized each of their derived therapies. I don’t know if Puck found it as helpful as I did, but Darcy really gave it to me in a way that got it stuck in my head.

Friday night, Puck and I were home alone because Mercy was at Rickie’s getting a new weave put in. We stayed in and had a serious video game tournament with Artie and Blaine. We invited Kurt, but he was working on a huge project for his computer aided design class. Plus, he finally had everything he needed to put in the rest of the Halloween costume orders. According to our fashion forward friend, because of the way that Mercy, Noah and my costumes had to be made, he’d placed the order for the three of those the same night he had gotten all of our measurements. And he had all of our measurements. Kurt knew the circumference around my elbows for criminy’s sake. We ordered a bunch of pizzas and just had a boys’ night in. It was perfect, because since Noah had spent the day observing Rosh Hashanah, he’d been all about chilling out afterwards.

Santana and Britts popped in for like five minutes. But after a few minutes watching us play and clown around, they decided that since we were chilling like villains, they would go and visit Santana’s brand new aunt and uncle who also happened to be Brittany’s brand new first cousins. It seemed that Santana’s grandfather was still as virile as the bull that was his namesake. He had moved Brittany’s aunt in with him sometime really soon after they met the preceding Thanksgiving. Artie said that it had caused a lot less of a scandal than it would have in his family. But he also said that when Santana’s Mom had caught Taurino and Maggie going at it the very first night they’d met, she hadn’t been too upset about it then either. He also told us that Brittany had known before the couple did that they were pregnant and what they would be having. The twins both bore the Manjarrez name, and Maggie had given them both names that started with T. The little boy was named Teodore and his sister was named Tesora. The twins had only been born the previous Wednesday night and Britts and Tana barely wanted to let their parents have them. It was so incredibly sweet. Not that I was stupid enough to say that to Santana Admira Lopez…I liked my balls exactly where they were.

Mercy didn’t make it home until after midnight, so our lovemaking was quick and hurried before we dropped to sleep. The next morning, we awoke on time and headed to Frank West’s Hell’s Kitchen studio. We let Hudson sleep in since Haja was meeting us there with our clothing for the shoot. He had handled everything for this and we were more than grateful. That feeling of gratitude was diminished a little bit when we actually met Frank West. “Alright…let’s make this quick. If I didn’t literally owe Barnaby Johnston my LIFE, which is probably the only thing I value more than money, I would never have agreed to do this for so cheap. But since I did, and you are getting my services for almost free, I booked another shoot for this afternoon and am charging them enough to make up for everything I’m not making here.”

We really couldn’t fault his logic. He led us from the front reception area and into the studio proper and his setup was a world of different from Jade Quinn’s. Rather than walking into an expansive room with a green screen and then changing and hair and makeup areas, the room was still huge, but it was divided into two big sets, one looked like the beautifully decorated for Christmas staircase of a huge old mansion. The other side looked for all the world like a snowy, wooded country lane. The ground was covered with a huge, snow white blanket and a metric ton of fake snow. The trees empty branches were heavy laden with the white stuff as well. In between the two staged areas, there was a small joint area for changing…there would be no separate rooms to keep us from making out while we got changed. The makeup and hair area had two chairs and there were two people there. Frank introduced them simply as Hair, a tall thin, balding guy with a round face and glasses who reminded me of Mr. Garrison from South Park, and Face, a chick with so many facial piercings I didn’t see how the hell she managed to do her own make up…let alone the kind of extreme look she was rocking.

“Alright, Haja, says that we’re doing two distinct series of shots. One will have you inside the hall over there. For that one you will be in ridiculously uncomfortable formal wear. The other series of shots will have you in the outdoor scene. For that one you will be wearing winter fun time apparel…no coats though. Haja has your clothing for both. Decide which one you want me to shoot first and then let me know so that me and Things One, Two and Three can get the lighting all set. Then go and get changed and let Hair and Face work their magic.”

After talking to Haja and realizing that, unlike the other shoot where the clothes were theirs, we owned these clothes and therefore could leave in them if we didn’t feel like changing back, we decided to do the hardest one first. He handled telling Mr. West so that we could start getting ready. Haja appeared two shakes after we got into the ‘changing room’. “Alright, I have everything that you should need for this shoot.” He handed us each a heavy garment bag. “Mercedes, I found a pretty little strapless, shaper, maxi slip that I think you are going to just love. I also got you a gorgeous La Perla lace short corset and the matching panties. I know that you will only wear the bra today, but the set is the thing.” He said briskly. “Your dress is Christmas red and it is Zac Posen and its geometric and artistic and fashion forward, and just…just amazing….wait until you see the shoes.”

Then he turned his attention to me and Noah. “Now, for the two of you…I have Tom Ford in Navy for Puck…blue is one of the colors of Hanukkah, and Sam you are in the same suit just in silver which is associated with both Hanukkah and with Christmas. Sam, for you I have a pair of Ferragamo patent leather oxfords, Puckm yours are Prada matte leather oxfords. You all get changed and I will go and let, well, Face and Hair know what they will need to have ready for Mercedes. Sam you and Puck will be very straight forward.”

He disappeared real quickly. Probably, so that we would start to undress and change. Puck and I helped Mercedes do her change first. She had no problem with the under garments, but there was no way she could get into the red satin and chiffon dress without help. I really loved the dress it was strapless with a pleated crumb catcher neckline and big satin pleats that started the skirt, but from each of the huge wave of pleats, came wavy mounds of red chiffon. It was a beautiful dress but unlike the red Zac Posen gown she’d worn for the VMAs, this one was floor length the whole way around. When she was tied into the dress, we helped her into the four inch crystal stiletto sandals and sent her on to hair and makeup. Puck and my change took very little time…mainly tying the expensive ass silk ties. It was kind of scary having the world seem to know all our sizes and everything. But as long as it meant less shopping for me, I decided not to let it bother me.

Face and Hair, introduced themselves as Miles Krotcher and Trina Justice respectively. Despite their appearances, they were damn good at their jobs. So much so that we had Haja get their contact information so that we could offer them the jobs for Halloween, we’d need more than just the two of them for the like twenty people going with us that night, but it was a start. They were quick and yet made Puck’s eyes glow and Mercy look both flawless and real. I liked them. We spent, what had to be, an hour on the stairs and under the big ass Christmas tree, then sitting around a small round table with a menorah on it and the tree behind us. Then it was back to the changing area to change, and maybe to work a quick series of orgasms out of each other. When we headed to hair and makeup that time, Mercy was in a dark ivory with hints of gold to the color camisole that acted both as a shaper and a bra, a cashmere blend surplice pullover that sat off her collar bones and showed the camisole, and her amazing cleavage. The top was paired with a pair of stretchy, dark wash, skinny jeans and some caramel colored suede boots that went up her calves but not all the way up to her knees. As soon as she was dressed, she looked down and smiled. “This top looks heavy, but it’s really not. I can change into my sandals I wore here, but other than that, I am so wearing this out of here.”

I looked down at my own much lighter weight than it looked silk blend, emerald green sweater and almost khaki colored jeans. “I could do that.” I agreed.

Puck shook his head. “The jeans and boots are good, but this sweater is cashmere and way too hot.” But you two do look damn good. We should do something. I mean, we’d planned to be here all day, but we’re getting out before noon. Let’s do something.”

“Something fun, something crazy, something silly or something good?” Mercy asked as we walked over to Miles and Trina.

As they changed Mercy’s hair and makeup look, we talked about what we wanted to do after we left there. I raised a point. “You know, I bet you if we asked Haja could find us somewhere to sing for sick kids like we did in Columbus. That would be fun, crazy, silly and good. Maybe we could get Hudson and Darcy to run and grab a bunch of small stuffed toys that we can give out. I mean, I feel kind of bad that we can’t go and meet Nikki and everything until next week…maybe this will help us and let us give the kids a good day?”

Mercy looked over at Noah, “Kiss the absolute hell out of him for me. I can’t do it without both of us having to get Trina to repair her work.”

Haja, Hudson and Darcy were on point. By the time Frank West released us, Hudson and Darcy had gotten there, with Bubbie, Seth and Summer, apparently carrying enough small toys and books for an entire hospital ward, along with me and Puck’s guitars, took all five of them. Haja had gotten us permission to visit Mt. Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital for a few hours that same afternoon. We took all eight of them and Manny and Caesar to lunch at Sarabeth’s a few blocks from the hospital. When we got to the hospital, we didn’t just sing for the kids, we played games and read them stories and we gave them the toys and books. We talked to one of the nurses, and she told us that the kids loved the visit, but asked us if we were willing to give blood too. They always had a need for donors. So we did that too. Me, Seth and Summer did face painting and Bubbie…she was just magic. She disappeared for a little while and when she came back she had a whole boat load of teas and coffee stuff to stock the nurses’ and parents’ lounges. Bubbie bought tons of novels and magazines that the kids’ parents could use to take their minds off everything for a while. She had a serious collection of anti-nausea aids for the cancer floor and kids with long term illnesses whose medications caused them to feel bad. The homeopathic stuff that wouldn’t interfere with their meds or treatments. She brought these bottles of hand sanitizer shaped like animals and each kid got a few to keep. The longer that we were there and the more the kids smiled. The better I felt. By the time we left, I felt as light and happy as I did the previous Saturday evening in Chicago. They kicked us out after three hours though, the kids needed their rest.

After going to Temple with Bubbie, we bowed out of dinner…we were too tired. So instead we went home and made love, until we got hungry enough to head down and try and figure out dinner. We were vegging out on the couch in the living room, having had some breakfast for dinner because we were too lazy to go back out and couldn’t agree on what we wanted to order. The TV was on in the background and that was probably the only reason we heard the entertainment news person mention us. “After a hectic week during which KAMA bad boy Puck’s illicit past with his former teacher became international news, the trio and several members of their team and family popped up at Mt. Sinai’s Kravis Children’s Hospital this afternoon. The kids, many of whom are terminally ill, were treated to a small concert mainly of children classics and kid show theme songs. The group of eleven reportedly played games with the patients and did anything the nurses thought might brighten the kids’ day. According to one parent, every single member of the group and their entourage gave blood. However, KAMA couldn’t be reached for comment and the only thing posted on their social media accounts were entreaties to donate blood at your local Red Cross.” The blond anchor said with a grin.

Her male counterpart was quick to chime in. “I like KAMA. I know that a lot of people are weighing in on this latest bombshell of Puck’s love child, but those three young adults seem to genuinely care about people and like they want to do good. When is the last time we heard of a celebrity just popping up to surprise sick children at a hospital? Oh wait, it was them when their friend was in a coma. Other than that, I can only remember Johnny Depp’s frequent appearances as Jack Sparrow at children’s wards. Even more, when they do good works, it is never anyone from their camp who tells the world, it is someone who sees their actions and is inspired to do something good themselves. After the picture of their large, anonymous donation to the FealGood Foundation on 9/11, that and many other first responder and veteran aide organizations have been inundated with donations and volunteers. So say what you want. I think that KAMA are showing themselves to be good role models in every way that really counts.”

When they moved onto their next story, we just shrugged and returned to our game of, ‘we should really work out…let’s distract ourselves’. Unfortunately, Kurt and Blaine showed up from their day enjoying the city and when they heard us talking about exercising, they jumped on the idea of burning off the calories they’d packed on eating all three meals out on the town. Blaine was working with all of us on Krav Maga and that was one hell of a workout. We took a long hot shower and passed out. Sunday usually meant church, but we’d overslept both services, so we did homework, had some great skype sessions with the siblings and just stayed home and acted like twenty year olds.

Monday and Tuesday were normal, routine days, but on Wednesday, we started the day with an email from Mrs. Gwen letting us know that the contractors had begun their work on renovating the apartment complex we owned in Georgia. That was still strange as hell to me, but it was workable. She also reminded us that our residuals for the third quarter would hit our accounts the next morning. Again so totally strange to me, but it was becoming a shade of normal at least. I was ready to spoil a few of the kids in our lives, especially Nikki, so I kind of wished that she’d have told us what we’d be looking at. Not even a full one percent went into our personal accounts, rather than accounts that were either set aside to pay for KAMA operating costs and payroll or for our property business or for our investment portfolio. It was like all the adults in our lives were each individually and collectively on some kind of mission to make sure that we never ended up like MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice or Wayne Newton. We really did appreciate it, but the truth was that I was probably more scared of that happening than any of them. I was working to get over the obsession with having more than enough to live on for three generations so that no one I loved ever ended up living in a no-tell, motel ever again. But like Puck liked to say it was a process.

Then, during our ‘lunch break’ before our computer class, Ethan called Puck and let him know that the test results had come back and we were definitely heading to Billerica that weekend. Not that we didn’t know that already. Bubbie Ruth had said so, Noah’s own gut had said so, even Mercy was sure…but still the confirmation was nice to have. “George and Becah are going to fly in and they will be here before we get out of our last Columbia class.” My husband said after he got off the phone with his parents. He had called them as soon as he’d gotten off the phone with Ethan. “Can Hudson make the arrangements for us to head up that evening? We’re not planning to make a habit out of it, so skipping one day of classes won’t hurt anything. We’ll stay Saturday and come back Sunday evening.” We all nodded.

I looked over at Binkie. He was now our only accompaniment on a day to day basis, well, he traded off with Junior. The following week they would go back to Trenton and we’d have two others who’d trade off shifts. “Will that work for you and Junior?”

Binkie nodded in his quiet way. “You might want to talk to Rangeman about putting a guard on the Shirlings until this all dies down.”

Shit, I hadn’t even thought of that. The problem was that we had class in a lot less time than it would take to work that out with Rangeman, so we had to pass it off to Haja to take care of. When we kept apologizing, he reminded us that it was well within his job description. “It’s probably a good thing that you gave me something else to do. I’ve been bugging Frank all day for the proofs of the photos so I could narrow them down for you guys. He threatened to call Barnaby if I called again.”

The afternoon was even more surreal. In all the craziness, I’d forgotten that our video dropped that morning. The other people in our classes were looking at us like we were rock stars or something. It was pretty disconcerting. On top of the ‘whoa you guys really are rock stars’ looks, there were the feminists and the dudes. I was really starting to think that college age feminists were all bat shit crazy. They took what we all saw as a beautiful expression of the love the Noah, Mercy and I shared…an affirmation of the beauty that Mercedes embodied, and twisted it into a patriarchal objectification of Mercedes body. That pissed me off…kind of made it seem like the only ones who really got what the video was about were either grownups or, surprisingly enough, the gay guys…the lesbians didn’t really count, they either sided with the feminists or the dudes. The dudes were pretty much the main ones that we heard from face to face. Darcy was fielding the online kvetching of the crazy feminists, the right winger, evangelicals who thought that the video was bad for ‘promoting promiscuity’, there was also some he-man woman haters club type who felt that the video ‘perpetuated the lie of the female orgasm’. The Dudes came up to us on campus, both of them.

Contrary to popular belief, there were straight men who attended Juilliard a lot of them. It seemed like after seeing the ‘Rub You the Right Way’ video each and every one of them had something to say about us and our woman or some combination of the three. Thank the Lord, almost all of them were complimentary. As Noah had accepted the fact that he had a daughter who was eight years old and whom he’d only found out about less than a week before, he’d begun to feel more and more hurt. Quinn had called him to remind him that he was not a Lima Loser and that Ms. Shirling hadn’t kept the knowledge of the child from him because he was. But nothing anyone could say could take away the fact that she had chosen to take from him the chance to get to know Nikki without all the media and public interference.

Noah Puckerman with hurt feelings was about as temperamental as a bear with a sore paw…and two, maybe three times as violent. It was with that type of emotional upheaval, that some jerkoff with a thick Bostonian accent decided to add his racist ass two cents. “I’ve gotta say, you’ve gotta wicked pissa of a debut album, but man you two are chuckle heads. Didn’t anyone ever tell you, black wh-o-ras may be fine for a quick dip of d’wick…but they sure as shit ain’t fer marryin’. Now you’ve made that video that has you two all up on that skeezah, acting as if she was real people…like she was something important…no real woman will have you now. Slampigs are for fucking…but you should marry your own kind.”

Now, it was hard as hell to keep Puck from fucking the guy up, especially since I wanted to join him in giving the asshole an ass whipping that he’d never, ever forget…but I had managed with the help of two guys from Puck’s Diatomic Harmony class. The only reason I even bothered and we weren’t both going in on the Matt Damon wannabe was that I was almost positive that he was coming at us with one of two purposes in mind. Either he wanted to be the guy that proved that Puck the Badass wasn’t so bad ass after all, or he wanted to get paid from having had his ass kicked by said Puck the Badass. With the week Noah was having, if he’d had landed one lick, that ass hole would have only lived long enough to die on the way to the hospital. I was not about to let that happen.

“Look, ya Southie Bastard.” Hey, I’d seen ‘Good Will Hunting’, I was like eighty-five percent sure that was an insult he would understand. “I have no idea what made you think that stepping to us today was a good idea, but might I suggest you take your racist bullshit for a long walk off a very short pier. We’re not gonna be your come up and we’re not going to give you your fifteen minutes of fame.”

“Fuck you, Evans. This is America, I can say what I want, when I want.” He shot back so maturely and eloquently.

“Yeah, this is America and you can say what you want when you want, but no one ever said that anyone else has to listen to you, or agree with you or that what you have to say doesn’t make you look pathetic, greedy and grasping, Mr. Burrows.” A new voice entered the fray. The caustic and cold tone made me almost surprised when I turned to find my music history professor, Madame Greening right behind us. “Now, might I suggest you go elsewhere before I decided that it is my job as an educator to impress upon you that every word we utter and every choice we make have its own set of consequences that can and do happen thereafter. And know that should you try to bring charges against Mr. Puckerman, I will attest to the extremely provocative and incendiary nature of your words. I believe that a judge or jury could be made to understand that you were cause of your own comeuppance.”

Burrows stormed off angrily, apparently having a witness who couldn’t be brought or intimidated was not in his plans. Puck and I both turned to thank her only to have her wave off our gratitude. “It is part of my job. They have us taking all kinds of conflict resolution workshops every year…it was nice to finally put some of their heretofore unnecessary training to work. Mr. Puckerman, please remember that everyone makes their choices with the information they have at hand at the time. Often that information is incorrect or incomplete. We cannot do anything about their choices, we can only be responsible for the way we react. You are in the midst of a defining moment. I do hope that you will chose to react in a way that defines you as who you really are and not simply who you are when angry and hurt.”

Puck seemed to be thinking on that all the rest of the day and most of the next. Thursday our Rolling Stone issue hit stands and it was kind of awesome. Fuck, we looked like major rock stars on the cover. But we were late to like every class because it seemed like every student at Columbia and Juilliard had brought a copy and wanted us to autograph it for them. After our last class, we had to stop by the office and autograph a bunch for Darcy to sell in the online store and some more for a few charities to have to their auction based fundraising events. When we got home, our parents talked to us all evening about the article and the online reaction to it and the video. The simple truth was that the one two punch combo of the video and the article mostly took people’s minds off of our personal lives. Mercy, Noah and I talked about that as we packed that evening. The next morning, we headed to our classes. I learned absolutely none of what my professors were teaching. Later on I would look at my notes and not recognize a single concept I’d written down. I was that distracted, and Mercy and Noah were even worse. Thankfully Hudson had it all under control. She rode to Columbia with George and Becah, Binkie and Junior. Junior was driving the shiny, black Rangeman Lincoln Navigator that contained the five of them, all our luggage and still had room for the three of us. “Your reservations are for the Courtyard Marriot in Billerica. Mr. and Mrs. Altman, Sam, Puck and Mercedes, you all each have the two room, king bed suites. I’ve taken the liberty of making reservations for Ms. Fabray and Mr. Gibbs. They will meet you there when you get there. Your friends decided that you needed some support, and since those two were the closest, they were elected. Mr. Hudson said to let you know, if you argue that, if they all had the money, they would all be here with you. Mr. Abrams, Ms. Lopez, Ms. Pierce, Mr. Hummel and Mr. Anderson were in some argument as to whether or not they should all hop in the Cayenne and come with you when I last spoke to them…so don’t be shocked if they show up too.”

Mercy sighed. “If possible, please reserve them two rooms also. They could conceivably beat us there if Santana is driving.” We all had to laugh at that, primarily because it was true.

The three hour ride to Massachusetts was spent with me, Puck and Mercedes trying to wheedle information about the parents' new big thing out of George and Becah while Becah was trying to grill Noah about the loss of his virginity to, and I quote, ‘a grown ass woman who was sure as hell old enough and educated enough to have known better’, Binkie, Junior and Hudson had a whole separate conversation about the plans for the weekend that I kept an ear on. We’d get there that evening and check in. Then we’d have dinner at the hotel restaurant. Saturday morning, we were to get up at nine and meet Ms. Shirling at her home for breakfast. The adults would talk for a long minute, before Puck and Ms. Shirling would finally get to have their chat. Nikki was going to a sleepover and she wouldn’t be home until about noon. At noon we’d have lunch and spend some time getting to know Nikki. That was the part I was looking forward to the most.

When we got to the hotel, we checked in. Hudson reminded us that Quinn and James would probably get there not too much later, and probably our roommates would follow soon thereafter. Depending on what they wanted to do, we’d more than likely end up talking for at least a few hours. While they tried to be supportive, it didn’t come naturally for most of them. But they did try and we loved them for that. Since we’d skipped our later classes we arrived in Billerica around five. As always, when Hudson was in charge of things, checking in was quick, easy and efficient. We’d already taken our things up to the rooms when we got a text from Quinn and James to let us know that they had arrived and asking us what we needed. Despite the fact that Santana’s last class was supposed to not even start until a quarter til six and Kurt didn’t usually get home until almost nine, when we got back down to the lobby to check in our Barbie bestie and her Steven, aka Black Ken, the other five members of the New Directions east coast contingent had arrived.

Hudson had been epically awesome, as always, when she made the arrangements for the five last minute additions to our group. Kurt and Santana had each received emails with the hotel information and their confirmation numbers and everything. Kurt was totally relieved. “You have no idea how happy I was when we saw those emails pop up. Santana had the marvelous plan to just head to the center of town, which is where GPS takes you when you just put in a city and state. And she refused to call you until we got here.”

“Of course, I wasn’t going to call them and give them the chance to be all stupid and piss me off with their ‘strong and silent types, suffering in silence bullshit’, rather than admitting that this all is hell on the heart and letting us have their backs the way they always have ours. I’ve gotta say that being on the other side kind of feels good.” Santana shot back. “Besides, I want to watch Mama Puckerman go all kinds of off on Ms. Shirling for deflowering her precious baby boy at the tender age of way too damn young. Bet she can do it without ever raising her voice or getting her nurse all pissy.”

We all just rolled our eyes. Santana never could just admit to having purely altruistic reasons for doing anything. “That one was pretty good.” I teased, “How long did it take you to come up with it?”

The smirk she threw at me was both proud and kind of quelling. Like she was saying, ‘good job for figuring me out…but don’t make a habit of it’. “Only just came up with it. I used it to replace my original idea where I’d say I wanted to see Queen Quinn’s face when it really struck home for her that she was no longer Puck’s only baby mama. But that one seemed a little too bitchy for the situation.”

Our laughter filled the lobby and drew some seriously unwanted attention. Quinn and James ran interference with the lookie lous while we got our housemates checked in. we were all on the same floor, so getting everyone and their bags up to the rooms was fairly easy. No clue why Kurt needed so many clothes for a two-night stay, though. Then again, he changed for dinner, so I guess it made a warped kind of sense. The hotel restaurant people were geniuses…or maybe it was Hudson, but either way, we had a small dining room all to ourselves. Well, there were fifteen of us, so that was probably smart thinking. None of us were really ready to talk about the elephant in the room so instead we caught up with Quinn and James. They had joined a slew of different student organizations, including one that fought for equality for all people and the Human Rights Action Delegation. “Que is one of only like two white people in the campus NAACP chapter. The other dude is this total K-Fed type guy, always trying to get one of the Black girls to go out with him. Watching him get shot down over and over again is kind of hilarious. Oh by the way, MeDe, he is in love with you and begged us to bring him back an autograph…originally he’d asked for a pair of your underwear, dirty was preferred…but after Peaches almost kicked him in the ball he was willing to settle for the autograph.”

Quinn ducked her head at Santana’s applause of her violence, before totally changing the subject. “Yeah, I went to the auditions for one of the performance clubs, called Tangle Up in Blue, but I finally, can honestly say I understand what James and MeDe mean when they say that they aren’t white enough for something. It was ridiculous. Instead I auditioned for Shades, which is another acapella group, but for a long time they were all black. MeDe, I auditioned with ‘Give Up the Funk’.” The original New Directions found that completely funny. Thankfully they explained the joke for the rest of us. Mercy even had the video on her phone.

“Oh wow.” I chuckled. “I never realized that you had any funk at all in your soul, Que.” I laughed.

“Oh shut it…the only person at the table who could actually be more white bread than I am and you have jokes.” She shot back. “Oh, hey…did you get the text from Shelby…David is officially Papi.”

We had all seen the picture of Shelby’s and David’s left hands showing off engraved silver wedding bands. “Yeah, it came in last Tuesday. That helped a lot.” Puck answered honestly. “That waiting was killing me.”

“How are you holding up, Kid?” George asked quietly.

Puck shrugged. “We’ve gotten everything all worked out on our end, but I need some answers. I need to find out why she never told me but other than that, I’m okay. I mean, would I have preferred to know before my kid was a third of her way to being grown? Of course I would have. Would I have preferred to have known about my daughter before the rest of the world did? Sure as hell would have. But can I change any of what went down? Nope. So, I’ll deal with the cards I’ve been dealt. Besides, at the end of the day, I have another beautiful little girl out if the deal and my daughters will know each other going forward, so I’m good.”

“Wow…that is a very mature way to look at things, Noah. Who are you and what did you do with Puck.” Tana shot back.

Puck proved his maturity by lobbing a roll at Santana’s head. She just caught it and took a huge bite out of it. “I’ll have you know that I am really mature. If I hadn’t grown up, do you think Mercedes Jones would let me get it in at least once every night and two or three times on weekends?”

“Noah!” Becah and Mercy yelled at him at the same time. Mercedes followed hers with a smack.

That did break the tension that had come from Puck’s much more bitter than he probably realized it had seemed diatribe. Becah filled the silence with asking everyone how our classes were going. We let James and Quinn go first since Becah knew our deals. “I’m taking six classes this semester. I have my last Spanish class this term, an art history class and a Biology class to fill some of my distributional requirements…which is like the core curriculum at Columbia or NYU. Unlike your versions, we have to take classes to fill the requirements every year…you guys can get them all out of the way what by the end of this year.” Blaine, Puck, Mercy, Santana, Artie and I all nodded. “Yeah, we have to work our major classes around the requirements or choose classes that satisfy both.”

James smiled at her. “Someone is a total over achiever and thinks that it is cheating to only pick classes that satisfy both my major and the liberal arts requirements.”

“She would.” Puck, Tana and Mercy all chuckled at the same time.

Probably one of them would have continued to tease her, but Brittany surprised us all with being the voice of reason. “Que has to do things the proper way because she wants to make sure that she doesn’t fall back into bad habits learned from her toddler parents. Lord Tubbington told me that she would even out soon because the right path was becoming more comfortable for her feet.” Then, I swear to God, her eyes got all glassy and she turned to Hudson and said calmly. “You should go out to the front desk now. Lord Tubbington says that we need another room.”

In a testament to her extreme flexibility and overall sense of acceptance and tolerance, Hudson didn’t even ask why or for who, she simply stood and headed to the front desk. When she returned twenty minutes later, she was accompanied by Bubbie Ruth, who looked mad enough to spit flames of righteous indignation from her mouth. “I cannot believe that you all didn’t think to see if I wanted to come too.”

“Umm, Mom, we did think about it. But it’s the first weekend of the month, you work the Good Morning America Weekend shows.” Becah said honestly.

Bubbie waved that thought away. “Oh please, I have Dan and Paula handled easy. Ron and Rob, I could style in my sleep. If they have any problems with anything, one of the minions can take care of it. This is where I need to be this weekend.”

“We’re sorry, Bubbie.” Puck said quietly. “I guess we were trying to watch out for you like you always want to watch out for us.”

Thankfully she accepted the apology with grace. Since she had eaten on the way up, and we were all finished, we paid up, left a nice tip for the three waiters who had taken care of us and headed up to our rooms. Mercy knew our friends so well. She had made sure we brought pajamas, and as soon as we got up to our suite, “Hurry up and shower and get on your pajamas. We’ve got maybe forty-five minutes tops before somebody…toss up between Quinn and Santana show up.” Mercy went first since her post shower ritual was the longest. Puck went next and then me. When I came out in my cool Bugs as Hans Solo and the Hairy Monster as Chewbacca teeshirt and a pair of teal black and white plaid pajama pants, Puck was lotioning Mercy’s back and the sides of her breasts, already dressed in a black ribbed tank and some red, gray and black plaid cotton pants. Mercedes was wearing her hot pink comfortable pajama bottoms and a she pulled on a black tank top with a built in bra that did an almost laughable job of trying to keep her massive tits contained. She must have seen the fires ignite in my eyes. “No. There is no time for you to give me a dirty look. If we start anything right now, it will just get interrupted.” She chided gently. Sure enough, we’d barely settled on a movie when the first knock at our door occurred.

We let Quinn and James in. both of them had changed into pajamas as well. Quinn, as always, in angelic blue, while James wore a darker cream color that made his skin look like polished mahogany. Before we even got back to the couch, Bartana showed up. We spent the rest of the night clowning and laughing and sharing and talking. “Okay now that we’re away from the parental units, I’ve gotta say, Mercedes Antoinette Jones, you showed your sexy all over that last video.” Artie poked our girl in the foot.

“Yeah, and thank you for it. Artie was ‘strong like bull’ all night Wednesday and last night. Shit, I’m surprised me and Britt-Brat are able to walk at all today.” Tana crowed.

“Tina said that Mike almost punched a guy for talking about you like, well…like you were a piece of meat.” Quinn laughed. “Is it wrong that imagining Mike, out of all of us, all bowed up and pissed, is hilarious to me?”

“It might be wrong, but you ain’t alone.” I told her honestly. “He’s a little pissed off at us. I mean, we thought to give the parents a heads up…but we didn’t figure any of you would care.”

James laughed. “It’s not that we care that y’all did as close to a freak nasty video as we can really imagine you all doing. It’s just that, hell, we’ve all had guys step to us to come out their necks about how hot MeDe is in the last couple of days. Most of them say it in an appropriate way and it’s no big deal. But there are a lot of assholes in this world. Waterson in the NAACP on campus was the only one to somehow figure that as a public figure, Mercedes’ sexuality in the video now makes her some ‘thing’ they are entitled to partake of. Plus too, it was kind of shocking, like we were peeping into your bedroom. Felt a little dirty honestly.”

“Really, ‘cause I just felt really fucking hot.” Santana joked. “According to L-Boogey, Finn was as bad as SmArtie and Vince went through three cheerleaders like it was nobody’s business.” We all laughed at the though. Vince was such a good guy and he was really feeling that girl he’d introduced us to over the summer, Sasha. “I’m for real…you know Sasha told him to feel free to date other girls because she wasn’t committing to a serious relationship until after she graduated at the earliest. He took that shit and ran with it.”

I shook my head. “He was probably hurt and decided not to let her know it.”

“Yeah, in that situation the only way to get over an old chick is to get under a new one…or maybe a few more than one.” Puck added. It almost made me shudder to think how bad he would ever get if, God forbid, something was to ever separate him from Mercy. Granted only death would do that, but still.

“Any way…Adams texted me Thursday that he should have scooped me up way back in the day before I even play dated Puck.” Mercy laughed.

Kurt scoffed at that. “As if. He was never even in consideration.” That led to him and Mercy doing their complicated bestie’s handshake. “Okay, enough about the video…A little birdy told me that you, Queen Quinn, you wrote your mom back over the summer. How did that end up? Are you okay?” His voice was full of concern. We all were, but only Kurt or Santana would actually have asked her about it in front of everyone.

Quinn confessed that she had contacted her mother in prison over the summer. “I still don’t want anything to do with her, but she kept trying to contact me and Frannie. Finally we just had to let her know that it wasn’t Daddy who had turned us against her, it was her own actions that made us not want her in our lives.”

We could easily understand that. “Damn Fabray, who’d have ever thought the biggest thing we’d have in common, other than our kid, would be that we’ve both got parents doing bids at the same time.” Puck teased her.

After Que threw her house shoe at him, she asked us about touring and all six of us went on and on about it. We each had our different favorite things. James laughed at me so hard he had trouble catching his breath. “Dude, that article in Rolling Stones didn’t lie, all you cared about was the Marvel marathon and the fair food.”

“God, I had to work out so much…but each and every funnel cake was totally worth it.” I declared happily and honestly. 

Santana chimed in too. “Man, look…Trouty ain’t even lying. There was this one stop in Tennessee, the funnel cake guy there had this bitter and sweet cherry compote he put on his cakes. Oh my GOD…that was so fucking good. And when I asked him to sell me a pint of just the compote…he gave it to me for free when I told him it was to lick off my girlfriend while riding our boyfriend’s dick. Kind of think he came in his pants too. So all in all…best funnel cakes ever.” She cackled like the witch I’d thought her to be after the Karofsky situation.

James just shook his head with a smile. “Man, who can blame him? You know that he was envisioning himself in Artie’s place. If my girl didn’t have me so completely wrapped around her pretty little finger, I’d probably be right there with him. But my boo, she does this thing where she makes her puss--” When Quinn elbowed him in the side, his big, deep laughter filled the living room. “Damn Peaches, why you always get so violent when we get round your peeps?”

“Because your ass always gets so talkative whenever you get around Puck, Sam, Artie and Santana. It’s like you Satan and Puck start competing for the Oversharer Crown.” She shot back with a grin that belied her tone. “Hey, did I tell you guys that we’re going to look into renting off campus next year.”

“Not renting…buying.” James said in a way that you could tell meant that it was an ongoing argument. “In a place like New Haven, renting is just stupid. You can always make more than your money back on the resale.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…but the idea of trying to juggle a ten-person mortgage application.” She returned.

“Why not form a small LLC to purchase the house and then when you graduate, rather than selling, rent it out for a while to make even more money off of it. You’d make a lot more profit selling it after five or more years of ownership than you would after just two.” Noah said knowledgably. 

“We can do that?” James looked surprised. For the next thirty minutes Santana, Mercy and Noah broke it all down for them. They texted back and forth with their friends getting something straight with all of them. “I’m going to ask Uncle Steve if he can have one of his lawyers draw up the papers once we get it all figured out. Then they can just send the contracts to us to sign and file.”

It was after two thirty in the morning when our friends headed back to their rooms. Mercy, Noah and I stripped before climbing into bed and making love for another hour or so before we fell asleep. Morning came early. We’d started running on Saturday mornings, when we could, a few weeks after we got back to school. It was a great addition to our usual work out routines and kept us from getting tired of the same old things. Since we didn’t know the area, Puck and I made due with the tread mill in the hotel fitness center. James, Quinn and Brittany showed up just as we were leaving. “Man, seriously, call us if you need anything.” They all told Noah as we were walking to the elevator. Brittany ran over and gave him a big hug and whispered something in his ear.

By the time we got back to the suite, Mercy had gotten up, done her yoga stretches along with the program on her tablet and showered. I moisturized her back for her as Puck took his shower. She pulled on a pretty purple tee shirt bra that buckled in the front with a racer back. It was only then that I noticed that she was wearing a pair of matching cotton boy shorts and a pair of wedged, flip flop sandals with a purple fabric upper part and black wedge/platform thing. She gave me a quick kiss as she grabbed a purple and black striped, sleeveless maxi dress that would have been entirely too long without the extra couple of inches she gained from the sandals. With her hair down in waves around her shoulders and her makeup kept to just some pretty purply lip gloss…she looked playful and youthful and gorgeous. “How do you always look so beautiful?”

She just giggled prettily. “Only you and Noah think that, Boo.” To illustrate my disagreement with that load of bull hockey, I grabbed her and nuzzled into her neck. She even smelled beautiful. “Eww… sweaty boy…get off me until you’re fresh and clean.”

I let her go, mainly because she was right. I was sweaty and she was already dressed. I grabbed out a pair of khakis and a simple navy blue polo. Mercy shook her head and came over and pulled out my olive green polo instead. Then she looked through my stuff and pulled out a pair of socks that matched it almost exactly. She patted my cheek and then handed me her necklace, which I hadn’t even seen in her hand. It was a longer version of the simple cross her father had given her a few years back. The cross was the same, but she’d gotten a longer platinum chain to go with it when she needed the lengthy look. I fastened it on for her, gently kissing the back of her neck before she moved her hair back into place. Puck came out wrapped in just a towel. He kissed us both, before shooing me off to the bathroom to shower. We were starting to run low on time. I showered and shaved quick fast and in a hurry. Even as fast as I was, Puck was still dressed when I came out. He’d thrown on a pair of dark wash jeans and a dark red Henley with the sleeves pushed up to show off his arms. He was wearing his silver watch and his Star of David, so when I threw on my clothes, I decided to complete the set and threw on my crucifix too. We made it to the lobby on time to keep the schedule that Hudson had worked up for us. Only to step out of the hotel into the worst case scenario.

 

Wrapped Around Your Finger (The Police)  
Rebecah PoV

From the moment we saw the story on The Insider, I was a seething cauldron of rage. I was angrier that I could ever in my life remember being. The fact that a teacher, a woman almost three times my son’s age at the time had raped my child. There was never a time their relationship would have been okay. She was over two decades older than him and she was his teacher. I’d been too busy working and trying to protect him and his sister, keeping them in school and with a roof over their heads to even know. I was mad as hell at Mabel Shirling and I was mad as hell at myself. It was my job to make sure that my son was protected and there was nothing anyone could say to convince me that I hadn’t failed him. I’m sure that there were few people in the entire world who could truly understand the way I was feeling. Even among my own family, no one really got it. Saul and Mom both got the teacher aspect, but they both seemed to feel that the woman was being punished more than equal to her crime. Benton, Sander and George all felt that since Puck has slept with any number of his pool cleaning customers, this shouldn’t be as big a deal as I feel it was. Or George originally felt that way until I asked him how he’d feel if he found out that a grown ass teacher had slept with Tessa when she was twelve.

That definitely got him to shut up. Made Benton and Sander change their tunes as well. Danica and Gabby were actually pretty supportive, though they did agree with Mom that having stage 4 pancreatic cancer that wasn’t found until there was absolutely nothing that could be done was punishment enough. Maybe they were all right, but I couldn’t help but wonder if Noah would have become as promiscuous as he had if not for being molested at the very beginnings of his sexual development by ‘That Woman’. And I couldn’t help but feel as if it was all my fault. I wanted so badly to make up for my failure that I talked to George about putting off med school to take in Nikolette so that Noah would be able to finish college and continue to grow the KAMA brand and career. My beautifully loving husband didn’t agree that there was a need to stop pursuing my dream to take in my eldest grandchild but he was very supportive of giving her a home with us. Of course, my mother must have known exactly what I was thinking. She cut me off at the self-flagellation pass. When ‘That Woman’ died what should be and I hoped would be a horribly painful death, Mom and Noah, Sam and Cede would basically have joint custody of Nikki. Mom’s house would be her primary home, which would put her only blocks away from her father rather than hours. It was the best thing for Nikolette, so I was happy for her. It was the best thing for Noah, so I was happy for him. I was still a little sad for myself.

The morning we were to meet with ‘That Woman’, I awoke early, dressed in exercise clothes and moved into the living room of the suite Noah and his loves had provided for us. I carefully closed the door to the bedroom so I wouldn’t wake George and put in my headphones set to play the angriest music I had. My Tae Bo DVD went into the player in the entertainment center. I exercised and worked out some of my anger at the same time. Unfortunately, the well of my rage was pretty much bottomless. By the time I’d showered and washed my hair, I was damn angry again. I took extra care with my appearance, taking the time to blow my hair straight. Well straighter, I wasn’t bothering with a flat iron and that was really the only way other than a professional blow out to get my hair straight. I didn’t want to look overdressed or too formal, but I knew that this wasn’t a friendly meet and greet either. I had picked out a simple tank maxi dress from the Jessica Simpson line at Macy’s in a dark gray the tag called ‘forged iron’. The high low hem and cut out and knot details at the back made it seem fun and casual, but the color spoke volumes. The platinum Star of David that Puck had given me as a gift when they got their first residuals check was around my neck. The small diamond studs that glinted at my ears were a gift from Tessa and Jake for Hanukah. The slim silver watch on my wrist had been a gift from Saul more years ago than I cared to count, but they all served to wrap me in my family’s love. I hoped that it would be enough to keep me sane when I saw ‘That Woman’ face to face.

Of course, when we stepped out of the hotel lobby into a sea of paparazzi and pseudo-journalists, I went right to being mad enough to chew iron and spit out nails. I was ready to cuss them all out. Thankfully the Rangemen were good at their jobs. Even though they were outnumbered like twenty to one, not one of the assholes got too close to any of us. As soon as we got into the Suburban, Junior turned to them and said in a dangerous voice, “Should we see any of you following us, we will report you to the police for reckless endangerment. Charges will be pressed and you will be persecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

They either took him at his word or our guards were just that good, because I didn’t see any of them around when we stopped by Java’s Brewin’, a local coffeehouse and bakery, to pick up breakfast for all the eleven of us. The stop was short, Hudson was brutally efficient and she was in and out, Junior and George having been recruited to help her with the mounds of bakery boxes and big jugs of coffee. Once everything was in the cargo hold, we set out to the quiet older home on Allendale Avenue. An older black woman answered the door. She introduced herself as Ms. Shirling’s hospice care nurse, Linda Roloff. “Ms. Shirling is having a somewhat decent day today, so she has asked me to hold her meds until after she speaks with Mr. Puckerman and his mother. I hope that you don’t mind meeting all at once. Her energy goes very quickly. She did ask that I bring you all up to speed on her latest prognosis before the meeting. The cancer has spread to all her abdominal cavity lining, lungs and fully invaded her lymph nodes.”

She gave us a long moment to comprehend what she’d just said before continuing. “Since the diagnosis came so late, she elected not to do chemo or radio therapy since they would have only weakened her system with very little chance of actually being able to decrease the prevalence of the tumors. Therefore, while she is very thin and frail, she doesn’t look like what most people assume a cancer patient will look like. Ms. Shirling was moved from a home care nurse to myself, a hospice care nurse, after her latest oncologist appointment earlier this week. The gene therapy that was attempted when the cancer was diagnosed did nothing to shrink the presence, so it has now been discontinued. Unfortunately, it was a long shot to begin with, though it did seem to prolong her life somewhat. Though she may well be holding out until she could make contact with you and ensure that Nikolette is taken care of.”

“She will be.” Noah said quietly but his voice was so intense that there was no denying that he meant every word.

Ms. Roloff smiled and nodded. “If you will follow me, Ms. Shirling is in the family room.”

Binkie, Hudson and Junior made themselves comfortable in the front parlor and we followed the nurse through the house. It was very dated but clean and well cared for. You could see the presence of the young girl who lived there in every room we walked through. Toys in small baskets under the end tables in the living room, drawings made by small hands proudly displayed on the refrigerator. Nikolette was definitely beloved. I found that that both increased and banked the fires of my rage. Mabel Shirling was tiny, covered in blankets, though sitting up on a comfortable. I remembered her as being short, but a little more towards the chubby side, with a wide smile and laughing eyes. Her smile was gone and the laughter in her eyes no longer sparkled as brightly. For the first time since I’d listened to Noah almost weeping as we talked to him two weeks before, I felt some small measure of pity for ‘That Woman’.

As soon as we were all seated, Mabel Shirling began to speak. “Noah, I am so sorry that I wasn’t able to contact you directly. I looked through my old notebooks and tried calling the number you’d listed for your mother all those years ago, but it had been disconnected. The secretaries I knew at Harrison Middle have all left and the new ones refused to give me your family’s contact information, though I was pretty sure that your younger sister should be about middle school age now. I didn’t know where else to turn and I was running out of time. When my doctor said that the therapy hadn’t helped any noticeable measure, I panicked. I know that the way I contacted the media has hurt you. Your grandmother and lawyer told me how much and I…” she looked over at Mercedes with a small, sad grin. “I wish I had thought to call Dr. Jones’ office…they were my dentists when I lived in Lima, I’m sure I still have their number somewhere.” She started to cough…great swells and spasms that wracked her tiny bony frame.

As angry as I was at ‘That Woman’, I was even more proud of my son as he crossed to her and knelt down and relieved her of the burden of his pain. “It’s okay, I was hurt at first…but I get it now. You didn’t have time to waste. You needed to make sure that me and my family would be here for Nikki when you can’t be anymore. I wish you had contacted me once I was eighteen. I’d have liked for her to know us better before suddenly having to come and live with us…but its water now, okay. You just concentrate on using your energy for living not regretting.”

An almost skeletal hand came from the nest of blankets. “You were always a good boy Noah, you made some of the worse decisions ever, but you have a beautiful heart.” She looked over at Mercedes. “You must be making better choices now, or no way would little Mercedes let you call yourself hers.” She joked tiredly. “Mercedes,” she held out her hand to Cede now who stepped forward and took the offered hand. “Your voice has always been amazing. Nikki certainly her father’s musical talent, she takes piano and violin and flute. She really wants to take guitar lessons. Will you…” she stopped to draw a deep breath. It was easy to see that she tired quickly.

Mercedes was a truly empathetic and kind soul, so of course she took over the conversation to ease Ms. Shirling’s way. “Of course, I’ll find her the best teachers Manhattan has to offer. We’ve already managed to get the Studio School, a private school my little cousin attends, to hold a place for her to attend when the time comes and she moves to Manhattan with us. She will have a room of her own at Bubbie Ruth’s and one in our home. Since we’re still in school and with touring and everything…we just thought that living with Bubbie primarily would give her the structure and stability that Nikki will need.”

“Thank you. I know that you and Noah and your other husband will take care of my baby. I should never have…I never should have taken his innocence…but you all will take care of Nikki. I can never regret her.” she said quietly.

“Did you ever…did you ever do it again?” I heard myself ask shakily.

She shook her head. “I still can’t believe that I ever did it that one time. I have never even had,” she blushed so fiercely that I knew with all my heart that she fully meant the next words out of her mouth. “I’ve never had intercourse again after that one time. I mean, I’m not someone men fall for. Even my mother used to call me her ugly duckling.” She chuckled humorlessly only to cough herself silly again. “Thankfully, Nikki looks like…well she looks like you and Noah and your mother. Mrs. Puckerman…I’m sorry…I know that you’ve remarried but I don’t think I know your new last name. Noah talks about your husband George in every interview, but if he said his last name, I don’t remember. Still I wanted to apologize to you for abusing your trust. Parents trust that teachers are going to look out for their children the same way that they would. I broke that trust and I’m sure that you’ve been hurt by it. I know that an apology can never really be enough, but it is all I can offer now.”

I took a deep breath. “I hate…I hated you. You made me feel like I had failed to protect my child from some sort of predator. I felt like even though I had given up every vestige of a life outside of work and my children, I had failed as a mother. But I see you now and I don’t…I can’t hate you anymore. You’re in too much pain and already shrouded in too much death for me to hate you. I just, why? I need to know why my boy? I fought so hard to keep him as innocent as possible. To keep his father from tainting him too early. Then you…just why? Why my baby?” I pressed my hands to my cheeks to stop their trembling and the tumble of words coming from my lips, and the tears streaming from my eyes.

George and Noah quickly guided me over to the couch. Mercedes and Mom settled on either side of me helping me to find my center again. Mabel had a hand pressed to her own lips, her tears seeming so full of sorrow and shame that they looked milky instead of clear. “Oh my… Oh Vez Mear. I’m sorry. I…I don’t expect you to understand, but my whole life I was meeskait, the ugly one. The best thing anyone has ever said about me was that I had beautiful eyes and a lovely soul. And that person was Noah. I knew it was wrong. I know that I committed a great sin against him and against The Law, but I was facing coming back to my home town and proving all those beautiful ones with their tall, thin, beautifulness, and their joyous families and handsome husbands…I was going to prove them right. They used to tell me that I’d die a virgin, because I was so ugly no one would ever touch me. They would hiss it at me through the slits in the lockers they’d lock me in. Even when I realized that I was pregnant, I saw one of them in the doctor’s office and she looked at me and laughed. She said that beer goggles must be a real thing after all. I just…when he said that, I gave him a hug. It was just to be a hug, but then he…he got an erection, and I knew that it was probably just one of the spontaneous ones young boys get but I was weirdly flattered. It had never happened to me before in my entire life…I just let the hug go way too far. You didn’t fail as a mother. I failed as a woman and I failed as a teacher. Now that I have Nikki, I know…I know that I would claw my way from my grave to kill anyone who took from her what I took from Noah at such a young age. I’m so…so sorry.”

It was my turn to go to her and offer comfort. “Ikh bin dir mukhl. I forgive you. I want you to rest well. I want you, when Adonai calls you, you will go with peace.” I felt a burden lift off of me that I didn’t realize I was carrying. I knew that it would take me a while to fully overcome the feelings that I had done something wrong, but forgiving her had allowed me to begin the process of forgiving myself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I look forward to finding out what each of my readers feel about the two chapters posted today. 
> 
> Share your feelings about the story, what you think about where its been and where you'd like it to go. 
> 
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	10. Stressed Out (twenty-one pilots)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Queen of Heartz by LudaNeet
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe, you are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!!

Stressed Out (Twenty-One Pilots)  
Mercedes PoV

The rest of the time that afternoon spent with Ms. Shirling was mainly discussing her health and the plans we’d made for Nikolette’s future. There was a pretty fierce debate as to which was better for Nikki; staying with her mother basically until the end, or coming with us earlier. It took some time, but Sam finally pointed out that taking Nikki from the only home she had ever known, and from her mother in her final days might seem like it while it might make things easier on the eight-year-old but it could be really not good for her long term. With that decision reached and agreed upon by all of us, we assured the worried mother that Nikki would be well taken care of and raised in their faith. She would attend Hebrew school after school when the time came and have a Bat Mitzvah. We talked over the trust accounts we’d already set up so that she would be able to attend any college she wanted all the way through advanced degrees. It was the same system in place for Beth and our younger siblings. Ms. Shirling seemed soothed by all of that. “I’ve had one of the lawyers in our Temple draw up the paper work to leave everything to Nikki. I have some savings, mostly Nikki’s college fund. I prepaid for my, well, my expenses. I’ve already made the arrangements, I stuck with the traditions. I remember color coded notes and perfectly arranged and alphabetized folders, I’m sure that you are the right one to keep track of this for me.” She handed me a packet of information, I only barely thumbed through it and saw Goldman Funeral Chapel and Beth El Cemetery. Before I could think of anything to say, Ms. Shirling continued. “The house is really all I have, well it and my car. Both are paid off and you can sell the car and add the proceeds to her trust fund, or savings account. I would like to ask that you don’t sell the house. Maybe you could fix it up and rent it out until she is old enough to decide for herself.” She asked us quietly. “I still remember how hard my mother and father worked to own a home. Their parents emigrated from Eastern Europe to Britain as children on the Kindertransport. My parents came to America from there in the sixties and they worked hard and saved until they could buy this house.”

I nodded. “I don’t see why we can’t renovate it and rent it out to a nice family. In fact, I think my friend Kurt and our manager Haja might love the challenge of doing a residential home.”

“Thank you.” She whispered so low I almost couldn’t hear her. “I’ve asked him to see if there is a way that legally Nikolette can belong to all three of you. I see the love there and I am so glad that Noah found the two of you to love him. He really is a good boy. His father scared the shit out of me…but Noah has an incredible heart.”

“I didn’t realize you’d had the dubious pleasure of meeting Paul Puckerman,” Rebecah said as she joined our conversation.

Ms. Shirling nodded. “It was fairly early in the school year. Noah was very happy that his father was actually in town and he was to pick him up afterschool to do something, just the two of them. When I was heading to my car after school, I saw Noah sitting, waiting. It was after four and the lot was almost deserted. I waited with him until after five before Mr. Puckerman arrived. He was angrily yelling at Noah for…well it didn’t make any sense at all that he was yelling at him for not having called him or reminded him or something. It stuck out in my mind, that while it wasn’t the first a parent had arrived very late to pick up a child, that was the strangest reaction to their tardiness I’d ever seen. Mr. Puckerman wasn’t apologetic. He took no responsibility for his lateness at all. I’m not sure why, but I pulled Noah behind me and that was when Mr. Puckerman started yelling and screaming at me. His breath reeked of alcohol, but he wasn’t slurring his words or any of the other common symptoms of inebriation, so I had no choice but to let Noah get into his truck. When Noah got to school that next Monday, I paid rather careful attention to him…but he didn’t seem to be hurt at all and I saw no bruises. Still, that man frightened the dreck out of me.”

“Paul was never one to take responsibility or his own actions. He firmly believes that the world owes him far more than it ever delivered. He can be very charming. But he can also be a horrible bully.” Becah told the other woman. “I’m sorry that he frightened you…but it was pretty rare for him to dissolve into physical violence. He is not a good person, but he isn’t truly stupid either.”

Hudson entered the room with her tablet out. “I’m sorry to interrupt. But the RIAA just released the new certifications for the third quarter. Thanks to a major bump in sales after all of this broke on the Insider, Necessity 4 Existence is now certified five times platinum. You guys could, conceivably, hit diamond status with your debut album within the next six months.”

I stood there with my mouth wide open. That was almost unheard of, “The last debut album to sell that big was Norah Jones…but it took ‘Come Away With Me’ almost three years, and a Grammy win, to make that record.” I babbled.

“According to Billboard, it took ‘Hybrid Theory’, Linkin Park’s debut album that went diamond in two-thousand and five, well it took it five years. That was the previous debut album to hold the distinction before Norah Jones.” Hudson summarized the research she’d happily done as soon as she’d read the news. “I just, I wanted to tell you guys. Congratulations. Oh, and Daniel and Darcy are handling the statements in case the press want your reactions. I’ve placed the pizza order. They should be here in about forty-five minutes.”

Noah and Sam were pretty well still speechless from the news. “Thanks Hudson,” Sam finally managed. “You and the guys should join us for lunch.”

She left the room still smiling. Ms. Shirling congratulated us though her coughing fit afterwards left her even weaker than the earlier ones. When she could speak again, she asked us for the names of the gentlemen who had come to the house as soon as the test came back. “They were accompanied by your lawyer and they said that they were to assure Nikki’s safety.”

We explained that with all the media attention we’d felt that it was in Nikki’s best interest to have some protection from individuals who may have had less than pure intentions. We had no sooner finished calming her nerves from the discussion of the safety measures that we were going to put into place when Nikki came to live with us, then the back door opened and an adorable, tiny little girl with a thick dark brown braid over her shoulder and a cute little Despicable Me backpack and matching sleeping bag came in. She wasn’t even four feet tall and she was really thin, but in the healthy, slightly fluffy way children often were. She was wearing a cute little Fairly OddParents tee shirt, a pair of denim capris and bright blue sketchers. Her clothes and shoes were all neat and clean. I knew that the white gold ID bracelet on her wrist, the matching Star of David necklace at her slender throat and the two cute lady bug earrings in her ears all contained trackers that were being monitored by Rangeman’s Trenton office. I had sat in Ricki’s chair and scrolled through a million sites until I found children’s jewelry in white gold that were thick enough for Grunt to be able to add the tracking microchips. Her big blue eyes sparkled as she happily crowed. “Mommy, I’m home…did you miss me?”

“Oh my Darling little Bubbala…I always miss you when you aren’t with me. But this time, I had some new friends here to keep me company. Come and meet them.” Ms. Shirling said with happiness strengthening her voice.

It was funny that even as she dropped everything and ran to her Mom’s chair, the effervescence she’d showed just seconds before were replace by the shyness even the most outgoing children often displayed whenever they met new adults. We let Ms. Shirling handle the introductions. Nikki had already met Bubbie Ruth, and she seemed to understand all of the relationships of the other five people she met and how we related to her. but she did keep coming back to one sticking point. “So, okay, You’re my father.” She pointed at Noah and he nodded giving her a reassuring smile. “You’re basically my stepmother.” She said pointing at me. It was my turn to give her a gentle smile. Then she turned to Sam, “and you’re my stepfather.”

“Yeah,” he said calmly.

“I really love your album, Mommy got me the CD before she got sick. We saw SongBird in the movie theater the night it opened and she told me that she had taught Mercedes Jones…when The Fighter’s video came out, she showed me all of the kids she used to teach before she had me. She said she didn’t know you from back then, but she showed me Puck and told me that he was Jewish like us. Mommy always told me that my daddy’s name was Noah, that I looked a lot like his little sister and that he would have loved me if he knew about me. I had a crush on you until Mommy told me that Puck was my dad.” She blurted out with a fierce blush.

Sam just chuckled. “Sorry, Lil Darlin’ but my heart belongs to your daddy and our Mercy. But you’re one of my daughters now…so I’ll love you just as strong and deep as I love your little sister Bethany. Is that okay Lil Darlin’?”

She looked thoughtful. “I guess. I mean, Lizabeth Keaton, I was at her house last night for a sleepover and she has a crush on Puck, or Noah or Daddy…not sure what I’m supposed to call him…at least I get your love even if it is a daddy kind of love…she gets bupkes because Puck loves the two of you.”

“And he loves you Lil Darlin’. He has since the second he found out about you.” Sam assured her. Noah looked like he wanted to go to her with every fiber of his being, but he knew from Sarah and Stacey…if he tried that and she wasn’t ready, she’d shut down on us. That wouldn’t be good for building the relationship at all.

Another thoughtful look crossed her face. “Do a lot of people do that…I mean have three people in a couple rather than just two? Because the only other people I know with four parents have four because their parents divorced and got remarried. Like Nala Jeffries. Her dad has been married three times. But she only has to call his current wife her stepmother.”

“Well, you know what…” Ms. Shirling said quietly. “I think that our Lord knows that He is giving you so much heartache taking me from you, that He decided to give you a nice large family to take care of you after I’m gone.”

Nikki looked crestfallen. It was very easy to see that she hated the thought of not having her mother present physically in her life any longer. I just wanted to go to her and take her in my arms and hug her pain away. Though I knew that as much as I wanted to save her from the unimaginable pain, there wasn’t a single damn thing I could do. Her mother comforted her until the tears tapered off. “Why can’t He leave you here and then I could have all of you?”

“Oh Bubbela…you know that we all have our time. Only our Lord knows when or where. He has just decided that my time will be sooner than some others.” Ms. Shirling told our daughter gently. “Now, you’ve said hello to Sam, can you say hello to Mercedes?”

“My mommy said that you’re really smart and I really like your voice…and you were really funny when you were giving the man who played your dad in the movie those side eye looks.” She said by way of greeting. “I overheard Mr. Jackson and Mr. Hoffman at school say that you were only barely not jailbait…but you would totally have been worth doing time for. I don’t know what it meant, but they were talking about how pretty you are before.”

“Thank you…you are very pretty too. Mr. Jackson and Mr. Hoffman need to watch what they say in an elementary school. Little pitchers have big ears.” I grumbled. “When I was your age, I was really into PowerPuff Girls…what is your favorite cartoon?”

She looked at me and grinned. In the next five minutes I learned more about Atomic Betty. Good Luck Charlie, Gravity Falls and SpongeBob, than I ever thought possible. So I directed her into talking about shows I knew something about like Johnny Test, Phineas and Ferb, Winx Club, and Teen Titans. Sam entered our little conversation to tell her about The Legend of Korra and its predecessor Avatar. We were finally able to help her and Puck connect when she admitted, “I know it’s a baby show, but I still watch Sesame Street.”

Puck laughed, picked her up and hugged her close. “Oh you are so my kid. I still love Sesame Street. When your Aunt Sarah was little I made her dress up as Abby Cadabby three Halloweens in a row.”

“I love Abby Cadabby…but my favorite are Baby and Curly Bear.” She said happily. After that, all shyness was gone. She spent the next hour eating pizza and talking with Puck, soaking up the attention that only a father could give. Seeing them sitting together, her on his lap, his strong hands carefully keeping her seated when her exuberance would have seen her fall…I knew that I could not love that man any more than I did in that moment. When Ms. Shirling needed to nap, she asked us to stay and spend time with Nikki. I was very glad she made the overture, because not a single one of us made any attempt to leave. In fact Manny, Nikki’s assigned Rangeman for the day, Binkie, Junior and Hudson joined us.

Hudson had been nice enough to go out to the car and bring in the bag of gifts we’d brought for Nikki. She absolutely loved the Amazon Fire HD Kids edition with a seven inch screen and a green ‘kid proof’ case we’d gotten her. It also came with free replacement any time the tablet got broken for the next two years. We also prepaid the sixty bucks for her to have the Freetime unlimited membership extended for the full two years of the warranty. Artie had talked us into installing a 128GB microSD card that was preloaded with pictures of the family and all of our favorite kids’ books and movies and letters from Noah, Sam and me and pictures that Shelby had sent us that Beth had drawn. Basically anything that we could think of that might make her smile, we’d included. We’d also gotten her a cute little Kurio phone…which was basically a smartphone with tons of parental controls and GPS tracking that we could access on our phones. We’d set up a contact list full of our friends and family complete with pictures and showed her how to add her own friends’ contact information. We left the camera option off and we ultimately decided to set up the Wi-Fi, though we did set pretty strict limitations on which sites she could visit.

Then there were the gifts from her honorary aunts and uncles. Mainly books and toys from our friends in Cali and Ohio. Tina sent her a gift card for Bergdorf Goodman, Kurt gave her a gift card for Macys and the promise of a shopping trip. Brittany had gotten her so many hair dealies that Nikki could, conceivably, never need another scrunchie in her life. Santana and Blaine had gone in together and they had gone a different route. Starting in January, Nikki would be taking a mixed martial arts for kids’ class at a gym on NYU’s campus. Artie’s gift was researching all the tech gifts and helping us set up them all up. He’d added a few math programs that he’d found as well, including this unlimited Sudoku software, because “Nikki’s mom is an advanced math teacher and her dad is Puck, math is in her blood, people.”

Yet even with all the wonderful gifts from our friends, the honorary aunts and uncles had nothing on the real ones. Saul and Mills were already in the process of adding a big ass play structure to their back yard. Devon, Kevon, Patrice and Tonya had pretty much gotten her memberships in every kids’ book club they could find. Tessa, Triple S and Jake had gotten her an iPod touch with 32GB of memory and several pairs of really cool headphones, not earbuds, but the external headphones that would be best for a girl her age. They had asked us to go ahead and load it with tons of music and pictures of them. I had done as they asked and I’d gotten a ‘kidorable’ lady bug backpack from Macy's that she could keep all her new electronics in when she was going back and forth to different places.

I loved our family. My parents had gotten her a doll that looked incredibly like her from the Journey line at Toys R Us. It was really wicked since when they bought it they were just going on Bubbie’s description. They were also determined that they were going to pay for the new furniture we were getting to turn the guest room next to Kurt and Blaine into a room perfect for a little girl. But Momma swore I could pick whatever it was I wanted for the room. Gabby had already sent her a gorgeous pink jewelry dresser with a set of little girl pearls. I didn’t see Becah and George’s gift until that afternoon. It was a stuffed teddy bear in a shirt that read, “My Mommy Loves Me Forever & Ever.” The ivory colored bear had big fluffy white wings coming out the back. Nikki’s eyes when she looked at it almost broke my heart, as did knowing that Becah had searched for something to remind Nikki of her mother’s love, even when she hated Nikki’s mother with a passion few could understand. My mother-in-law was an awesome woman.

Nikki stood up and went and threw her arms around Becah. “I know she does. I’m gonna miss her so much.” Before I really knew it, I’d crossed to them and joined the hug, Bubbie Ruth was only seconds behind me. All we could do was croon that we knew and it would be okay and that we loved her and that even once she was gone her Mommy would watch over her. I was a mess after that…and so glad that hadn’t worn any eye makeup.

Once Nikki was calmed down again, Bubbie showed her pictures of what would be her new room at Ruth’s brownstone. Francesca and Mills were helping Bubbie with the room at her house, but I was determined to handle all that needed to be done for Nikki’s room at our house. I was already looking at furniture and décor. The bones of the room would stay the same. Just the furniture and décor would have to change. I wanted it all set up before we got the call, because then everything would be rushed and crazy. We’d managed to find out that Nikki’s favorite things in the world were ladybugs and butterflies, she loved gray, purple, aqua and teal. She really liked things that were feminine…but not girlie. She already understood a distinction that Rachel Berry hadn’t grasped until after our falling out. I made special note of all of her preferences. And decided that we’d just take the furniture and stuff from the guestroom back to Lima and hold it in storage for Tessa’s college apartment. It would be up to her if she wanted to use it or not.

There had been some talk on the way over of seeing if Ms. Shirling felt like going to temple. That got tabled when she went to nap after lunch. But she was back up around four. Bubbie hadn’t said anything, but I knew that she would definitely want to go since it was Yom Kippur. “Ms. Shirling, do you think that you’d feel up to going to Temple…We’ll drive and take care of everything.” I offered.

Her face lit up. “Really? Oy, I haven’t been to Temple in almost two months. Its Yom Kippur tonight.” She said happily. “Even just going to Minchah will be wonderful.”

So that was what we did. Unfortunately there was no time for anyone to go back to the hotel and change but Nikki was able to take a bath and put on a cute little teal dress. We emailed the crew at the hotel and they all wanted to join us for the service. Then, if Ms. Shirling was feeling well enough, we’d have dinner out before bringing them home. Luckily everything went off without a problem. Everyone at their temple was so happy to see them and, I think they were really relieved that Nikki’s family would be kind enough to take care of Ms. Shirling as well. The service was different from Bubbie’s Temple and different from Noah’s Temple in Lima. He later told me that the Temple the Shirlings attended was very conservative. After dinner we took them back to their home and it was so hard to leave Nikki there. But everyone, including Becah knew that it would be best for her to stay with her mother until she just couldn’t any longer. We spoke with Manny and Chet and they quickly agreed to step in where necessary in getting Nikki back and forth to school and to her lessons. She’d had to stop taking several of them after Ms. Shirling could no longer drive. I was so happy that we could do something to help them immediately, I hugged both guys, a lot.

Sunday morning, we went to the Allendale house and picked up Nikki, Ms. Shirling and Ms. Roloff and took them back to our hotel to have another meal with the entire huge group of us. Ms. Shirling loved it because while Quinn, Tina and Rachel had been on the other team that year, almost all the original New Directions had been her students. We told her all about her old students and it made her very happy to hear that so many of us had gone on to college. Santana had dirt on everyone and she didn’t mind sharing. It was a really nice visit. She was able to help Artie with a mathematical problem that had come up in his science class. But she tired quickly, so we took them home and said our goodbyes. Before we left we arranged to for Noah and Sam to come and visit Nikki again the weekend after we filmed the holiday videos. I wanted to be there too, but Haja had scheduled me an interview and photo shoot with a fashion magazine so I was stuck in the city. We offered to come back the next week, but when Hudson pointed out that we’d emailed her to arrange for us to spend that weekend in Chicago. Once they heard that, the parents, even Ms. Shirling, thought that we should keep the ‘appointment’. Especially since the plane tickets and hotel rooms for the Rangemen had already been booked.

We went home and found that there were plenty of substance-less reports on our trip to Billerica. They talked about the fact that we’d gone and had ‘experts’ explain what was probably being discussed and how we probably felt. But no one had any specifics. The paps managed to get a picture of all of us going into the hotel for brunch, but thankfully Noah was carrying Nikki, so they weren’t able to show her face. We actually did our homework in the car on the way back to the city. There had been little choice, we were scheduled to meet the band at our rehearsal space at four. There was a little bit of a hold up, so Binkie dropped the three of us and Junior off at the Chelsea commercial loft space we were renting for our practices and took the rest of our car full of people home for us. We practiced our Halloween set for a couple of hours, reworking the set list three times. Forty-five minutes broke down to ten to twelve songs. There were a couple of covers that we practiced…some songs just screamed Halloween. Then between 'Necessity' and the 'SongBird' soundtrack, we had twenty-one songs we could do. We knew that we needed to do the four singles that we had out, but that still left us four to six songs to choose from the remaining sixteen.

We hammered that out after some serious discussion. Then we finally practiced our final song selections. Once we were kind of sick of playing the same twelve songs over and over, and Rainbow and Brittany were happy with the choreography they had worked out for each of them, we went to work hammering out a few chord progression problems we’d been having with a couple of the new songs. We practiced three times that week, spending pretty much equal time working on the set list for Leviticus and the songs we’d written over the summer in preparation for our next studio album. the other two days we met up and worked on the choreography for the video shoots that were coming up the weekend after that one. After practice in the evenings, we were rereading and going over all our assignments and working on our midterm papers. We even took our books and laptops with us to Chicago.

As soon as we landed, we picked up just enough groceries to last us until Sunday evening, picked up the box Brandon had sent us from the mail center and locked ourselves in our apartment for the whole weekend. Thankfully, the mailman had put our big box in one of the package lockers and locked the key for it in our mailbox. For the rest of the weekend, all we did was eat, sleep, fuck, bone, make love and study. Friday night was spent almost entirely in the shower testing out a line of water proof toys Brandon sent us, including a dildo that Sammy and Noah made me use for their viewing pleasure. I never thought that I would cum as hard as I did. But having them watching me, their eyes hooded and their hands slowly stroking their hard cocks…oh my damn that was the best solo orgasm I’d had in my entire life. I spent five hours Saturday afternoon in my new collar, a gorgeous purple and black leather and black lace bit of sexiness with Baby tooled into the leather on one side of the front O ring and Babygirl tooled into the leather on the other. Sam took me from behind, spanking me with his new nubby glove with every stroke. Through delicious domination and sheer force of will he managed to pause every time I almost came. He kept me hanging on the edge by my fingernails for over an hour. When Messire finally allowed me to cum, it hit me so hard that I grayed out. God, I loved every moment.

After a loving massage and a nice hot shower where Sam bathed me with my favorite body wash, he and I teamed up on Puck. Probably the only reason Seigneur hadn’t been involved in Messire’s exquisite torment of my body was that he was strapped down to the bed under us, completely unable to move. According to Noah, he’d have cum all over himself just watching if not for the cock ring that matched his new slim, black leather collar. I firmly believed it considering the sheer quantities of jizz that covered my face, neck and breasts when Sam finally told me to unfasten the ring. I’d had a moment of doubt when Sam had been fucking Noah’s ass in a modified missionary position and he gave me what seemed to be an undoable command. “Baby, I want you to straddle our man’s chest and use your beautiful titties and that gorgeous mouth of yours to make him feel so good he loses his damn mind.” But it had worked out amazingly. And my moment of hesitation allowed Messire to try out his new black ironwood paddle. He allowed Seigneur to help him by filling me with his long, thick cock while Messire delivered the five licks. That was one of the best weekends of my entire life.

The weekend allowed us to recharge. We talked to Nikki and then Beth for a while Saturday morning, but other than that we just relaxed and/or studied. In the midst of everything, we’d been so busy that we completely forgot about an awards show whose nominations were fast approaching. There was no massive text barrage on our way to the airport…we weren’t even given the paparazzi treatment at O’Hara or LaGuardia. But by lunch time Monday, that all changed. The quiet was gone. Haja, Brantley and Darcy were pretty much all blowing up our phones. The American Music Awards nominations were released. Haja had already set us up to perform. But on top of that, KAMA had gotten four nominations. We might have gotten more, but we were really hard to categorize. ‘The Fighter’ ended up getting nominated for Single of the Year, KAMA was nominated for Artist and New Artist of the Year and Necessity 4 Existence was up for Favorite Pop/Rock Album. Technically we might be able to have claimed five noms, since the SongBird soundtrack was up for Favorite Soundtrack also, but we didn’t count that on our list.

It was wildly exciting and such a big honor. I was happy and I was thrilled, but I also knew that the nominations added a lot to our list of things to do. That was all shunted to the side when we got a call from Dad. “The Berry Triplets have arrived. Two bouncing baby boys and a beautiful baby girl. Hiram is going to email everyone the details, but I knew that you’d be dying to know.”

“That is so awesome…We got AMA nominations…four of them. Daddy…how would you and Momma like to walk a real red carpet?” I blurted. It wasn’t something that we’d talked about, but I was pretty sure that we could pull it off.

“You want your mother and me with you on the red carpet for the AMAs?” he asked as if I had spoken a foreign language.

I nodded then answered realizing that he couldn’t actually see me. “Yeah, why not? Justin Timberlake took his mom to the Oscars. This is the biggest award we’ve been up for so far. I think having our parents walk the carpet with us will be awesome. Besides, it would be fun.”

“Look, if it can be done then hell yes we’d all love to do it. But check with Johnston and see if you have two seats each or if you can get a third. Once we know for sure…then we’ll tell your mother.” He advised.

I understood his reasoning. Otherwise, Momma might end up with a dress and shoes and everything else with nowhere to wear them. “Alright. We have to go to the office this afternoon to meet the two finalists for the housekeeper position so I’ll talk to him then.”

“MeDe, you might want to make sure that Sam and Noah like the idea too.” He said pointedly.

I shrugged. That was a valid point. I was sure they would love it, but we were a unit. I couldn’t make unilateral decisions for all of us. At least I couldn’t do it very often. Classes were ridiculous that afternoon. Everyone was supposed to be prepping pieces for our midterms, but it seemed like every time I got going good on the aria I’d been assigned, someone wanted to stop me to assure me that they were or had voted for us for all the categories we were up for. What could I do but thank them and sign an autograph? So I didn’t get a lot of practice done. We made it to the offices and we greeted Mr. Zizes happily. He had done an amazing job in the last couple of weeks. The Fanmail Response Team was fully staffed. Uncle Ethan was over the moon about his legal secretary, a six foot tall Nubian dude named Cleotha of all things. Haja, Brantley and Darcy were in the process of deciding between four finalists for their admin position. One of the two receptionist positions had been filled. The decision had been made to hold off on the other one until Uncle Ethan and Daniel had more clients and we therefore had more calls and people coming into the offices.

That afternoon, after a short conference with our team to discuss the nominations and how to get our fans to vote for us early and often. I broached the subject of the parents and the red carpet. I had actually spoken of it to Sam and Noah on our way over and they were both good with it. “It’s been done before. Remember a few years back when Lucious walked the carpet with all three of his sons. They want you guys to perform, I see no reason they can’t fork over one extra ticket for each of you. While you’re in with Ben and the housekeepers, I’ll make some calls.”

“Okay, we’re good for the performance. I’d prefer to do Rub…rather than any of the ones we’ve done before.” I stated decisively. Puck was the first to back me up. It might just be a coincidence, but it seemed like the performers always won at least once. Sam agreed when Puck explained our reasoning. “We’ll talk it over with Rainbow and find out what direction we want to go in for the performance concept.”

“Alright, I will let them know which song. You’ll need to move on that a-sap, Ruth and Kurt will need time to get everything in and altered and the filming in in LA the Sunday before Thanksgiving.” He reminded us. 

Darcy had news for us too. “Your KAMAleons are already going in hard already on the voting. I put the links up this morning as soon as the news broke. You’d have thought they said ‘click here to become rich and famous yourselves’. In just the last six hours, we’ve had over two hundred thousand click the links to go vote. Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be going in hard on Social Media, anything you want me to focus on?”

“I want you to hit back at those crazy people that are claiming that Mercy should be ashamed of the Rub video. She looked amazing, women do actually have orgasms if the guy knows what he is doing, being with the two guys you are going to be with for the rest of your life is by definition NOT promiscuity. Her breasts and ass are real and they are spectacular…oh and can you please ask people to stop speculating as to the size of my junk…that’s just wrong.” Sam blurted out in a rush.

Darcy laughed and patted his very flushed cheek. “Don’t worry…from what I’ve seen as to the nature of the speculation…you’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Oh, we know he has nothing to be ashamed of. He just tends to be a lot more modest than most guys.” Puck shot back. 

Darcy’s answer was to walk away shaking her head and laughing. Brantley was heading back to his office as well. “Oh by the way. I’ve got the East Coast booked. I’m working on Middle America now. So quick question, Cincinnati or Cleveland, got Columbus already taken care of?”

“Whichever one works better for mapping the trip. As long as we do a stop in Columbus I’m good.” I answered honestly.

“Don’t know as I’ve ever been to either.” Sam shrugged.

Puck shook his head. “I’d rather go Cleveland. Had a bad experience in Cincinnati once. Paul Puckerman is like the official worst.” He didn’t elaborate, so we didn’t ask.

“Cleveland it is then.” Brantley grinned. “Cleveland works better than Cincinnati for the mapping anyway. Oh and keep your spring break clear. If I can get the Coachella people up to my number, you’re booked for at least a few days.”

We agreed to that. Even just the idea of being at Coachella was not one we’d turn down. As we headed into the larger of the two ‘Standby’ offices, I wondered how our friend’s spring breaks would line up with ours. Of course, I pushed that thought to the side as I took the seat Puck held out for me. Ben, or someone, had brought in the two slipper chairs from the other standby office. Ben took the office’s rolling chair and came around the desk to be with us. “I had it narrowed down to five, but with you three having partial custody of Puck’s daughter, we eliminated three of them based on Rangeman’s background checks. There were a few flags that were green when they would only be around adults who can protect themselves, that I just wasn’t comfortable having around an eight year old little girl.”

“Like what?” I asked him.

“A juvie record that was miraculously unsealed to find a molestation of a fellow minor child…he was nine and the other kid was six. One was stupidly vegan…She’d been arrested at a protest where they were trying to have the killing of any animal for consumption made as illegal as killing another human. Personal choice veganism can be dealt with; militant veganism is quite another story. At eight, your daughter needs a balanced diet. Not some crazy chick who won’t let the baby have a damn hot dog. The last one…the flag came from Ms. Plum. Apparently she was related to Ms. Plum’s ex-husband and during the divorce she claimed to have been in an illicit relationship with the former husband, her own cousin. There is a very good chance she wouldn’t have made it through the preliminary interviews, but I only had the Rangeman searches done on the top ten.” He explained.

We each nodded. None of us wanted someone who would boast about being with a married man, much less one who was their cousin. “So what do we need to know about these two remaining finalists?” Puck asked.

Ben Zizes shook his head. “Nope, not going to tell you. I want a fresh cold read for them. They are each eminently qualified. They both passed the background screenings with flying colors and they have each signed the nondisclosure agreement. So I’m going to bring in the first and I’m not even telling you their name until I do.” He stood and walked out of the room.

“I wonder where he has them waiting, I peeped into the admin waiting area and there wasn’t anyone there.” Sam wondered aloud.

I shrugged. “Probably in the other standby office.” I said smoothing my hands down the skirt of my maxi dress. “I just hope they can cook. After Cooper and now Blaine…I mean, I’m grateful for them helping us out…but man, those Anderson boys have no clue how to cook.”

Before Puck or Sam could agree or disagree, Ben knocked on the door and let himself back in. He was accompanied by a petite, slender gentleman of indeterminate years. “Mercedes, Sam and Noah, I’d like you to meet Felix Nabor. Mr. Nabor has an Associate degree in Nutritional Sciences from CUNY.” Ben gestured for the man to take the seat across from us and settled himself back in his desk chair.

“Hello Mr. Nabor.” Sam said affably. He led the questioning through the background information, such as how long Mr. Nabor had been cleaning houses, and how many he’s been responsible for cleaning. Nabor had been cleaning for eight years and he had worked through several service agencies. He was just beginning to step out on his own.

Noah took over next. “How did you get into house cleaning?” Nabor gave a well-rehearsed sphiel about how he’d started working for Merry Maids after high school to pay for college and when he’d realized that he was not the academic type he’d left formal education with an AA and stuck with what he knew and what he was good at. Puck didn’t say anything about what Nabor had said, instead he just cruised into the next question. “What kind of products do you like to use?”

“I prefer to utilize organic cleansers rather than harsh chemicals.” He said with another weird smile. It took everything in me not to roll my eyes. Organic cleaners were all well and good and I loved using them on my lingerie…but for a bathroom I needed some bleach used so I knew that the germs were all dead.

Sam must have realized how well that answer went over for me, because he moved the interview forward a few steps. “Why don’t we start by telling you more about the specifics of the position.”

He smiled and I noticed immediately that it didn’t seem to reach his eyes not even a little bit. “Thank you. I’d appreciate hearing what will be expected of me.”

I didn’t quite like the way he said that for some reason. But I went ahead and laid out our expectations. After giving him the basic rundown of the house specifications, I explained what I needed to see as far as cleaning went. “The kitchens and bathrooms must be superficially cleaned every day and deep cleaned once a week. Every roommate and person will take care of keeping our own beds made on a day to day basis, but we’d really like it if you could strip them and replace the bedding from the sheet to the duvet once a week in each bedroom…other than that we will pick up after ourselves. However, the common areas will need to be straightened up and dusted at least twice a week.” I told him with a nice smile.

Noah continued from there. “You’ll be responsible for doing the grocery shopping and we’ll need you to cook at least one meal a day, preferably dinner. It would be awesome if you could also make something that we can eat for breakfast…like some breakfast bar type of thingies. Something that you can do and leave for us to eat the next morning. We have so much going on that trying to get up early enough to make breakfast plus work out and get the class…yeah, it’s so much harder than you’d think.”

Mr. Nabor looked at me, it was a look that really bothered me. “I can certainly create a dietary plan that will allow you to manage your schedule and accomplish your fitness goals. And make meals that ascribe to the plan.”

Sam gave him a look at that. It was like he heard the strange inflection in the guy’s voice too. “Well, thank you very much for meeting with us at this late hour. Mr. Zizes will be in contact with you tomorrow with our final decision.”

As soon as the goodbyes were said, and the door closed behind Mr. Nabor, Noah shook his head. “Going on the record right now to say hell no. That sonofabitch just stared at Cede’s tits whenever he could and then had the nerve to say that fitness goals bullshit while looking at her like she isn’t the most beautiful woman ever. You just know that if we hired his ass Sexy Mama’s panties would start to disappear quick fast and in a hurry.”

“I didn’t see any looks, but I need my bathrooms cleaned with bleach. I don’t think I could even pee in a bathroom where the germs were allowed to run amuck.” I said with conviction.

Before they could laugh at me, which I knew they were about to do, Mr. Zizes came back in with the next candidate. The next person to walk in was a gorgeous woman. She was at least six feet tall and she was still rocking four inch stilettos. Her hips were slim, but she had nice curves up top though, admittedly, hers were a lot less pronounced than mine. Her hair was pretty, a lovely wealth of dark magenta and brown, shoulder length waves. Her makeup was flawless and she wore a pretty black sheath under a peplum blazer that made her hips look somewhat fuller. “Hello, I am Violine Bautista, but usually people call me Bautista or Vi. I have to say that Mercedes, Lady, you were fierce in SongBird.”

“Well, your dress is pretty fierce too.” I said with a wicked grin. From there we found out that Vi had degrees in culinary arts, nutrition, and hospitality management. We chatted for quite a long while before we even got to the interview questions. We asked her why given all her qualifications she had such a spotty job history.

“I’ll just level with you. I’m a woman now, but I was born well, I was born both male and female. There was some gender confusion in the delivery room. The doctors couldn’t tell if I was male or female or a hermaphrodite. My mother was kind of pressed on the idea of giving her boyfriend a son. Had she let the doctors make the determination, probably they would have figured out that I technically most closely fit the definition of a hermaphrodite is what it was called back then, we prefer the term intersex. But anyway, instead she gave me the name Juan Carlos and she had them basically say that what was, in reality, a pretty large clitoris was actually a small penis. I was ten when I started to develop these.” She gestured to her breasts. So my aunt, she raised me from when I was six on up…neither of my parents were worth shit…anyway she helped me to understand what was wrong. She helped me start what basically amounts to the transition process when I was fifteen. There was some nonfunctional male genital tissue that had to be removed and my external female genitals weren’t fully developed, though I have fully functioning internal female sexual organs. So while I’m not exactly transgender, in a way I am, and I do admit that I have facial and body structure that makes most people assume that. If you consider me transgender then I am post-operative, and a lot of people won’t hire me, but if I lie and they find out…then they fire me.” The truth of her words rang true. “I know that you guys tend towards not caring about your people’s sexuality, so I’m hoping that you feel the same way about gender.”

We all shrugged. “No…I care about your ability to cook and clean. What do you use in the bathroom?” Sam asked her. I knew that he didn’t really care as much about the products that were used as I did. He was just saving me the trouble and setting Viola at ease.

“Bleach, first last and always. Gotta make sure that those nasty germs die. Now, I also like this new thing from the Lysol line that pairs their usual cleaners with hydrogen peroxide…that thing can go to work on soap scum.” She answered. “Oh, but please tell me that you don’t like those ridiculous ‘clean by staining’ blue drop ins?”

I shook my head happily. I was definitely not a fan of those stupid things. They hid the dirt until they ran out then you were left with gross ring of stain at the water line. Vi and I shared a moment of true understanding, after which, I ran back through all of the same details that we’d laid out for the Nabor guy. “How would you augment our requirements?”

“Well, just from what Puck has said in interviews about your lives, I’d probably increase the total bed remakes to twice a week, staggered so that I don’t spend all day just on the beds. By the way, I know a guy who is amazing at getting out stains. His name is Patrick Fitzgerald and he has all these tricks he learned from his grandmother. I’ve never seen creases as good as his. He did the curtains in one of the first houses I cleaned…they had gorgeous knife edge pleats and he made them look like they really could cut. He and I have been friends since I moved to Manhattan three years ago. I can get you his information and references.”

“That would be awesome. Because I think that all we’ve really washed in the last month is underwear.” Noah tossed in. “If he passes the background check and doesn’t mind signing the non-disclosure agreement, he’s got the job. Four hundred bucks a week… and he washes the clothes at the house, we’ll supply all the materials, if he has special things he uses for stains we’ll need to know and make sure that no one is allergic.”

Vi looked really happy. “I will have him here tomorrow. He is barely making ends meet right now. Not a lot of people want to hire someone just for laundry…right now he works part time at a laundromat, but that job doesn’t pay him near enough to live on. I’ve been feeding him for the last month just to make sure that he eats.”

I liked that she was a good friend. “Any other changes you’d stipulate?”

“Not really, I would like to understand the grocery shopping situation though? Because usually I would shop based off menus but if I’m only responsible for five meals a week…” she trailed off.

“We would combine the list you generate with your menus with the common, household needs and desires…oh one thing. No peanuts or peanut based anything. Our newest-slash-eldest daughter has a peanut allergy. Any of the tree nuts are fine. But we’ve already gotten rid of everything we knew has peanuts in it, but just know that not even a little bit can be around the house.” I told her sternly. “Other than that, our PA has us set up to receive certain things like toilet paper, paper towels and our favorite cleaning and laundry products by subscription from Amazon Prime. If you get Hudson a list of other things you need, she will make sure that they are in place for you. So for the most part when we say grocery shopping, it really does only mean food and the elements that go into making food.”

Violine looked up at us hopefully. “Does this mean I have the job?”

I smiled. “You’ll need to come in tomorrow evening and do a test deep cleaning of the guest bathroom and the half bath on the first floor…but if your definition of deep cleaned matches ours, then yeah. Oh and bring in your friend, Patrick, to the office for the paperwork in the morning. We’ll let you know if he should come with you to the test. I’ll get him a small load or two to do to test his skills. After your audition, we will have to give you the security information for the house. The nondisclosure agreement is still fully binding. We’ll have your employment contract for you to sign and we’ll run down your benefits package then as well. Your hours will be flexible. You can come in later and leave a little later if you’d like to eat the dinner that you cook rather than having to go home and cook all over again. Do you have any other questions?”

“Just wondering if I am dreaming?” she smiled.

“Nope…but you may think it’s a nightmare after Mercedes finishes going over your work on the bathroom tomorrow. She really is kind of crazy about her bathrooms being clean.” Noah teased us both in the same comment.

We all shook her hand and finalized the arrangements for the test. Once she left, Ben came back in and smiled. “I’ll have all the paperwork drawn up by five tomorrow. Let me make sure that I have it all right…sixty-five a year, not including a holiday bonus of three two-fifty and a matching spring cleaning bonus after your spring break. All the same benefits as everyone else, and the contract for her to be added to the account you created for household expenses.”

“That sounds right. I know that the laundry guy will only be part time…but let’s hook him up with the benefits package too. Because you know that with two part time jobs he might be able to make ends meet, but things like health insurance…let alone dental or vision are above and beyond what he can probably afford.” Sam added in.

Puck looked thoughtful. “I’d say he should have twenty hours a week. He can either do four hours five times each week or six and half three times a week. Twenty thousand eight hundred a year, one thousand and thirty two bucks for the holiday bonus. Two grand for the spring cleaning bonus, because he’s gonna end up washing every curtain and towel and sheet in the house that week.”

Ben took the changes down and as we were talking, he got a thank you email from Violine, which included everything he would need for Rangeman to do the background check on Patrick Fitzgerald, including his go ahead. Binkie forwarded the information to Ms. Plum and we headed home. Our evening was full of mid-terms and love making. I had a paper due the next day in my French Lit class, so after the boys were asleep, I snuck down to the study to go back over it and make sure that everything was perfect. I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something wrong with my paper on Rousseau’s Rêveries du Promeneur Solitaire. I had written it in French rather than trying to write it in English and translate it, so the idiomatic phrases were correct. My grammar, spelling and punctuation were all spot on. Finally after an hour, I decided that I was obsessing. I saved it to a PDF and emailed it to Professor Force before I could change my mind. Unfortunately, my professor for my European philosophers class had assigned me Hobbs Leviathan for my mid-term paper, so there was no way to do one paper for both. I was almost done with the Hobbs paper, just needed to check over the final draft. But I needed to do so with fresher than midnight eyes. So I shot it to Blaine in an email for him to check for me. I had edited his paper on Paul Cézanne for his Parisian artist humanities class…so he owed me one. Plus, we always had each other’s back on the proofing thing. With those two off my plate, I just had to deal with my political theory and computer programming mid-term actual tests on Thursday and my performance for my vocal performance class.

The next day of classes flew by, mainly because my intro to marketing teacher, Professor Harrison, decided to spring a pop mid-term exam on us to really see what we’d learned. I did have to admit. It was nice to have a test that I didn’t freak out over for days before hand…but I definitely freaked out afterwards because I hadn’t had any prep time. She must have been related to Madame Bimbaum, because Madame decided that we should get our midterm out of the way…never mind that she hadn’t told us that we were even having a mid-term at all. She handed us our monologues and basically I had to have the Clytemnestra monologue from Racine’s Iphigenia memorized and ready to go on Thursday. Best of all it was worth a full third of my final grade. Oh joy.

Over lunch, Sam, Noah and I had skyped with Rainbow and hashed out concepts for the performance. We knew that it would need to be sexy as hell to stand up to the hype of the video. But there was no way Sam and I were comfortable being totally intimate on the stage like that. Puck was cool with it. He figured that people would just be jealous. I asked him if he thought he was married to Mae West. And the concept snowballed from there. Rainbow was pretty excited to start the special stage choreography. I was on the fence about the concept, but Sam, Noah and Rainbow totally out voted me. I grumbled about it internally for the rest of the day. Still when we got home, it was to find that Kurt and Brittany had made dinner, a simple skinny Mexican chicken casserole they found off line, but it was really good. So I definitely counted the day as a good one.

Ben Zizes had dinner with us and we looked over the information from Rangeman. Patrick’s background check did have a small red flag. He’d been arrested as part of the Occupy Wall Street protest…which was something that was actually something of a strength as far as Sam was concerned. So he was scheduled to come for a test. Kurt was ready for him he had a shirt, bold aqua linen with an oil based stain. Plus there was a regular load of the workout room towels…we wanted to see if he could chase away the dinginess they had picked up over the last year. Bautista and Fitzgerald showed up a few minutes before six. Right on time. We introduced them to the household…both parts and gave them a quick tour.

Once they were pretty comfortable with where they would be working, we let them go. Patrick got the towels going pretty quickly after asking us if we had any lemons or white vinegar and a measuring cup. We had the lemons, not the vinegar. I was kind of shocked when he put four lemons in the microwave for fifteen seconds, then rolled and juiced them getting a little over a half cup of juice. You could have knocked me over with a feather when he added that to the hot water of he was running for the load of white towels. Then he tackled Kurt’s shirt. He used cornstarch to absorb the oil from the fabric. After letting it absorb for a couple of minutes, he removed that, making sure that none of it got on the shirt anywhere else. He used a little bit of Dawn and water, working that in with his thumb, then with a toothbrush to each side. Then he hand washed it in the laundry room sink with the organic washing soap we usually only used on delicates. When that was done he hung it on the air drying rack. He moved the towels from washer to dryer. When everything was done, the stain was gone and the towels looked like they had just been bought. We sat him at the table to go over everything with Ben. He sure as hell had the job.

While Patrick had been working his magic, Violine Bautista had gone over the guest bathroom like a boss. She sprayed everything down with cleaning products in both bathrooms first, starting on the second floor then putting the first floor bathroom ‘in soak’. I loved that she used a vinegar solution for the mirrors. She then went back up to the second floor and had the sink and shower both gleaming. She used the Amish oil soap on the vanity’s wood parts, the sealed hardwood floor and the railing. The toilet was so clean it sparkled, there was a faint aroma of bleach underlying the other products and I was happy because it looked as good as it had when I’d gone on that rage fueled cleaning binge months before. She had even taken an old toothbrush to the grout. The first floor half bath was treated to the very same beautiful, wonderful cleanliness. Sam took one look at my face, internally almost roared with happiness, and took Violine’s hand and led her into the kitchen where Ben was talking to Patrick about his pay scale and contract.

“So wait, I have benefits?” he said quietly. From the way Ben said yes, I kind of think that he had answered that more than one time. “But I’m part time.”

“That’s okay. You still have the same benefits package as the rest of KAMA’s employees.” Mr. Zizes said patiently. “In fact, since Mercedes is looking happy with Ms. Bautista’s performance on the bathrooms, why don’t we go over the benefits package together?” The duo would leave that night with jobs, benefits and a hundred dollars each for their time that evening.

We knew that Mr. Zizes had that all handled, so we headed up to the guest room so I could show them what I had planned to make the room more eight year old girl oriented. “Since Blaine has no classes or exams on Friday, he already said that he would be here for the painters. I’ve already arranged the movers to come on Thursday evening and move the furniture and everything from here to Lima. Momma is going to meet the movers and have them store it in the attic until its needed. The painters are going to come in and three of the four walls will be painted Behr’s Lovers Knot, a pinkish purple…and the feature will get painted a taupeish gray called Shittake. I’m going to have them paint the base boards and crown molding a very light gray with just a hint of pink to it called Chicago Fog.” I showed them the swatches. Then I showed them the rug and bedding I’d found.

“What kind of furniture did you finally go with?” Puck asked me as he gave me a big hug and a deep kiss. I knew that he appreciated that I’d done all this myself even though I had no time to breathe really. But it wasn’t something I wanted anyone else to do. It was my way of easing our daughter into our life. My gift to her.

“When I was on the Pottery Barn site looking for the bedding, I saw this bed I loved. It has a stair loft, bunk bed kind of deal. The loft is a twin, but the lower bed is a full. I figure that we can buy each set of bedding in both sizes and make the beds to match. When she wants the twin, she can climb up and sleep up there. If she doesn’t she can sleep in the full. Plus too, its stairs not a ladder so it’s safer while she is still so little. Or if Shelby lets Beth stay with us sometimes.”

Puck’s smile was beautiful and lacked even a hint of its current, slight melancholy. “Having both my little girls under the same roof…our roof. That would be freaking awesome.”

“Oooh, brainstorm.” Sam breathed. “McKinley’s spring break is the week after ours and Quinn’s is the week before it. If we gave Shelby and Dave a honeymoon as a belated wedding gift…for that week, I bet you money that we can talk them into letting Beth stay with us.”

“Oh my God.” I breathed. “We should so do that. I mean, we can easily get Jake or Tessa here too to spend time with Beth and Nikki while we are in classes and it will still give them tons of time to have fun on their own.”

“Especially if we come home during the breaks we usually just stay on campus for.” Noah agreed. We decided to run with it, though, much to our shame we farmed out the actual planning of that trip to Hudson.

Then we turned our attention back to the room. I showed them all the furniture and décor that I had picked out. “Everything is scheduled to be here and hopefully in place before next Friday. I had everything rushed, because we don’t know how long Ms. Shirling has.” I admitted.

“Yeah, I gave Bubbie the money to trick out her bed and bath rooms over there. I swear that woman is psychic. Remember when she showed us the design and we couldn’t figure out why she hadn’t just done the whole second floor for her master suite like we did with this one.” We nodded. It had struck us all as weird that rather than having a sitting room and a massive bathroom. She’d opted to do a really good sized guest room and bath across the hall from her bedroom. “Well, that is the room she is converting for Nikki. It puts them on the same floor, just in case.” We all smiled. Maybe Bubbie was psychic, I was starting to believe that Lord Tubbington was both psychic and telepathic, why not Bubbie.

“Bubbie was nice enough to show me and Momma her furniture choices, so I went with grey rather than white, so the rooms would have some clear differences.” I explained as we left Nikki’s room and headed up to our room. After I put my hair up, I showered and got comfortable, I concentrated on learning as much of Madame Birbaum’s Iphigenia monologue as I could. Puck and Sam were out in their play room, quizzing each other for their psychology mid-term. It was a quiet night at home, just being college students. It was actually fairly restful…and wonderful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...whaddya think?
> 
> No for reals...feed the plot bunnies now while there is still time for them to grow.
> 
> Let me know what you think of the chapter. Also weigh in with your opinion on whether I should do another pull out Christmas/Hanukkah/Winter Holidays type story again for this school year.
> 
> So This Is Christmas Part II if you will.
> 
> In other words help me entertain you...LOL.


	11. So You Wanna Be a Rock and Roll Star (The Byrds) & This is Halloween (Danny Elfman)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> The Past Returns by Ssann

So You Wanna Be a Rock and Roll Star (The Byrds)  
Puck PoV

The Wednesday and Thursday of midterm week were filled with exams and finishing up papers and projects and turning them in. Thankfully there was nothing on our calendar for Thursday night. Well, except the delivery guys bringing the furniture of Nikki’s future room, but Hudson was cool with handling that for us to give us time to get dressed. Sam and Sexy Mama had been so damn great about everything with Ms. Shirling and Nikki…even understanding the fact that I never told them about it, that I wanted to something special for them. I was able to get us reservations at Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse so that we could have a nice romantic date night. We had to be up early the next morning, since we were doing video filming all weekend and it started bright and early that Friday morning, since we’d managed to avoid any Friday exams. Besides, KAMA hadn’t been seen going out like that in a while, so it was about time. I texted Sammy Boy and Sexy Mama to let them know that I was taking them out for dinner and we needed to be out the door by eight.

The surprise for them was that I had gotten us tickets to go to a comedy club afterwards. We could laugh our asses off then go home and bone until we dropped from satisfaction. Of course, my plans never work out the way I thought they would. Sam and Cede were both cool with going out. We got home and Sam and I took showers then got dressed. He actually picked out clothes for both of us, I was kind of shocked. “Hey, I want to see if I’m picking up anything when Kurt and Bubbie and Mercy are blathering on about fashion.” He defended. For himself he’d selected his navy blue, Tom Ford summer weight suit, complete with pale ivory dress shirt and a blue and ivory bias striped tie. He put me in a slightly heavier charcoal Gucci suit with a similar dress shirt and a tie that looked like someone had grabbed ivory gray and blue thread than then sat at a loom while on an acid trip. Once we were dressed, we headed out to our man cave to chill until Mercedes was ready.

Sam turned on the TV to amuse us and hopefully distract each of us from the fact that we were looking really damn good and Sexy Mama was going to look even better when she got finished getting all dolled up. For some reason, probably because music channels didn’t play videos anymore and the stupid things could be amusing but they were never something we just had to sit and finish watching. Anyway, we ended up watching one of those stupid entertainment news shows. So Access Hollywood was doing this thing where they were asking random celebrities who their celebrity crush was. One of the guys they asked was Jared Leto. “I would never interfere in a relationship, like ever. But that new singer…the one from KAMA…Mercedes.” He gave a small smile and his eyes kind of got leery. “Her. She is beautiful and talented.”

We couldn’t disagree with him and it was just cool or whatever. Until Kit Hoover chimed in to say, “That was a lovely sentiment, one which Jared has seemingly put a lot of thought into.” Then they showed the dude talking about how sexy Cede was like six other times. I could feel myself starting to get pissed.

Of course that was when Billy Bush had to add his two cents. “Jared has good taste. Have you seen their latest video, or did you see her at the VMAs red carpet? She is a very beautiful young lady. However, I’m not the only one who agrees with Mr. Leto.”

They showed Cameron Diaz saying that she loved her body, but probably she might love it a little bit more if Cede had shared the boob wealth. But then she gave them that Charlie’s Angel smile, “No seriously. I’m just grateful that she is a beautiful and curvy young woman who goes out of her way to say that all bodies are beautiful. Every woman needs that affirmation in this society.”

Colin Ferrell couldn’t remember Cede’s name or our group’s name, but he managed to get his point across anyway. “The black girl from the new rockish group, it’s her and her two boyfriends and every one was all pissed off because they love who they love…the one with the shape that would make any straight man anywhere drool in his dreams. Now she’s worth fancying.”

The last one though…the last one was pretty worrying. It was the guy that played Loki. Hiddleston, he was newly single and his response was more worrying than any of the others. “There is something positively brilliant about the young lady in the music group KAMA. She seems to have a magnificently strong will and character. She conveys a sense of positivity and acceptance that is quite thrilling and quite attractive. Her loyalty and integrity seem unimpeachable. Then there is the fact that she has the most compelling voice I’ve ever heard. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that she is very physically appealing, very. Yes, I believe that she would be the celebrity I would have to fancy.”

His statement wasn’t troubling, but not because of the usual red flags. He wasn’t a danger to her. He wasn’t objectifying her. It was worry worthy because he was totally Mercedes’ type and because what he had to say was just freaking Brit-speak for all the things we love about her. I looked over at Sam and he was looking over at me. “He’s kind of skinny. We should be okay.” His reassurance fell a little flat.

I shook my head. “She said he was sexy when he was Loki.” I reminded him.

He nodded. “Yeah, but she said that Chris Hemsworth was hotter.” He looked hard over his shoulder. “I’d be more worried about Jared Leto. He has really cool hair, he can sing and he is literally every girl’s type.” I nodded. Dude did have some epic hair and he kept it that way all the time. Hiddleston only had long hair when he was being Loki. Then again neither me nor Sam had long hair. Our hair was just thick as hell. Before I could think of anything to say, Sam got a distracted look on his face. “We need to squash this. I mean, remember how mad she got at us for the whole Idris Elba thing.”

I nodded. “Yeah, still. I was cool with Colin Ferrell, but Loki and Leto better watch their asses.” I grumbled.

Sam just shook his head at me. “Man, we’ve gotta be cool about this. We can know that we are Neanderthal asses who get jealous when other guys who see how amazing Mercy is…but the last thing we need is her knowing it. For women this kind of thing is a trust issue. She won’t think that we just want to protect our relationship, she will think that we don’t trust her to be faithful to us.”

I sighed. Women just didn’t get it. “Of course we trust her. She is Cede…she is the most loyal person I know. I mean, I’d have said fuck you to Hummel years ago if I’d been her. But we do know how other dudes think. There are plenty of real men who would never try and press up on a chick with a man. But other guys see that shit as a challenge. Cede’s got tons of backbone so that wouldn’t be a problem…except plenty of those assholes who see rejection as a challenge are the type of pathetic dickheads who would force that shit…dudes like that bastard prick Williams. If Cede was jealous of another chick, I know enough to run the fuck back to our woman’s side. I’ve seen enough movies and shit to know chicks know when another chick is shady. I just wish they would believe that dudes know when another dude is a prick.”

Sam barely had a chance to cosign, when Mercedes stepped out of our bedroom looking good as hell. She was wearing a pair of ‘nude’ leather, red bottom pumps with high as hell heels and pointy as fuck toes. Going up her pretty brown legs were bare until her knees. That was where the slim skirt of her cocktail dress started in a pinkish-beige, slightly metallic, silky fabric that made her skin just fucking glow. The dress itself followed her curves in the subtly sexy way that she was becoming known for around the world. It nipped in at her waist with an even shinier, thin belt kind of detail before demurely, well as demurely as possible considering how blessed she was in that particular area, covered the prodigious swells of her gorgeous tits. Then the dress did a sort of fold over thing to give it sleeves and turn it from a strapless deal to an off the shoulder dress. She wasn’t wearing a necklace, just a pair of big ass teardrop ‘statement’ earrings that came down to her shoulders and somehow made her strong little neck look longer. The earrings, her shoes and the fringy stole thing she carried were all the same orangy-red color, but her little clutch purse was a metallic pinkish-goldish-beige that made the metallic of her dress stand out even more. God, I wanted to go over there and kiss that sexy ass lipstick from her full, juicy, sexy lips. It took me a second to realize that the lipstick’s color was a warmer version of the color of her accessories. Her eyes were lined in a shade of brown darker than her skin, but still light enough not to look black that kind of looked like she’d been watching Cleopatra recently, but not in a weird or over done way. Above the liner, she had dusted her lids with goldish-ivory eyeshadow. Her soulful brown eyes looked like they could read your every sin that night. Her hair was pulled back and up in one of those curly updos that take half an hour to create but look like they took five minutes to do.

Damn, our woman knew how to put herself forward as the best possible version of her. Not that any version of her wasn’t really fucking awesome. There was a reason she was already being wooed by Vogue for an interview. Haja had called her with that news the day before and she truly loved that fact. She and Kurt had kvelled for almost an hour. My chest swelled with pride just knowing that she allowed me to be seen in public as her man. I looked over and Sam was just as proud and happy for the exact same reason. We looked damn good. When we reached the first floor, we were surprised to see Lester Santos and Darcy waiting with Binkie rather than Junior. Lester looked at us and made appropriately complimentary noises. Darcy was never appropriate. “Damn, Boss Lady, I know you’re younger than me…but I want to be like you when I grow up.”

Cede looked Darcy over. Our usually layered and covered up Social Media manager was decked out in her best date night fashion. She looked really nice in a navy, lace, scoop neck mini dress and nude sling back pumps. Her lips were fire engine red and she was wearing a simple gold chain with a single pearl for the pendant and pearl stud earrings. She didn’t bother with a clutch, her bag was a tote the same color as her shoes, I was pretty sure it contained her iPhone, the OnePlus One android phone she used to do our social networking on the go and her iPad Air 2 that acted as a super computer when she couldn’t get to her laptop or her desktops. And probably one of her trusty Tasers. “I don’t know why…you look good Girl.” Mercedes told her honestly.

“Oh I know I’m the hotness.” Darcy laughed. “But my rack, as awesome and capable of rendering men speechless as it may be, just can’t compare to the Rack of Unusual Size you’re sporting. Add that to that ass that is making that dress look right even from behind…and you, Boss Lady are traffic stopping hot tonight. Sam and Puck…you two look good too…the three of you together…just a metric fuckton of Oh My DAMN.”

Lester laughed, he looked down at Darcy with a complete and total devotion that I knew he didn’t intend to feel let alone show. “I hope it is okay that Darcy and I tag along. When I realized that we had reservations at the same restaurant at roughly the same time, I figured that there was no reason for Junior to have to work tonight when I was capable of providing backup for Binkie if there is any need.”

“We’re cool with it. Junior was on duty earlier.” I told him honestly.

With that settled, we headed outside. Rather than seeing one of the usual black SUVs, either one of Rangeman’s or Cede’s Tahoe, there was a shiny black Chrysler 300 limo. There was even a fucking chauffeur. Binkie held the door for us before taking the front passenger seat next to the dude in the hat. Lester looked at us. “Since you guys usually utilize your own vehicle, you have plenty in the transportation budget…I figured the splurge wouldn’t hurt.” He explained to Sam who’d definitely had that ‘how much is this costing us’ look on his face.

We just nodded. Then Mercedes gave him that thousand yard stare glare and asked, “So, Mr. Santos…do we need to be having a shovel talk?”

Darcy shook her head with a laugh. “No. Darcy doesn’t do serious relationships. Lauren might…but this cousin is nowhere mature enough for a monogamous, long term thang. Fortunately neither is ‘Mr. Santos’. We’re just two very sexy people enjoying giving each other ridiculous amounts of orgasms.”

I smiled to myself. Outwardly I just shrugged. “Well, if you guys ever do…prepare yourself Lester. Cede’s shovel speech is a thing of beauty. But Lauren’s is even scarier.” I shivered when I remembered the speech I got from Lauren in defense of both Cede and Sam once we were cool again after our breakup.

Thankfully our reservation was ready and so was theirs. I’d kind of been a little worried that we’d all end up at the same table or something. But we were shown to a nice, a really nice table in a location where we couldn’t be seen from the windows, but we weren’t near the kitchen or anything. Our waiter was excellent and the food was awesome. We looked over the menu and it was divided into eight sections. We almost made the dumb ass mistake of ordering from each since the titles of each section were in Italian. But Donato, our waiter, explained it to us. The first three sections were the finger foods and then the more substantial appetizers and the salads. The next three were the entrees, either pasta, Italian casseroles and complete chicken or fish meals or kind of a build your own entrée deal where you chose your steak or seafood and then sauce and side. Thing was that if you wanted to you could take the pasta or casseroles and order those as sides to the steaks or seafoods. So we went with that.

We each ordered a different small antipasti plate. Each one was just enough for the three of us to share and each get to taste. Sam went with the American Kobe beef meatballs and caciocavallo, an Italian sheep’s milk cheese. Cede ordered the Maryland crab cakes with tarragon mustard aioli and toasted cashew vinaigrette. So I went with the grilled sausage, marinated peppers, spicy tomatoes on Tuscan toast. All three were pretty good, but they were finger foods, by the time we all sampled them, they hadn’t even taken the edge off the fact that our last meal had been like nine hours before. We didn’t actually order any wine, but Donato served us each half a glass based on what we’d ordered. Mercedes had a 2011 Abbazia Di Novacella Valle Isarco Kerner Praepositus from Alto Adige. Granted we only knew that because he told us. He gave Sam a 2008 Castello Di Fonterutoli Siepi made in Tuscany and I ended up with a 2006 Bellavista Franciacorta Vittorio Moretti from the Lombardy region. With three distinct colors of wine in front of us, we knew better than to take more than a sip of the others glasses, just to taste. They were very different from each other though they were all very, very good.

For our entrees, Donato again brought us just half a glass of wine. He kept our water glasses filled like a boss all night though so it wasn’t as if we minded. Sam had the pappardelle, braised veal oxtail ragu alongside the center cut veal rib chop and finished with the roasted Brussels sprouts in carrot purée topped with slivered almonds. Donato brought him a half glass of 2007 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto Riserva DOCG, from the Piedmont. I was determined to remember the names of the wines so I could google them later. Something told me that Donato was trying to teach us about fine dining…if he was going to teach it, I didn’t mind learning it. Cede loved that shit. With her braised veal agnolotti, black truffles, parmigiano, center cut filet mignon and spicy broccoli rabe, he brought a 2011 Cantina Terlano Quarz Alto Adige Terlano Sauvignon Blanc. And then with my prime natural aged New York sirloin, salt roasted fingerling potatoes and crab ravioli, served in ricotta and orange infused butter sauce he gave me a 2008 Tasca D'almerita Rosso del Conte made in Sicily.

Everything was delicious…I mean really, amazingly good. I got the check since I’d made the reservations and the date was my idea. Plus I had no desire for Sam to see it. The thought of three people having a dinner that ran almost five hundred bucks would have bothered him at least a little; probably a hell of a lot more than a little. I wasn’t having any bullshit spoil our night. I was pretty sure that the by the glass wine thing was a rip, but I didn’t care. It was worth it for the lesson in how to eat in places like that. I paid the bill and left Donato a twenty-five percent tip for helping us look more like we belonged rather than letting us look like stupid college kids with big bank.

Davio’s didn’t really do traditional desserts. I could have preordered a cake, but we were going to the comedy club and we’d be expected to order something there, so it wasn’t a big deal at all. The Limo delivered us to the front of the world famous Caroline’s On Broadway. We lucked out and that evening’s show was Katt Williams. He was hilarious. For where our seats were, I didn’t think he could see us, but turned out he had a small part of his set about us. “Man, I’m telling you…this music group KAMA. I’ve got some real mixed feelings about them. I mean, I like the fact that their asses sing and play their own music, and it’s got that smooth, R&B undertone to even their rock songs…so I like that and Lil Girl’s voice…that shit will make a nigga’s dick hard without even trying. You know that’s at least part of why those two white boys won’t let her go. Hell, they fuck each other just to get her ass and keep it.” The people who could see us checked to see if we were laughing before they finally giggled themselves. “But see the emotional conflict comes in on the whole ‘they done brought back real baby makin’ music’ thing. I’m probably looking at three or four new muthafuckin’ kids in the next year or so. And then they put out that newest video…done made me sweat out my fuckin’ perm three times in the last couple of weeks. Then I remember that that Lil Girl is ‘bout the same age as my son. There is a special kind of fuckin’ shame in having masturbatory thoughts about someone then realizing that you could be their muthafuckin’ daddy.” We were all dying laughing, including Katt Williams.

“But you know what, those white boys they know how to date a black woman. They talking about Black Lives Matter and how the police need to do their jobs without killing muthafuckas every time we turn around. See they do what they gotta do to keep that sista happy with them. Still apparently jungle fever is actually hereditary. The brown haired one, Puck…he got a black brother…hell he’s black his damn self. Think about it for a second…he was already taking care of his baby he had before he even got out of high school. Then boom he got famous, now there is a baby momma coming out to tell the world she done had a baby by him before he even got out of JUNIOR HIGH. He must have some black in him too. The blond one…those lips and he’s southern too. You know that the Master had to have had a child or two with one of them light skinned house slaves and passed that baby off as his wife, now all these years later, those lips popping up on that blond haired, green eyed white boy.” I almost peed my pants. The laughter was loud and exhaustive. Even Sam looked like he was dying laughing.

He had one more line of KAMA jokes. “Still though, I cannot be the only one about tired of hearing muthafuckas like Reggie Bush and Tim Duncan talking shit about that little girl for dating her white men, when their asses don’t date nothing but white women. The muthafucking hypocrisy is muthafuckin’ real. Still I hear brothers talking about how the two KAMA white boys can’t be really satisfying that sista, because of the bullshit stereotype that white boys don’t have big dicks. Now I’m not saying I know for sure…but I will say that I’ve been in jail with some white muthafuckas had dicks bigger than me. No, not bigger than my dick, bigger than all of me. So don’t believe the hype, there is less difference between us and white folks than you think.” From there he moved onto championing the fact that there were white people in the audience and asking for more togetherness, even though he did admit that he hated Darren Wilson from the very bottom of his heart. I agreed whole heartedly with that.

After the show, we went backstage to meet with him and let him know that we loved his set and no we weren’t offended by anything he said. Then we took selfies with him and sent them to Darcy to post appropriately. We probably could have done it ourselves, but I wanted to know what hashtag she would create for them. Binkie showed us out a back door to the limo waiting on us there. Apparently people had tweeted about us being there, so the front entrance was Pap Central Station. Late on, we found out that at least a couple of them caught us anyway. At some point they are gonna get sick of taking pictures of us getting our macks on or of me and Sam checking out our woman’s ass. We usually wouldn’t have cared, but all we wanted to do at that point was go home and bone until we were too exhausted to even shower again afterwards. And that was just what we did. In fact, at one point Sam was fucking Cede, I was fucking him and when we came, that shit was so good we screamed ourselves hoarse.

Thankfully we didn’t actually have to sing for the videos. The next morning, we were up at six, at the studios where Cede and Jill Scott had filmed the ‘Who You Are’ video in hair and makeup by seven thirty. Then we were back into the formal wear from the CD cover shoot walking through fake snow drifts. That was turned out to be part of the video for ‘This Christmas’. Then we were changed into a different set of formal wear, that time Mercedes was in emerald green, Sam was in blue and I was in silvery gray. By the time we finished the change, the entire band was there and they were all decked out in Christmas looking finery too. The next scene had us all seated at a Christmas table that was laden with food that looked delicious but we couldn’t actually eat any of it. By the end of the filming of that part of the video, we’d lip synced the song a hundred times.

The next video we did was for ‘Mi Yimalel’, so I was actually alone sort of. It was me in a silver sweater and some jeans on a stool with my guitar, they wheeled in a drum kit and a keyboard Dave and Justin sat down at their instruments. Then Sam and Erika got stools in the back, him with his guitar and her with her bass. I looked back and Artie had a fucking lyre. I didn’t even know he could play a damn lyre. Maybe he couldn’t but he sure as hell looked like he could. It was smooth as shit. The next one we filmed was for ‘Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth’. That one looked like me and Sam were in a studio with just Dave playing the drums. That was pretty awesome, and we got to wear some ridiculously soft sweaters for it. The last one we filmed that day was Mercedes’ ‘Angels We Have Heard on High’ solo video. She looked incredible standing on a stage wearing a pale ivory, wide leg jumpsuit that had the same kind of off the shoulder top as the dress she’d worn the night before. Except where the sleeves on the dress were about three maybe four inches wide, the sleeves of the jumpsuit went all the way down to the floor like a cape. She was wearing high ass brown boots and she looked incredible. I knew she probably had some reservations with the look because the jewelry was all yellow gold, but they looked great with the outfit. The album version of the song was acapella, just her voice…pure and unadulterated. As she stood on that stage all alone looking out over all of us, her most adoring fans and all I could think was that she was in her element…that was exactly where she belonged.

We grabbed something to eat on the way home and we were so tired that I don’t even know what the hell it was. Cede showed us how to clean our faces of all the gunk and we showered and that was all she wrote. We were back at it the next day. We started with Sam’s solo ‘Please Come Home for Christmas’, then we changed and were joined by the band for ‘We Three Kings’. I did my last solo ‘Eight Nights of Joy’ and Artie gave them a great amount of pictures and videos of Tina and some old pics of Matt that they looped into shots of me, Cede and Sam. That was the only one of the songs that we had other people’s vocals on that we did a video for. Of the twenty songs on the CD we only did videos for ten. We did four the first day, four the second and the last two Sunday afternoon after church.

After a week of midterms, videos and babies…the Berry triplets were all biracial and they were all freaking adorable…but Cede’s was trying to drive Sam and me crazy picking out the best baby gifts for them. She was seriously determined. Ultimately, she found each of them the perfect gifts from all of us, an assortment of baby clothes with sayings designed for multiples and a double baby carrier plus a matching single one. We tried to put in our opinions, but they got shot down. She did promise that we could pick out their first birthday gift. The week was exhausting, the weekend wasn’t any better and after all that we had a nice normal week where, yes we didn’t get home until after eight or nine practicing for the Halloween show…but at least there wasn’t the high stress of exams and projects and hell all of it. Plus, since Vi and Patrick had started that Monday, we came home to a clean house and clean clothes and food that was so good that I almost didn’t miss the days when Mercedes and Kurt had time to cook. And fuck, slipping into fresh sheets a couple of nights a week…there were just no words for how fucking awesome that was. Friday night after our last class at Juilliard, Sam and I drove ourselves in Cede’s Tahoe up to Billerica. We stayed in a Hampton that time, hoping to remain under the radar. Cede let herself and all the girls in the crew, plus Kurt, get caught by the paparazzi going to Faina. That really helped, because when we read anything about Sam and I it was just supposition about what the KAMA guys did when we were hanging with our friends.

What we did that particular weekend was spend the night talking and all Saturday doing whatever Nikki wanted to do. We also went grocery shopping because as Ms. Shirling got weaker and weaker, there was less she could do even with help. Nikki was an amazing little girl. She was only eight, but she was doing Sudoku puzzles that had Sam shaking his head. She read books that I wouldn’t have been able to manage when she was conceived. She could draw, a talent only Bubbie possessed among my entire family and Ms. Shirling swore no one in her family had. I just loved finding pits and pieces of her personality that came from me or my family. After we got back from the grocery excursion, we went to the park. Nikki was one of those crazy park kids who did the stunts that no one else could or would dare. Yet another thing she got from her old man.

When we got back to the house, she and Sam spent hours drawing pictures. I used a grill on the back porch to make hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner and Sam had made some special soup his MeMaw made when they were feeling bad. Ms. Roloft was way too relieved for my sense of well-being by the fact that Ms. Shirling ate almost half a cup of the soup. We stayed as late as we could Sunday, taking Nikki back to the park and helping her with a science fair project that wasn’t due for a while, but that she was really excited about. She was examining the effects of hand soap and hand sanitizer on bread mold. Damn, my little girl was so smart. Leaving her there, Sunday evening sucked. As we were heading out, Ms. Roloft pulled us to the side. “I know that you said you had an event you were performing at this Friday night for Halloween, but I think that you need to come Saturday if at all possible.” She said cryptically. Her face was sad enough to say what she didn’t.

“We might not get here until that afternoon, but we’ll be here.” I answered.

Sam nodded and sent off a quick text to Sexy Mama and Hudson. “We have to be back in Manhattan by two Monday afternoon, but we’ll stay until Monday morning.” He agreed.

“Good, good. I’ll try and get Nikki prepared and enthusiastic about packing her things. We can do some here and there so there won’t be everything to do all at once.”

“Oh God.” I muttered realizing that for Ms. Shirling, death was coming on swift feet. “Nikki’s rooms are pretty much ready and waiting on her. Cede is putting some finishing touches on the one at our house, but Bubbie Ruth’s is perfect.” Then again, Bubbie Ruth had allowed other people to help. Even the things Mercedes allowed other people to do, she payed such close attention that she was basically micromanaging. Blaine had finally turned off his phone the Friday we were filming the videos and he was there with the painters. She was checking in obsessively. Then she got a little pissed when she got home and, while the accent wall was done exactly as she wanted it, the fluffy ivory butterflies on the three purple walls weren’t done the way she’s found online. Instead they flew around the room only at and above the border level.

“Look Diva, the one you found online would have played havoc with the furniture placement you mapped out. I had to make an executive decision…so I made it.” Blaine finally said exasperatedly. “It’s better this way.” She pouted for just a second that she couldn’t argue with him then she gave him a big hug and all was forgiven. Blaine was so used to dealing with diva type behavior, Cede probably didn’t even faze him.

When we’d left, the big ass area rug and the furniture was all in place. They were waiting on the decorative pieces and lamps and stuff that should have arrived while we were in Billerica. Cede had even special ordered her a bunch of her own towels and plenty of extra sheets and school supplies for her desk. After our chat with Ms. Roloft as we were leaving, Sam and I spent the whole ride back to the brownstone hoping and praying that everything had arrived on time. If we had to tell Cedes that we could need that room sooner than we’d really thought and things weren’t there and in place, that would be…no it didn’t even bear thinking about. She would totally loose her shit if she thought that she had messed up the first thing she felt she was able to do for our oldest daughter.

 

This is Halloween (Danny Elfman)  
Kurt Pov

The more I worked with Mercedes and Haja and Bubbie Ruth, the more I fell back in love with fashion. It was like I was returning to a love that was meant to be after having an affair and almost losing everything. While Lauren’s dad was in New York, my position was formalized. I had a salary and a corporate credit card and it was really, wonderfully amazing. The trust that Mercedes granted to me, I still wasn't sure that I was really deserving of it. I knew that I had hurt her quite a lot by allowing Rachel to come between the two of us. That was a mistake that I was so happy I’d had the strength and opportunity to correct. So much good had come into my life and Blaine’s and Burt’s and Carole’s and Finn’s since I’d corrected my course, as Blaine called it, that I was forever grateful for the chance to make things right. Sometimes I thought that I would spend the rest of my life making things up to Cedes, but Blaine pointed out that all Mercedes wants for me is that I stay her friend and that I am happy.

I, myself, was amazingly happy. I had my love. I had my family and friends. Even more, I had an opportunity that all of my FIT classmates would have killed for, so despite a really full schedule, I still found the time to find three hair and makeup artists to handle everything that evening. I’d hired four senior fashion design majors who were well known for their tailoring abilities to help me getting all the costume adjustments made. We had needed to borrow the small fabrication lab, to get all the sewing done, but we were a week out from Halloween and everything was finished. Cedes, Puck, and the band had the time they needed to practice in their costumes and to adjust the choreography where the costumes couldn’t be adjusted instead. That had allowed me and my assistants to spend the last week altering the costumes for Hudson, Darcy, Blaine and myself. Quinn and James weren’t able to come, they were already committed to doing something on their campus. Ryan was going to be Jamie’s plus one at the NYADA Halloween party. She had had a bad experience her first year there so Ryan was going to be her backup. I wasn’t sure if those two were dating or not. They kind of kept their relationship status to themselves. The last two tickets were going instead to Seth and Summer. But both of them were handling their own costumes. Cedes had been worried about how we’d get Binkie or Junior in, but they were considered to be part of the band. Tina had asked Jamal for us since we knew that Brantley wasn’t a huge fan of most of Lucious Lyon’s people.

Haja had okayed the use of the office conference rooms for hair and makeup which was perfect because the instruments were all there anyway. Brantley arranged their sound check early enough that the band could be back at the offices in plenty of time to get ready. The original plan had Bubbie Ruth helping me the night of with any last minute sewing needs, but Puck had asked her to go and spend the weekend with Nikki, all of us would be joining her the next day. Puck and Cedes had asked that we help them with getting things ready to move Nikki down to the city after…well after. So Bubbie had taken the paperwork from Cedes’ Uncle Ethan and from The Studio School and she had gone up that afternoon to get things set up so that the transition would be as painless as humanly possible.

With Bubbie Ruth unable to be there, I’d enlisted two of my FIT cohorts to make sure that everything was perfect. Every member of KAMA’s band arrived before six. The guys were ready first. Mainly because there was little that they needed other than the costumes. Well Artie had to have a few prosthetics to make him look bald and as if he had Hugo Strange’s distinctive facial hair, and Simeon and Jackson had to be painted white and have their mouths fitted with interesting prosthetics and makeup to turn them into two different versions of the clown prince of Gotham. Then Blaine had to get in the chair to get painted a reddish purple color and have a sinister, thin, villainous goatee affixed to his face. Once that was done Erika was up. It took all three of the makeup artist working with three airbrush machines like thirty minutes just to do the base of fern green. There was another layer of more yellowy, leaf green over that, then they left it to the makeup artist Cedes had put me in contact with, Trina Vega, to do the detail work. The entire time, Erika was wearing just a tiny green thong and a pair of green pasties. Even though they were doing the air brushing in a temporary booth made of shower curtains, not out where all could see, I had to admire her self-confidence. I was not that comfortable in my skin.

If Erika had the most elaborate makeup, Hudson had the simplest. It was a simple beauty makeup since Hudson really did kind of look like Merida without any help at all. Her dark teal and cream medieval dress, bow and quiver just made the connection even more readily apparent. The two remaining makeup artists each took two of the Harleys and using pictures provided for me by Blaine and Artie, they were able to make each of them look as chillingly, innocently, sweetly crazy as Harley giving all the necessary differences for each incarnation. The hair artists were just as gifted. Mercedes had sent Bae Bae to Rickie and the dancer had gotten a ‘quick weave’ that gave her miles of golden blond hair that he styled into to two high pigtails with big bouncing curls and a fabulous fringe of bob length bangs. All that had to be done in preparation for the event was to reinvigorate the curls. Her incarnation of the character wore a purple mask, so her eye makeup was done in shades of purple and her lips were colored in a shiny, Koolaid red lipstick. Brittany’s hair was given a rough and ready set of extensions. The right high pony received black hair added to give it length and the characterization’s iconic look, while the left side received blood red hair. The skin of her face was covered in a thin layer of white pancake makeup while her eyes were heavily shadowed in shades of black and her lips given the full blood red treatment. Elena went with a well done blonde wig that was pretty much glued to a wig cap that was clipped to her hair with more hair pins than I had ever seen in one head in my life. Like Brittany she got the pancake treatment, but her eyeshadow was even heavier…giving her a more gothic kind of look and her lips were cherry red. Rainbow’s length of silky black hair was easily divided into two slick black high pigtails. She let them use a temporary, blood red, hair spray to color the bottom half of one. Her foundation just turned her ivory skin even lighter without going the extreme pancake look of Britts and JaJa. The rest of her makeup was done in reds and black as well, but it was totally gothed out; red eyeliner and black shadow, repeated on her lips with red lip liner and black lipstick.

After the four of them were done and headed to the conference room I’d commandeered for the costuming, Jackson and Simeon were given the rest of their Joker treatment and sent to me. Artie was already done and back in his chair by the time Brittany came in, so he ‘helped’ her into her not at all complicated outfit. We’d lucked out and were able to use the same two pairs of boots for Brittany and JaJa since Britts tights were a mirror images of Elena’s leather Harlequin pants and they wore the same shoe size, they each got one red boot to go over the black side of their bottoms and one black boot for the red side. For BaeBae’s costume, I just gotten a pair of white, wedge-heeled, over the knee boots with weird, cheap, stretch fabric uppers and painted them with red and dark purple fabric paint. Her ‘Harlequined up’ nurse’s uniform had details in each color too. Rainbow’s boots were red and black leather that I’d happened to luck upon when searching cosplay sites. They only had them in two tiny sizes, but luckily enough for me…one of them just happened to be Bow’s size.

For Simeon, we’d gone with the Heath Ledger Joker look, so his suit was supposed to be a bit oversized. His hair and makeup were both perfectly done and when we got him into the purple and green suit, I found myself totally creeped out. Jackson was even worse. He was in the pinstriped purple suit with the yellow waistcoat and handkerchief from Arkham Asylum…Artie had allowed me to watch the game so I would understand the reference. His face was just wrong and unlike Simeon’s green tint, the hair stylist had made Jackson’s hair look full on green and wild. Blaine came in with them and his Yellow Lantern costume went on smoothly. He gave me a smile that was both supercilious and unctuous. He did make a really good Sinestro. Erika was finally ready for her costume. She was wearing green slippers with toes to give the illusion that she was bare foot. A pair of ridiculously brief green tap pants embroidered to look like leaves, were carefully pulled up over the ivy vines that seemed to be crawling up her legs. A custom tailored red and blue hoodie that closed over her breasts rather than zipping all the way up finished her off. I carefully moved the long red hair she was sporting, another of Rickie’s ‘quick weaves’ back into place and she was ready to go. Cassidy had had a quick beauty makeup application, her eyes made to look more exotic, and she’d been sent to me. Her tight, black leather cat suit, black boots, gray gloves and utility belt were donned and she was Talia al Ghul.

Santana and Xena were both ones whose looks were more dependent on costume than makeup. Both were in black cat suits. Santana’s shiny black patent leather. Xena’s a poly lycra blend. They were fairly easy with completely iconic looks. The hardest part was finding them two black bull whips that looked at least somewhat different. Though getting Santana to understand my decision to go with tech boots rather than stilettos took even longer. The Dam brothers were easy also. The Chris O’Donnell-esque costume for Adam was significantly easier to find than the hooded caped Robin of the video game that served as Damien’s costume. But I’d found both and the brothers looked perfect. Darcy had brought me her idea. It hadn’t taken much work at all on my part. The costume was pretty straight forward. A short, white dress that invoked the idea of a bride. I’d actually gotten it off David’s bridal’s site for ninety-nine bucks, it had a lower sweetheart neckline and a bubble hem that stopped at mid-thigh. The white heeled pumps and white stockings were also easy. I’d had to pay full price for the retro look, black leather motorcycle jacket though. Still it fit almost perfectly. It couldn’t actually zip over her chest, but if I’d ordered the size she needed for those, it would have been too long and too big on her shoulders and arms. Being Mercedes' friend meant that I knew how that worked better than most stylists. A blonde wig that showed dark roots had been cut into the right ninety’s bob style by one of the hairstylists while the band was at the sound check. She wore her own jewelry and carried one of those fake bloody butcher knives. With the black makeup and sharpened black finger nails, Darcy made the perfect ‘Bride of Chucky.

Dave became Bane, Anne Hathaway movie version not Uma Thurman movie version. Justin became The Riddler and I became Patrick Bateman…the American Psycho, all through the proper costuming. I did let Trina add blood and had Rickie make my hair look as Christian Bale’s had in the movie. Ultimately, I was quite proud of the look. Seth and Summer came in decked out as ‘The Ironist’ and ‘Little Miss Vixen’ from his comic book Atomic City which is much more popular than I’d ever realized. Summer had a black whip also, though hers was shorter than the ones I’d found for Tana and Xena. Finally, Mercedes, Sam and Puck showed up. Hair and makeup had been done. Mercedes’ long dark brown weave had been augmented with temporarily affixed tracts of red hair and it was all trailing down her back in curls. Her makeup was beautiful. The makeup artist had used spirit gum to hold the black mask, a smaller version of the one Puck wore to her face. She wouldn’t be able to smile until it was removed, which worked fine with the character so no problem there. I helped her into the ingeniously designed black leather and ‘kevlar’ suit. Hers was actually completely open in the back until you zipped the three zippers. Two of which started at each of her ankles and zipped up her legs and over the swells of her bottom to meet at the bottom of her spine. The third started about an inch under the bottom of her hairline at the back of her neck. It zipped down to the base of her spine and then a cute little black lock was used to make sure that none of her movements during the night would start them to unzipping. Her bat ears cowl covered her hair and came to a point in the middle of her forehead. It didn’t extend into a mask as in the comic books. In the back it actually had a gap for us to pull Cedes’ hair through, but the black cape was calf length and ended in the comic book’s traditional points. The black leather over the knee boots had block heels to allow for dancing and, as I told Santana about her own boots, to provide realism. I had to admit the costume was perfect and fit like a second skin, but the combination of the costume and the utility belt that nipped in her waist made her bosom and bottom look cartoonishly large. When she was completely kitted out she did the superhero hands on the hips pose and I was glad to see that the slick edging I’d added the gauntlets on her gloves helped the cape to slid off of them rather than get caught.

Sam was decked out in full Dark Knight Batman outfit. If I didn’t know the truth, I’d have assumed that he’d borrowed a costume from the studio’s costume department. He looked almost perfect. But nothing could be done for those lips or his tendency to smile a lot. His costume fastened in the same way that Mercedes’ did, with his floor length cape, boots and gauntlet gloves covering all the zippers. Puck’s costume was nowhere near as complex. More like military surplus that was black with the bright blue ‘Nightwing’ over his chest. It had ridges where the ‘kevlar’ in the shirt created abs, that mimicked those under the top. His shoulders, elbows and back were similarly protected with the thick pads of not really Kevlar…I was pretty sure none of it was really bulletproof. His black cargo pants were specially made and reinforced with padding in the crotch, shins, knees and backside. His utility belt almost looked completely really and like it actually did contain a mini generator to recharge the electrified batons in sheathes on his back.

Once we were all ready to go, we did a quick job helping to clean everything up. Thankfully a lot had been done as we’d gone along. I grabbed the garment bags that contained Cedes’, Sam’s and Puck’s change of costumes and we headed out to Leviticus. The club was...well it was almost like going to a club or a movie, it didn’t seem real. The back area had places for us to tweak the costumes and we’d be able to help Commune get changed when they came down. Jamal pretty much assigned himself as our guide which was kind of him. “The front is packed. It’s good you got here when you did. Lucious was closing the admission doors soon.” We’d arrived a little after nine, so that Commune would only have to stay until one, one-thirty to make their bonus. “Here is a rough map of the club, VIP is upstairs. The stage is on the first floor. There are bars in both the regular area and in the VIP. Your whole crew has VIP access, but it can get boring and dramatic up there. Kurt, Blaine, Tina has told me tons about you…avoid Royale T and my father. Most everyone else is cool though. Ummm…if Becky asks you if she can watch you get down, I guess it’s up to you, but it would make my life a lot easier if you just tell her that being gay doesn’t automatically make you kinky.”

“Ain’t that the truth…those two are the most vanilla of the whole gaggle of us Glee geeks.” Puck laughed. “The kinkiest of us are probably the heterosexual, traditional, white couple.” I wondered for a second who he meant. I decided that he must have meant Finn and Lauren. We’d all gone out of our way to make sure that he and Sam never learned just how kinky Tessa and Aidan really were. Sometimes I did wish I hung out with the guys a little more often, there were just some things I couldn’t unhear.

By the time Jamal finished giving us the rundown and introduced us to his brothers, one of whom was way too young to be there legally, it was almost time for KAMA’s performance. Binkie and I headed out find Blaine, Darcy, Hudson, Seth and Summer while they got their instruments ready again and warmed up. We got there in time to hear the final song of the first card performer, Empire artist Tiana. I’d heard Mercedes sing too often to be impressed. Tiana seemed to be more about the sex than the talent. That was fine, I supposed, if you liked that kind of thing. The stage setup was interesting. It was actually two large stages connected by a plexiglass and LED enclosed lite walkway that bisected the general admission floor of the club. Speaking to the bartender I learned that when there wasn’t a performance the ‘catwalk’ was open for dancing. When KAMA was introduced, the crowd went crazy.

The lights were down everywhere in the club, then one spot came up on Dave as he started with the distinctive drum solo intro. Erika was lit next as she joined him. Then Artie and Justin as more instruments came in. It was one of two covers they were doing that night and it was the perfect song for Halloween. Mercedes voice came out and she was finally lit. The crowd really lost their minds then. I heard a guy next to our little circle of seven groan out, “Holy fucking shit her body is even better in person.”

The first chorus of ‘Superstition’ saw the whole group singing together, then Sam took over for the second verse. The crowd was dancing, some of the older people singing along. Mercedes runs were fucking beautiful. I never used profane language, but there were just no other words that did her justice. She took the last verse, which was the same as the first verse. But the last chorus was just amazing. By the end KAMA had made fans of the entire crowd. They did ‘Rub You The Right Way’ next, then ‘Rescue Me’ then they broke out an old Britney Spears song that they had totally restructured and revamped and made it their own. By the end of ‘3’ I was pretty sure that the club’s bathrooms were full of people sating the desire that Cedes, Puck and Sam had invoked in them. The next song had those who didn’t get to go the first time in the stalls, ‘Pillow Talk’ was never as dirty on the CD as it was live, and that night may well have been the raunchiest version ever. 

Then I was shocked when Jamal joined them and he and Mercedes made beautiful music together. I knew that if he hadn’t ‘played for the other team’ as the saying went, Noah and Sam wouldn’t have been calm and smiling hearing the two of them doing ‘If You Asked Me To’ together. The guys thanked Jamal for helping them out. Then Mercedes was front and center by herself for ‘Hard Out Here’. The crowd loved the song. I hated how much she said the B word, but it was a good, fun song to dance to. It even had some good points of social commentary. The seven of us stood dancing and having fun for the entire set, even when Cassidy played a mash up of ‘Someone Like You’ and ‘Rumor Has It’ while the band guzzled water and dried off sweat. They came back and Puck was the feature voice for ‘Almost Lover’ then they killed ‘Colorblind’. That song was the best slow dance song of the night. Mercedes and Xena collaborated for ‘Who You Are’ and they closed their set with ‘The Fighter’.

As hyped as they had the crowd, it was no surprise that the audience demanded an encore. “Alright, we’re going to give you your encore…but I’m gonna be honest with you, I’ve never done this one in public before without my whole glee club with me…so if I get nervous, don’t laugh at my ass.” Mercedes said endearingly. They did ‘Thriller’. I laughed until tears rolled down my cheeks. If I thought that the club had been loud and racous before…it was nothing compared to the five and a half minutes KAMA performed ‘Thriller’. Especially when Commune, their dancers and background singers all broke into the familiar dance routine during the instrumental break. I watched every second, then I had to let Binkie push our way through the ocean of bodies so I could go help with the costume changes. I shouldn’t have rushed. When I got to the dressing room everyone but Commune was standing in the hall. Lucious Lyon came up looking for KAMA to congratulate on their performance. “They will be out momentarily.” I lied. Of course, Mercedes picked that moment to let out a very loud, very passionate yelp of Sam’s name.

“You mean they will be out when they finish fucking.” He said crassly.

Santana moved in to take over being the voice box…she lied and handled crass language better than me anyway. “Yes. Fortunately, since they just finished performing for a very appreciative audience, it shouldn’t take more than thirty minutes. Most other venues they have a separate dressing room so it doesn’t hold the rest of us up…”

“Ooooh…remember at Bonnaroo, they got so hot doing their set that they disappeared for two hours afterwards.” Adam laughed.

His laughter was punctuated by a long, loud, groaned “Fuck Baby, so damn TIGHT.” That was definitely said in a familiar southern twang.

I shook my head. Thankfully Jamal showed up. He looked at us all standing there and laughed. “I thought Tina was making that up. They do this after every performance?” We all nodded resignedly. “Well, I guess that’s good for them. They say that the best performers make love to their audiences.”

“Yeah, your bed room isn’t right under theirs. Soundproof insulation is a blessing, but when they are really enjoying themselves…” I wish I could say I said that ironically with not even a hint of a whine…but I couldn’t.

“These dressing rooms are supposed to be soundproof too.” Lucious made a face.

“They are, or we’d be hearing every grunt, groan, yelp and shout.” Erika admitted. “I’m pretty sure that Little Rock is going to experience a minor baby boom come February, and they will have all attended the music festival last May.”

I was leaning against the door, secure in the assumption that we had at least another fifteen minutes before it would open when suddenly I was proven wrong. Sam caught me as he opened the door looking sheepish. “Sorry guys, we tried to be quick since we only have the one dressing room.” He said letting us in.

Everyone in the band appreciated their consideration. Lucious introduced himself and even refrained from leering at Mercedes where she waved from behind the changing screen. I joined her and helped her change while Sam and Noah took care of themselves. As we listened, Lucious, Noah and Sam started to chat. It was really like a verbal fencing match. Lucious Lyon would throw out a subtle, cloaked thrust, and Noah or Sam would rebut with a nice parry or riposte. Jamal stayed, though I could see that he stayed because he was just hoping to keep his father from saying anything to jeopardize his new friendships. I assumed that the elder Lyon in the room was hoping to convince KAMA to jump to Empire’s roster. It took me a minute to realize, he didn’t want KAMA…he just wanted Cedes. Any one could have told him that that was never going to happen. But Sam and Puck were, apparently, not going to be the ones to inform him of that very salient fact. Finally, Lucious seemed to realize that he was probably needed elsewhere. “Next time you play the club; we’ll make sure that there is a separate space for the band.” He said when he finally finished schmoozing. “Mal, you and Mercedes sounded amazing together. Mercedes, if you can, I’d love to have you and Jamal do a duet on his debut album.”

Fortunately, he was gone soon after that. Mercedes had put on her wide strap, black lace pushup bra, matching panties, wide diamond fishnets and was working her way into her shaper slip when I joined her behind the screen. It took very little time to get her into the olive green and red striped sweater dress, black, stiletto, Louboutin knee boots. With a deft hand, she played with her makeup in the room’s mirror turning dark eye makeup full on sinister and staining her lips with ox-blood red lipstain. Once she donned the far too realistic looking five fingers of razory death glove, we rearranged her curls and added the hat and she was the epitome of a sexy, Freddie Krueger. Puck’s second costume was easy bloody and dirty jeans, Frankenstein boots, a bloody and dirty white tee shirt, bloody and dirty blue over shirt, hockey goalie mask, ‘bloody’ machete. He wore the mask on his head not down over his face for safety’s sake, but still. The Mercedes did something with her compact to make his face look dirty, and boom, he was Jason Voorhees. Sam’s was even simplier…blue, industrial looking coveralls, big ass Frankenstein, brown hair wig, white face mask, boots and another ‘bloody’ machete…and he was Michael Myers.

We packed the expensive as hell Batman themed costumes into their garment bags, put away all their instruments and got those loaded into the black van Rangeman had kindly provided for us and we headed to the VIP to enjoy the rest of the evening. The next three hours were a blur of dancing and maybe a few drinks. I knew I wasn’t old enough, but I wasn’t carded and I totally needed them to get through Kid Fo-Fo’s set. My Gaga he was just wretched. Thankfully the DJ that spun after him was awesome and she had really cool hair. We didn’t make our one-thirty schedule…probably because we were all making out with our significant others at one-thirty and it took Binkie, Junior, Hudson and Darcy like forty-five minutes to get us coherent and out of our passion haze. Of course, Darcy posted pictures of everyone in their costumes on the KAMA site and yes, they were accompanied by pictures of us dancing and ‘getting our macks on’ that were posted to Instagram.

We were all feeling far too amorous to do anything but go home. I ended the night with a round of very energetic shower lovemaking with Blaine. When I awoke a few hours later, surprisingly well rested, I decided to check my social media accounts. The Twittersphere was alive with people haling KAMA as the best thing to happen to the music industry in decades. They talked about how awesome they sounded and how great they looked. Darcy had chimed in as Cedes to give me a huge ‘big up’ for all my hard work getting all the costumes for the entire crew. The fashion blogosphere went all in celebrating Mercedes’ style choices and my attention to detail in all of the costumes. I had gained seven hundred new followers on each of my social media accounts and there were tons of posts asking me to start a fashion blog of my own. I basked in the glow for a few minutes before I headed to the shower. The night had been epically awesome…but something told me that it would be the last moments of pure pleasure we would have for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Brother from another Mother (AKA Mr. Illy) has gotten me hooked on Mr. Robot...so if my posting schedule is negatively impacted...blame him.
> 
> Good news is that I'm three chapters ahead on this story, so we should be golden.
> 
> To those of you who are requesting the reactions of our favorite Crazy person and Bad Teacher...they are coming up in Chapter 12 and you will get to see how they react to all that has transpired during the first semester of this school year.
> 
> I promise you will not be disappointed by the wait. My Beta was quite shocked and probably a little appalled.
> 
> Please hit me with a review and let me know what you think.
> 
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	12. Momma Hold My Hand (Aloe Blacc) & How Can I Help You To Say GoodBye (Patty Lovelace)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Harry Potter & the Curse's Cure by Dragon-Raptor (Not Glee Fic)
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe, you are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!
> 
> WARNING: If you need a good cry, listen to the header songs as you read each section. I totally wrecked myself doing so.  
> Aloe Blacc Momma Hold My Hand  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpgvwCZuV1I  
> Patty Loveless How Can I Help You To Say Goodbye  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4F_cXGQN9k

Momma Hold My Hand (Aloe Blacc)  
Nikolette P. Shirling PoV

My life was weird. When my mom had told me that she had cancer and it was terminal, I hadn’t really understood what that meant. Or maybe I wouldn’t let myself understand what it meant. As far back as I could remember, it had always just been me and her. My grandfather had died before I was even born and my grandmother had died before I had any real memories. I knew I had a daddy, she had even told me his name…well his first name, Noah…but I had never met him. So I asked my teacher what would happen to me if my mommy died. Mrs. Leinonen said that a lot of times, if kids are like me and they don’t have any other family then they go into foster care. I didn’t know for sure what that was. I mean, I watched ‘The Fosters’, but still I wanted to know what to expect. The therapist lady my mom’s doctor had me go see said that I was focusing on the after rather than the during to give me a sense of control. I didn’t think she was right, I just wanted to know what would happen to me. I thought that I was being a big girl.

Then I read online what the foster system really was. That scared me almost as much as the thoughts of Mommy not being with me anymore. When I said that to Mommy, she just shook her head. “You are not going to be a foster child. I’m going to get in touch your father. He and his family will take care of you. He is going to be pretty angry at me for keeping you from him, but there isn’t a doubt in my mind that he will want you and love you. So don’t worry.”

It is really hard not to worry when your mommy is sick and everybody looks at you like you should be crying every second of every day. It was almost a relief when summer started. Well, it’s always a relief when summer starts. But as happy as I was to not get all those pitying looks every day, that summer was really, really hard. Mommy started to get sicker and she made a ton of phone calls and sometimes, she would just sit there and hold me and cry. Other times she would sit at the computer and email back and forth with people. I had kind of thought that it was weird how much she liked to see me watch some music videos from my favorite band ever. But then she told me that she had been their teacher when they were younger. I could understand why she’d like me liking them. That made sense to me, but I was still really surprised when she told me that Puck, Noah Puckerman was my daddy. I didn’t understand that at all. He would have been a kid like me when I was born. Then, not long after school started back, a lady from the TV came. I didn’t recognize her because Mommy didn’t watch ‘tabloid shows’. But I didn’t have to talk to her anyway. Mommy sent me to my friend Jazmine’s house to play whenever she talked to the lady.

Not long after that, things went crazy. A man in a suit and a very pretty lady came to the house. They had to take a long q-tip and rub the inside of my mouth. I kept looking at the pretty lady and I kept feeling like she looked really familiar. Finally, I asked her, “Do I know you? You look really familiar.”

The man in the suit and my mommy smiled, but the pretty lady looked a little sad. “Oh, Bubbela, this is the first time we’ve met. And that hurts my heart. But I think I look familiar to you, because you look like me. You have every single one of the facial features that passed from me to my daughter and from my daughter to your father. Except for your eyes. You definitely have your mother’s eyes.”

“You’re my great-grandmother?” I asked. “But you look like you’re Mommy’s age.”

The man in the suit started to say something but the pretty lady threw him a glare that made me sit up straighter in my chair. He stayed quiet. I think I would have too. “Yes I’m your great-grandmother. My other grand babies and your little sister all call me Bubbie Ruth. I’m not the same age as your mother, but not that far from it either.” She gave my mommy a look my friend Jazmine’s mom calls a ‘side-eye’.

I was confused for a moment. I didn’t have a little sister. I was my mommy’s only baby. But then I realized that maybe she meant my daddy had another baby after me. “Oh…how can my daddy be my daddy? Puck is only 21 and I’m eight.” I asked her. “He would have only been thirteen when I was born. How old was he when my little sister was born? I have a little sister. What is her name?”

Now the pretty lady, Bubbie Ruth, gave my mommy a really mean glare. It made the one she gave the man in the suit look like a smile in comparison. “Your mother did something she should not have done with your father.” She tried to give me a smile, but she was crying. “She was more than old enough to know better. She was wrong, so incredibly wrong. But she did it and you were the result.” She said honestly. “You are a very good thing that came from her very bad action.” I gave her a hug. I wasn’t sure why I liked this woman so much, she made my mommy cry, but I could look in her eyes and see that she loved me. She barely even knew me and she loved me. I could feel it. Plus, she didn’t ignore the hard questions. Adults liked to not answer questions kids ask if the answer is hard. Bubbie answered them so I could understand. I liked that. “And yes, you have a little sister. Her name is Bethany Liza Cochran, she lives with her adoptive mother in Lima, but she is still your sister and you will still get to see her quite a bit.”

That week Mommy had a doctor’s appointment and when I got home from school, she had me sit with her and she just held me and cried a lot. Mommy was too sick Thursday and Friday to celebrate Rosh Hashanah the traditional way, so we just had quiet time at home…just the two of us. That next Tuesday, when I got home from school, Mommy’s helper nurse said that the next day, we’d have a different kind of helper nurse. One who would be with us around the clock so that she would be able to help Mommy transition. She didn’t say what transitioning was. But when I looked up the word ‘hospice’ I figured out that it meant Mommy was dying faster than before. That night, Mommy let me sleep with her. She kept telling me how much she loved me and how no matter what, she would always love me. I cried a lot. Sometimes I didn’t know what to do or how I even felt, so I just cried.

That weekend, my daddy came and he brought Mercedes Jones and Sam Evans with him. I didn’t know that he was coming. My mommy had let me go to Jazmine’s house for her birthday sleepover. It was the first time that I’d been away from Mommy all night since she got sick. I’d had fun, but it was hard because I was worried that Mommy might die while I was gone. Mrs. Cuoco, Jaz’s mom…she seemed to know what I was thinking and she let me call home a lot more than I ever had at our other sleepovers. I wasn’t a baby, I usually just called to tell Mommy good night. The next morning when she took me home, she told me that if I needed them no matter what time of day or night, I was to call. She made me promise and everything. Jaz and I had each other phone numbers memorized, so it wasn’t a hard promise to make. I saw the big black car in front of my house, but I thought that Manny, who had been following me around to keep me safe the last few days, ever since he gave me my necklace and bracelet that I couldn’t take off ever, and my earrings that I was only supposed to take off when I was in the shower or asleep, was here. I thought he’d just pulled in before us. Mrs. Cuoco, let me off at the backdoor, like always and she watched until I waved after I opened it.

I met my daddy after that. I was a little scared about meeting him. What if Mommy and Bubbie Ruth were wrong and he didn’t love me? What if he liked his little girl that he knew about the whole time better than he liked me? What if he didn’t want me? So I talked to his wife and husband first. He kept looking at me like he wanted to say something but he was gonna let me make the first move. That was nice of him. But then when I was telling them about how much I liked Sesame Street, he picked me up and hugged me and said I was just like him because he still liked it and made his little sister be Abby Cadabby for Halloween. I didn’t know what to say. Whenever I don’t know what to say, something always slipped out. Like when I’d told my new step father that I had a crush on him. I didn’t even know that I had until I said it. Thankfully the first thing I said to my daddy wasn’t that stupid or that honest. I just told him how much I liked Baby Bear and his little sister Curly. We talked for hours after that. I got to do something I’d wanted to do my whole life. I got to hug my daddy and sit in his lap. For some reason they gave me a bunch of gifts. It was like it was my birthday. They gave me a tablet and showed me pictures of our family and their friends. When they gave me the gift the person had sent me, they told me the name and asked me if I remembered who they actually were. I kept wanting to ask why their friends had given me such nice gifts…but Daddy and MeDe talk a whole lot.

Then we went to Temple all together and between Daddy, Papa and Gampa George, I don’t think my feet touched the ground the whole time we were gone. I didn’t really want to say goodbye to all of them. I think I was scared it would turn out to be a dream. The next morning it proved that it wasn’t a dream. They all came back and they took Mommy and Mrs. Linda and me to breakfast. I met a lot of the people I knew from their pictures, including my little sister’s birth-mommy, not the mommy she lived with. I thanked them all for the gifts they had given to me. “But why did you give them to me?” I blurted out.

Santana laughed and looked at Daddy. “Oh Puck, I like her. I’m the godmother for this one.” She commanded. I don’t know why it filled me with a warmth I didn’t expect or really even understand, but it did. “Look, Baby-Ruth, if your dad had known about you from birth, you’d have been getting gifts from most of us for at least the last four years for your birthday and Christmas…just think of the gifts we gave you as lump sum back payment on the milestones we all missed. Enjoy it, always show the appropriate gratitude…but enjoy it.”

I looked over at her and nodded. “I like you too Ms. Tana.”

Even after they went home, I skyped with at least Daddy, MeDe, Papa and one of their friends every day. I got to know Finn really well. I liked him a lot but he and Brittany were really confusing. They were grown-ups, but I seemed to know more than they did. Things at home were getting harder. The first two weeks after meeting Daddy and Papa and MeDe things were pretty okay…but then Mommy started to sleep a lot more. By the time Daddy and Papa came back, without MeDe that time, Mommy would wake up to see me before I went to school, then for a few hours after I got home. She helped me with my homework and she made sure I had dinner, even if Mrs. Linda cooked it for us, and she made sure I had a bath before she went back to bed…but she was sleeping all night too.

When Daddy and Papa came for a visit, we stayed around the house mainly. We went to the park and we did Sudoku puzzles and I took them to meet Jazmine and her parents, and we did some things Mommy needed us to do…but mostly we just talked and they let me say whatever I wanted to tell them. It was really nice. Papa made Mommy a special soup that his grandmomma made for him when he was sick and Mommy actually ate some. She’d been pushing her food around for a couple of days. I know that Ms. Linda pulled them to the side and told them something, but she didn’t tell me what. She didn’t really have to. I wasn’t dumb. I knew that Mommy was getting worse every day. Even with Daddy and Papa there, she had barely woken up much at all.

That next Friday, was Halloween, but I didn’t think I’d be going trick or treating. Mommy hadn’t been well enough to take me to get a costume, so I didn’t mention it at all. But then Friday, Bubbie Ruth came for a visit. She must have gotten there while I was at school, because she was with Chet in the truck when he picked me up. After we had dinner with Mommy, Bubbie asked me about Halloween. “Oh, I’m not going.”

“Oh my Darling Bubbela. I’m sorry. I forgot all about Halloween.” Mommy said quietly.

Bubbie laid her hand on Mommy’s and told us both. “I remembered. If you don’t mind being Elsa…”

“I like Elsa. Can I go Mommy?” I begged. When Mommy nodded, I thanked them both and ran off to call Jazmine and tell her the great news. When I got back I was even more excited. “I can’t wait for you to meet Jazmine. She’s my best friend. She and her Mom and Dad always come with me and Mommy. She’s Tiana.”

Bubbie was a super hero. She had me changed and made up with the long white Elsa wig on in what seemed like minutes. I got to wear makeup…real grown up makeup. It was so cool. When Mr. and Mrs. Cuoco got there, we’d taken a ton of picture with me and Mommy. Me and Jazmine had a lot of fun. We got a whole ton of candy. Bubbie took lots of pictures of the two of us. We picked up two other princesses, Cinderella and Snow White, our friends Lizabeth and Meghan and took pictures with them too. When we got home I was really sleepy. Bubbie helped me get a bath and go to bed, she even read me a bedtime story. That was nice.

The next morning, she made us breakfast and we cleaned up the house. She sat me down and we talked about how sick Mommy was and how Daddy and Papa and MeDe and their friends were going to come and help to start getting the house ready since when Mommy went to sleep forever, I would be moving to New York. She showed me pictures of my room at her house and my room at Daddy’s house. I liked both of them, I had a bunk bed at Daddy’s house. But even though I liked my new rooms a lot, it still made me really sad. When my Daddy and everyone got there the next day, there were a lot of them. They were all drinking huge cups of coffee and had on shades. They had plenty of boxes and tape and markers and everything. Ms. Linda helped Mommy come out and sit on the sofa. She helped us by telling us what had sentimental value and what was just a thing we owned. I did the same. Once we had done most of the living room and family room, leaving them looking really neat, but almost like no one lived there, Manny and Chet came with big…huge…Tupperware containers and we packed up a lot of my toys and books and stuff that I didn’t really use all the time. While we were in my room, Bubbie and MeDe were with Mommy. They brought me Mommy’s jewelry box and put it in one of my bins with three of her sweaters and a blanket that my grandmother had made for her when she went off to college that she always kept in a special box in her closet. 

We all had dinner and then Mommy had me sit with her so we could cuddle and talk. “I love you, My Darling Bubbela. I have since the moment that I knew of you…I will until time itself stops. Whether I am here with you or watching over you…I will never not love you. I asked your Daddy and his friends to go ahead and pack up my room. They are really good people to take care of me, even though I did what I did. When I am gone…I want you to be a good girl for them. They too have loved you since the moment they learned that you existed. Be the special girl for them, you’ve always been for me.”

We cried together. I hurt so bad. I loved my mommy so much. She might not have been perfect, but she was a really, really, really good mommy. While the rest of my family, worked around us, I sat with my mommy. Sunday, we worked on the house some more. A lot of the stuff from the garage was taken to Good Will. Books that weren’t special or mine were given to the library. Some of Mommy’s friends were called over and Mommy gave them things to remember her by. We all cried a lot. Even Ms. Tana cried. I saw her. She told me not to tell anyone. I hated it when they had to leave Monday. I had school though, that was okay. Mommy and Ms. Linda had me take a nap when I got home so I could see KAMA on Jimmy Kimmel. They looked nice and they talked about me and Beth and their Christmas and Hanukkah album that was coming out the next day. They encouraged people to vote in their state and local elections. They wouldn’t let Mr. Kimmel say anything mean about my mommy either.

The next day, Ms. Linda TiVoed them on The View. They pretty much talked about the same things. Plus, they reminded people that they were giving all the money from one of their singles to Toys for Tots, which was cool. And Daddy said if I really liked the tablet they had gotten for me and it turned out to as be sturdy as advertized, they were going to buy a whole bunch of them for cancer patients in the kids and grown up hospital they liked to go to and sing at. The ladies were nicer about Mommy than Mr. Kimmel. But everyone seemed kind of weird. Daddy, MeDe, Papa and Bubbie came back Friday evening. I was really glad that they did. We all had dinner together and we played some games. But we were all really quiet. Mommy hadn’t been sleeping a lot on Wednesday and Thursday…she even ate every meal with me. But Friday, she wasn’t awake much at all. She did tell me goodnight and that she loved me before I went to bed though.

Since there were four of them, Daddy, MeDe, Papa and Bubbie…Well seven really because Hudson, Binkie and Junior came along with them, they all stayed in the hotel. It felt like I had just gone to sleep when I woke up for no reason. I looked over at my clock and it said that it was one-fifty-seven. I got up and couldn’t stop myself from walking to Mommy’s room. Something told me to go to her. So I grabbed my new phone and I did. I was really careful not to disturb her as I climbed into the bed with her. Mrs. Linda had nodded off in the chair by the bed, but her watch beeped a little while later. She woke up and looked at me. I was crying and couldn’t stop. “It’s tonight then?” she asked me quietly.

I just nodded. I wasn’t sure how I knew… but I was sure. I also knew that the times before when I had worried that Mommy would be gone before I could be with her had just been my mind making me scared for no reason. I was with her and I held her hand. I couldn’t help but think of all the times she had held my hand as she helped me cross a rode or just protected me as we walked. Early that Saturday morning, I held her hand and helped her cross her road. When she left me behind, I felt her hug me…I knew that it wasn’t her body, it was her though. I felt her and she hugged me so tight. “I love you Mommy.” I whispered. I don’t know why, but I looked over at the clock. It was three eighteen. Mrs. Linda called Mommy’s doctor and the funeral home while I sat with Mommy and called Daddy. Then I called Mrs. Cuoco like I had promised. Everyone arrived all at once. MeDe looked kind of silly with a scarf wrapped around her head. Mrs. Cuoco had on one too, but she wore hers a lot.

There was a lot to be done. According to our Faith, Mommy had to be buried that same day. MeDe had everything for her wishes. Rabbi Kishner met us at the hospital. He was really nice. “We have several ladies in our Temple, our Chevra Kaddisha, who will come and sit with Mabel so that you all can take care of her little Nikolette.” He told Daddy. Between the MeDe and Bubbie, everything was taken care of for Mommy’s funeral. By the time we got back from the hospital, all Daddy’s friends that I had met were there. I got to meet Yetta Becah’s brother Uncle Saulie and his wife Mills, and Yetta’s cousin Neil and his gonna be wife, Francesca. Since Mommy passed on a Saturday, our Sabbath, we couldn’t hold to the twenty-four hour rule. Instead the funeral would be held the next day, before lunch. 

Everyone was around me and more people came. Daddy introduced me to some of his friends as more and more of them came. I introduced him to Mommy’s friends and people from our Temple who came. I don’t remember a lot about that day. I just remember that the only time Daddy wasn’t right by my side, Papa was. MeDe came and she held me a lot too. But I knew that Mommy had given her all the papers about the service, so she was taking care of Mommy while Daddy and Papa took care of me. I think I loved her for that alone. We sat shiva, sort of. We couldn’t really do a lot because it was the Sabbath, but we all sat around and were quiet. Around lunch time MeDe’s parents and baby sisters and Papa’s parents and little brothers and sister, and Grampa and Yetta Becah and Daddy’s brother and sisters and Mrs. Shelby and Mr. David and my little sister Beth all got there.

Beth was…she was weird. I mean, I looked at her and I could see me in her face and she felt familiar even though I had never met her before. I guess she felt the same way because as soon as she saw me, she came over and gave me a hug. She already could put her head on my shoulder. I felt short. I hated feeling short. But she was really cute and so sweet I decided I wouldn’t mind if she got taller than me. At least, I would try to not to. She pulled me over to Daddy and patted me then patted him and said, “Abah…sissy.”

I looked up at Daddy. “She calls you Abah?” he nodded. “Can I?” I asked unsure of why he hadn’t told me to call him Abah when he met me. Did he not want me to?

“You can call me anything you want, Nikki. I love hearing you call me Daddy and I would love to hear you call me Abah too. We were leaving Daddy open for when Shelby got married if he wanted to be Daddy…but David is Papi…and I’m still Abah.” He explained quietly. I guess that made sense. My friend Amazon had two dads and she called them each something different. 

When the part of the family who lived in Lima arrived, they brought a lot of food. I thought it was going to be way too much, especially since even thinking about food made my stomach hurt. During the afternoon, more of Daddy’s friends, the ones I hadn’t met face to face, like Finn and Lauren and Tina and Mike and Az and Dave they all came to. Then it turned out that it was a good thing they had brought so much food.

Still, I couldn’t help but wonder why all of Daddy’s friends had come. None of them had known Mommy. Well, maybe she had taught them when they were younger but I didn’t think that really counted. My Uncle Jake must have realized that I was really confused and why, because he gave me a hug and quietly said, “they are here because they all love you…maybe because they love your Daddy and Papa and MeDe so much that they can’t help but love you…but yes, they love you and they want to be here to help you get through this.” He gave me another hug.

I shook my head. “I don’t think I will ever get through this.”

Papa overheard that. “Oh Lil Darlin’, you will get through this and we will all help you. But it is gonna take you a while. And it’s going to take you even longer before you start to get over this. But that’s okay. We’ll be with you every step of the way.” I hoped he was right. Someone else brought dinner. Then we all went to the hotel to sleep. That was weird. I had never been to a hotel in my hometown before. I got ready for bed, but it took me a long time to get to sleep. Every time someone would check on me they would read me a story. It wasn’t until somebody decided to make a big old pile of blankets in the living room of Daddy’s suite and let me sleep out there with Daddy, Papa, MeDe, Beth, Stevie, Stacey, Auntie Sarah, Sloane, Mara and Maea that I finally got some sleep.

The next morning, Kurt brought me a bunch of dresses to choose one I liked. MeDe poked him. And he just told her that he’d done some stress shopping. That’s when he knelt down in front of me. “You know; I was about your age when my mom died. She had cancer too. She had been sick so long and in the end I was so happy that she wasn’t sick anymore. I missed her more than I knew how to say, but I felt happy. It took me a long time to realize that I wasn’t a bad person for being happy that she was gone. I wasn’t happy that she was dead; I was happy that she wasn’t sick and in pain anymore.”

I looked at him and I could feel that he understood me. Daddy and Papa and MeDe, they loved me…but Kurt understood how I was feeling more than they ever could. I hugged him and cried until I couldn’t any more. After that I was ready to take on the whole saying goodbye to Mommy thing. He had brought me four dresses, all of them were black and white. I immediately decided against the one with a pink belt. It wasn’t that I didn’t like pink but it was a happy color and I wasn’t happy. I put the one with the stripes aside. I liked it, but it wasn’t the right one either. The one with the shapes, looked like I was looking through a black and white kaleidoscope…I didn’t pick that one either. Looking at it too long made the pattern swim and move and that made me dizzy. I decided on the black and white polka dot dress with a white ruffle coming out from the bottom. It didn’t have sleeves, and it was November. So Kurt had gotten me a black half sweater and leggings to wear with it. Kurt was kind of weird though. He got me three different pairs of shoes to choose from. Two pairs of regular black little girl dress-up shoes; one was a pair of Mary Janes and the other was a pair of ballet flats. But the last pair of shoes were a pair of boots. They were really cute, but not right at all. Me and MeDe must have looked at him weird. Because he just shrugged and said that I needed the boots for winter and they had been on sale. They had a secret handshake just like me and Jazmine.

After I got dressed, MeDe did my hair for me. She brushed it a lot then she pulled the top half back into a silver and black clip, then I sat on the sofa in their hotel room and I watched TV. They asked me to stick to the cartoon channels though, so I did. Daddy joined me in a black suit. Then Papa came out in a really dark gray suit. MeDe was the last one ready, though that was probably because Daddy and Papa had started while MeDe was with me and Kurt. She was wearing an old fashion looking dress that was black with small white polka dots. Her dress had sleeves though, they stopped at her elbows. She was wearing Mary Jane shoes too, though hers had a higher heel than mine. Not a lot higher but definitely higher. Once everyone was dressed, we went down and everyone was waiting on us. We had breakfast in the hotel restaurant, then we had to get into these big, long limos to go to our Temple.

The Rabbi was waiting in a small room for us. He said a blessing over the wide, black ribbon that MeDe had pinned to my dress, then he ripped it. It was only after he did that that I realized that Daddy, Bubbie, Yetta, Uncle Saulie, Uncle Jake and Ms. Shelby all had them too. Rabbi Kishner looked confused for a moment, but Daddy just gave him a stern look. “Mabel Shirling gave me a daughter. She has no other family, so my family is hers. In deference to the fact that your synagogue is more traditional, only those of us who are of The Faith are taking part in the tearing of the cloth to symbolize our loss.”

Rabbi Kishner actually smiled. “It is a good thing you are doing Mr. Puckerman. I, all of Mabel’s friends, appreciate it.”

After that he led us out to the seats for the family. He did the opening prayers then Mommy’s boss, Principal Gainey, read the hespheid…the program had the word eulogy in parenthesis next to the Hebrew word. After that there was just the El Malei Rachamim, or the prayer of shelter. Everybody stood for that. Then we were led back out to the family waiting room while the pall bearers moved Mommy’s plain, pine casket to the hearse. I overheard MeDe say that some of Mommy’s students would be the pall bearers. I peeped out and saw that Finn, Mike and Az were three of them, the others were people that Mommy had taught that were attended temple with us. The limos followed the hearse to the cemetery. The only Jewish cemetery close to us was still thirty minutes from the Temple. Those were the longest, quietest thirty minutes of my life. We got out and gathered around the…the grave, then they brought Mommy’s coffin over. As was tradition, they stopped seven times on the way from the big black car to the gravesite. I knew what happened next, it wasn’t the very first funeral I’d ever been too. But the other one was for a lady in our Temple who had died when she was old…and she wasn’t my mommy. I didn’t remember a lot of the rest of the funeral. I was crying too hard. I started to shake so Daddy picked me up and held me through the rest of the service. I heard the prayers and the Kaddish. I covered my ears when Rabbi Kishner had them lower Mommy into the ground.

We had to cover Mommy with dirt. That was what tradition said we had to do. But I didn’t want to. Daddy, whispered that he loved me and we’d do it together. He didn’t make me get down or anything. He held me tight to him as he took a little shovel and we put dirt on my Mommy. Rabbi said the ninety-first Psalm and then the El Malei Rachamim. The people from Temple and Mommy’s friends and Daddy’s friends, made two lines leading back to the cars. Those who knew what to say chanted the traditional condolences. "Hamakom y'nachem etchem b'toch sh'ar availai tziyon ee yerushalayim." Before we got back into the limos, we had to wash our hands. The Chevra Kaddisha had big pitchers of water so we could. Then we went back to Mommy’s house. Mrs. Cuoco got there before us and she had the doors open and everything was ready for us. I don’t know when it happened, but there was a lot of water. I drank like six bottles myself. I didn’t really want to eat. I did notice that the mirrors of the house had been covered. Papa’s daddy told me that it was a tradition in old southern families too. 

After a few hours, it seemed to be down to just family and really close friends, so MeDe let me go change and go play with Jazmine and Stevie and Stacey and Auntie Sarah and Beth. Mara and Maea were even playing with us for a while. But they got tired and had to go nap. I liked my new family. Stevie was really, really cute. Stacey and Beth and Mara and Maea were a lot of fun. Auntie Sarah was the prettiest girl I’d ever seen. I wanted to look like her when I got bigger. Daddy and Papa and MeDe and Tana kept coming to check on us. Then Finn and Lauren came out and Finn made up the best games. He was a lot of fun. I was never not going to miss my Mommy. But I knew that I had the best family in the whole wide world to take care of me.

How Can I Help You to Say Goodbye (Patty Loveless)  
Puck PoV

Life is really fucked up sometimes. I knew that it was the worst, most difficult, most just messed up day of my eldest daughter’s young life but a big part of me was happy. I got to take her home with me when we left Billerica. I had all my friends around me, my entire, huge family and my loves supporting me and I had both of my daughters in the same place at the same time. Just when I was finally to put aside my own feelings to take care of Nikki, something else came up to make me call the entire day FUBAR. We had been back from the cemetery for a couple of hours when we were finally able to get Nikki to eat a little bit and go play so we could get the bedrooms the rest of the way packed up. The next day we were going to rent a U-Haul trailer to attach to Cede’s Tahoe to take the furniture for donation to Goodwill and the rest to the storage unit we were renting until a decision was made as to the usefulness of the wooden stuff that probably qualified as antiques. We’d use that same U-Haul to get Nikki’s things back to Harlem. Bubbie and Mom had been able to get the whole week off to stay with Nikki and help her adjust to the move and sit the Shiva. But Sam, Cede and I had to get back to classes.

We were packing Nikki’s clothes in suitcases that Kurt had been smart enough to bring with him, when my cell phone rang. I was shocked to see that it was the Ohio State Board of Corrections. I couldn’t think why they would be calling me. But I answered it, since I’d missed a call from them earlier according to my screen. When they told me why they were calling I literally didn’t know how to feel. “Can you say that again?”

“Mr. Puckerman, my name is Reverend Kevin Knauf. I am calling to inform you that your father, Paul Puckerman was killed last night by a fellow inmate. I am very sorry for your loss.” 

“What happened?” I asked feeling weirdly numb.

“As I am sure you understand, there is a criminal investigation ongoing, so I am afraid that I cannot tell you any of the details. It appears that he got into a disagreement with another inmate. All we know at this time is that there was an altercation between your father and another inmate the day before he was killed. We are not sure what it was about.” The voice was calm and it kind of pissed me off a little bit.

“He’s only been in actual prison for a couple of months.” I muttered. None of us had bothered going to his trial in person. I’d had to skype in for my testimony of the night of his arrest for the breaking and entering charges, but other than that we’d left his ass to twist in the wind, just like he had basically done all of us. I hadn’t even paid attention to the whole sentencing thing. I just knew that he’d been found guilty on like all the charges. “So what happens now?”

“Mr. Puckerman listed Judaism as his religion, so since his cause of death was readily apparent, he was not autopsied nor was he embalmed. His remains can be picked up for a funeral by yourself or a representative of your family.”

“I won’t be picking his ass up. I live in New York and all of my family is currently in Massachusetts because we just buried my daughter’s mother who died yesterday.”

“Oh, I am very sorry for your double loss. It is never easy to lose people close to you, but to lose two people you care about on the same day is a true tragedy.” I could hear some papers shuffling. “Your younger brother, Jacob Puckerman, is next on the notifications list.”

“My brother is seventeen and he is here with me. He can’t do it. But you know what…do you have his mother’s number there.” I said thinking quickly.

“Yes. Alicia Michaels...do you give us authorization to release your father’s remains to Ms. Michaels?”

I nodded. “Sure, she is about the only one of all of us who won’t just spit on them then set them afire. If even she doesn’t want him, donate him to science…maybe he could actually prove useful in death. He sure as hell was a waste of flesh in life. Look, I guess I’d better talk it over with my brother and call my uncles and call you back. I don’t know that Jake will feel any differently than I do, but Aaron and Matthew might give a damn.”

“I am sure that this is a shock. And with your other recent loss I’m sure that this is very difficult. I can be reached back at,” he gave me the same number that had come up on my phone. “Unfortunately, given the religious constraints, I will need to know today.”

“Yeah, yeah. I should be calling you back in an hour.” I said kind of angrily.

I went out and got Mom and Jake and told them what I knew. “Have you called your uncles?” Mom asked me.

I shook my head. “I’m calling them next. I know this might be mean or whatever, but I just don’t really care what happened to him and I don’t care what happens to him now.”

Jake looked like he felt about like I did. But then his eyes got a little darker and wet. “We’ve gotta tell Sarah too.”

“Shit.” I grumbled. I was so used to thinking of Sarah as my baby, I kind of forgot that she was actually Mom and Dad’s.

Of course, Sarah took it with aplomb. “Okay. Not sure if I should care…but I can’t honestly say that I do. I’ve seen the Puckerman uncles a grand total of four times in my life and that is still more times than I’ve seen Paul.”

Neither of the uncles were all that concerned either. Jake talked to Aaron while I talked to Matthew. “Man, Noah, I’m actually in Hawaii for the next however long. I’ve got this fun little honey with a hell of a lot of money enjoying a hell of a lot of rides on the D. It sucks that Paul is dead, but he’d come back from the grave to kill me himself if I let this fish off the bait.”

“So you’re cool with Jake’s mom doing whatever she needs to do?” I confirmed.

I could hear the unconcerned shrug. “Sure. She loved him or whatever.” He said sounding just a little sad. “Did they say what happened?”

“No. I think somebody killed him. They said there was a criminal investigation going on.”

“Well shit, let Jake know to tell his mom that if she has a service to let me know. Maybe I can talk my honey dip into paying for both of us to go. Make her think she’s important, going to a family thing.”

“Will do.” I told him.

Aaron was about as bad. He was in Florida working a Ponzi scheme at a retirement community. It was the wrong time in the set up for him to leave. He too wanted to be kept in the loop about any service. I called Reverend Knauf back and told him that Alicia Michaels was welcome to claim the body. My uncles just wanted to know when or if she would be having a service of any kind. I gave him the uncles’ cell phone numbers to give to Jake’s mother, term used loosely, and moved on with getting everything in Nikki’s room packed. I didn’t even think about telling Cede and Sam until we had it all packed up and we were on our way back to the hotel. They looked at each other and then back at me where I was threading my fingers through Nikki’s hair as she slept leaning against me. “How does it make you feel?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I was numb. Then I was angry. Then I felt bad when I realized that I wasn’t angry that he was dead, I was angry because someone else got the pleasure of killing him. Sometimes I just wonder how different…how much better my life would have been if Mom and George had never broken up.”

“I don’t know. As much as that might have been easier on you, you wouldn’t be you. You wouldn’t be Puck. We probably wouldn’t have Nikki or Beth. You change one thing, all the rest is different to. Because can you see any child of George’s being the special type of asshole that was Noah Puckerman until a few years back?” I took that question to be rhetorical. “I will always be grateful to Paul Puckerman for giving the world you and Sarah…and through you giving us Nikki and Beth.” Cede told me quietly.

I smirked before a dropped a kiss to my daughter’s head, before I leaned over and kissed Mercedes. “You’re right…I’m awesome.” We made the rest of the ride to the hotel in silence. We were a solemn group as we headed up to the room. We were also smaller. Most of our friends had headed back hours earlier because they had super early flights to get back to their classes. I didn’t have the words to express how just fucking great our friends were; how relieved I’d felt, how loved I’d felt when I realized that they had come to support Nikki. It was hard getting Nikki awake enough for Cede to change her into her SpongeBob pajamas. If I hadn’t had the test, watching that shit would have definitely sealed the paternity deal. The sofa in our suite was actually a pull out to a bed kind of deal, so we put her to bed out there, and then we showered together, not to save water or any of that shit, just so we could bone and not have our eight-year-old daughter hear some shit she’d never heard before.

We slept in the pajamas we’d brought with us. They were the same ones we’d thrown on to race out when Nikki had called me oh so early the morning of the day before. I have never woken up so fast in all my life as I did when Sam put that phone to my ear and I could hear my little girl’s heart break as she said the three words we’d been dreading, and preparing for for months. “Daddy, Mommy’s gone.”

I shook off those thoughts and snuggled down spooning Cede while Sam held her from the front. It felt like I’d just fallen asleep when a whine or a cry or something came through the open door to the suite’s living room. All three of us were up and out the bed like we’d been shot out of a cannon. By the time we got to her Nikki had jumped herself awake. We crowded around her, letting her cuddle into the three of us until her tears stopped. Sexy Mama was humming a gently tune…I think it was a gospel song. Finally, when Nikki was calmer, she quietly asked, “what was it Love Bug?”

Nikki shuddered. If she’d have been any older, we’d have probably had to fight her to get her to talk about it. But with that small shiver of sadness and fear she opened up. “Mommy was knocking on the top of her coffin, she needed me to get her out. She needed me to get her out because she wasn’t really gone…but I couldn’t. I tried to dig her casket up, but I wasn’t strong enough.”

“Oh Lil Darlin’.” Sam sighed pulling her closer for just a moment to hug her tight. “If we thought for a second that your Mommy needed us…that you needed us, you’d not be there alone. We’d be helping…and me and your Daddy are plenty strong enough.”

I gave him a total side eye. What the actual fuck? I wanted to ask him what he was thinking, but Cede pressed a finger to my lips to keep me silent. Nikki fell back to sleep with that piss off worthy thought. We shifted her slight weight onto Cede, who stroked her hair soothingly. “You two can discuss this in the bathroom. If you wake her up the next time you get to slide into home will be when she is six damn teen.” She warned in a voice that was so calm and soothing it didn’t go along with her words at all.

So we went into the bathroom and before I could say a word, Sam answered me. “I gave her the power in her dream. I used to have nightmares when I was a kid. MeMaw would always try to explain why those things couldn’t happen. It never worked. Not one single time. She gave me adult logic for a kid fear. When PawPaw told me how to fight back…how to make the problem go away…when he gave me the power…they stopped. Now I know that Nikki’s case isn’t the same, I also know that adult logic just can’t win against kid fear.”

I nodded. His logic was definitely making sense to me. “So I feel like a dick head. Thank you for helping our daughter get back to sleep.” We hugged out our almost fight and went and joined Cede and Nikki who were both knocked out on the pull out.

The next morning, we checked out and our amazing PA had the U-Haul we needed waiting on us already attached to the Tahoe outside the hotel. We’d done everything the day before, so it didn’t take us very long to pack all of Nikki’s things into the trailer. There was more stuff to take to Good Will and we had to swing by the Cuocos to make sure that Nikki and Jazmine would be able to keep in touch. We also had to stop by the school and get them to send Nikki’s records to The Studio School. Then we headed home. It was hard having to take Nikki to Bubbie’s instead of our house, but we did it because it was what was best for her. We had dinner with her and didn’t actually leave until after bath time and her story, but she stayed at Bubbie’s.

The next day we were back over there after classes, helping Nikki and Bubbie personalize Nikki’s room. Then Wednesday, we got dragged shopping. Bubbie remembered that we had the AMAs the weekend before Thanksgiving…and we hadn’t even bothered to think about our arrival apparel. We had our shit together for the performance. But arrival not at all. But Bubbie was fucking awesome at her job and getting people all tricked out to go on TV was her vocation. Thankfully she understood when Sam said that we weren’t going to Bergdorf's unless he knew for sure they had changed their staff. So instead we went to Saks. Mercedes was wearing the Carolina Herrera she had found in Chicago, but she didn’t have anything to go with it. It was as if the dress was just meant for the AMAs. We’d looked for hours for the accessories for that dress. We found shoes, lingerie, and a couple of bracelets in like thirty minutes. It didn’t even take us very long in the men’s department to find Sam an interesting gray on grey plaid Tom Ford suit. Apparently the Moms had all decided that they were going to wear the same color. They hadn’t picked it, but they agreed it would be either pink, yellow or silver…all of which were present in Cede’s Herrera dress. With that knowledge, Bubbie was able to deduce that the most likely color would be silver. From there she decided on gray and blacker than black for me and Sam. Getting Sam’s shirt, tie and shoes was super easy. Then Sexy Mama dragged us to the girls’ section where she spent the next hour buying more clothes than Nikki could reasonably wear before she out grew them.

After Saks, we headed to the Gucci store, because Bubbie had seen a cocktail ring there that was perfect to complete Cede’s look. We were in the Zenga store a few minutes, and a few hundred dollars later looking at expensive ass suits for me. I was sending Gwen screen shots of every purchase and every receipt as we went. Spending bank didn’t make me nervous like it did Sam, but I liked to make sure that we had all our tax bases covered. Bubbie and I were in the back with the tailor while Sam, Nikki and Sexy Mama went to Build-a-Bear. “Your mom told me about Paul. Are you okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine. It isn’t like we were close.”

“There was a time when you wanted nothing more than to be just like him.” She said quietly.

I shrugged, then remembered I shouldn’t move much. “Yeah well, we all do dumb shit when we’re young.”

She smiled at the intended joke. “I was so happy when you changed. You are such an amazing young man now. I’ve always loved you…but the last four or five years, you’ve grown into a young man that any grandmother would be proud of. But a small part of me wonders what caused you to drop that undeserved admiration you had for Paul.”

It took me a minute to be able to answer her. I had to figure out to summarize what it had taken me three months to be able to understand myself. “I’d grown up with three adult males in my life…Paul, Big Dave Karofsky and Uncle Saul. Uncle Saul was better about the way he treated women, but he wasn’t the poster boy for monogamy either. Now I understand, he just hadn’t found the woman who was important enough to make him set aside his fear of being left behind, like you’d been. But at the time, I didn’t know that. Big Dave was a whole different kind of asshole from Uncle Saul and Paul was pretty much the worst aspects of each of them all combined into one dude. It wasn’t until Beth was on the way…Quinn wasn’t even far enough along for me to feel my baby kick. But I knew that she was there and in that moment I realized Paul was nothing more than a sperm donor who’d sort of stuck around to donate again later. Just knowing that I was going to be a dad, made me realize that the last thing I wanted or needed to be was anything like Paul Puckerman. Seeing the hurt on Finn’s face…knowing that I had put that hurt on my brother’s face…that just sealed the deal. But it all started because I just couldn’t understand how Paul could have any children, let alone two and not love us enough to even try and be a better man. Don’t get it twisted. Change did not happen overnight. Hell, I’m still working on that shit every day. But I wanted and needed to change for Beth and now it is even more important that I continue to work on being better for her and Nikki. I never want them to feel about me like me, Sarah and Jake feel about Paul Puckerman. After all of that I went through a stage where I completely hated him. Eventually, especially after watching him get his ass handed to him by Sexy Mama, I grew indifferent. He wasn’t even important enough for me to hate. The opposite of loving someone isn’t hating them…it’s no longer even remembering their existence unless someone mentions them. That is where I was with Paul when I answered the phone Sunday, that’s where I am with Paul even now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear Readers,
> 
> HAPPY 4th of July, in America...Happy 'wonder how the hell those crazy Americans are letting DONALD Damn Trump get so close to actually being the leader of the free world' day to the rest of the world.
> 
> Since there is some confusion as to what constitutes chapter 12. Let me just state that I meant the 12th chapter in my mental rendering which this is not. This is chapter 11 because the Rolling Stone Article wasn't an official chapter. If you like I will, in the future, number my chapters in accordance with the chapter numbers. Just let me know.
> 
> That being said there, I decided upon a possible way for you all to still have the reactions chapter on Thursday July 7th despite all the confusion.
> 
> So I am giving you this chapter, Chapter 11, now. If I get twelve comments/reviews I will post the official chapter 12 on Thursday...maybe earlier if they come in quickly enough.
> 
> Yup...if I get twelve reviews Today, then you will get Chapter 12 the much awaited reactions chapter Today as well.
> 
> It is all in your hands dear readers.
> 
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	13. Lessons Learned (Carrie Underwood), Breakdown (Seether) & Jealousy (Wiz Khalifa feat. Nicki Minaj)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reactions to KAMA's eventful 1st semester

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.  
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Slow Dancing to Our Torch Song by moonkissed23  
> Isis Aurora Tomoe, you are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!!

Lessons Learned (Carrie Underwood)  
Jesse St. James PoV

It has been said that hitting rock bottom was sometimes the only way to realize how low a person had really sunk. If that was true, then my rock bottom had been hit looking out over the quarry that had taken my older brother’s life and trying to determine if I was man enough to take the steps to join him. Fortunately, something inside of me wanted to hear a kind voice before I made the final step. Shelby was really the only person I could think of who might give me that kindness. She answered the phone and she drew me back from the edge. She gave me a lifeline and direction. I did as she suggested. I took all of my things, sold what I couldn’t easily take with me and moved to New York. I managed to rent a tiny studio apartment on Second Avenue in Brooklyn and got a job at the diner her friend owned. An interesting place named The Spotlight Diner. I didn’t just get to sing while I served and cleaned, I got to do so in a uniform that I actually looked amazing in. Per the owner’s edict, Gunther, the Diner’s manager, made sure that we always had time off for auditions and lessons.

I budgeted for six months of lessons in stage acting and vocal performance to change my show choir skills and mature them into stage skills. I wasn’t sure it would be enough, but given the expense, it was all I could really afford. I began auditioning after four months of my lessons. That to was taking a large risk, but I was hopeful that by beginning earlier than strictly necessary, I’d be able to hone the skills of auditioning itself. I quickly learned that the auditioning process was rather expensive. I needed head shots and the appropriate clothes to go and ply my talents. That took quite a chunk out of my savings, but ultimately it paid off. I got my first role during the final week of July after nearly three months of auditioning. I was to play Frederic, the pirate apprentice, in The Pirates of Penzance. It was almost unheard of for someone to get such an auspicious role in their first few months in the city. I took the win and was more determined than ever to make the most of the second chance Shelby had helped me to find.

When I was asked to do an interview for New York Theatre Magazine, I made sure to give credit where it was due. I told them of my brother’s sacrifice and how I felt that I had never measured up to him in my parents’ eyes. I discussed, honestly, my own short comings and the failures I’d experienced during and after high school. I even told them about my short lived relationship with Rachel and my almost obsession with her voice. Then I spoke glowingly of the mentor who had saved my life after my family cast me out. I explained that she had given me the idea to move to New York and try and achieve more than I’d believed possible at that point. I made sure to mention Spotlight and Mr. Keaton, who allowed his aspiring waiters and waitresses to have time to audition and try to follow our dreams. I also took a moment to speak favorably about Mercedes' talent and even told the writer how hearing her sing live was just the same as her recorded voice, which was a problem for many recording artists. I felt that I owed her that much, and it had the benefit of being the truth. I felt lighter for having laid my sins bare when it came to Mercedes Jones and having apologized for them.

The article came out the same week that the show opened. We opened to a packed house and the reviews were quite favorable across the board. I loved my job, it was excellent opportunity and I really enjoyed getting to know my cast mates. When I received a congratulatory card from Mercedes, Puck, Sam and the rest of the New Directions who lived in the city, I realized that they had forgiven me the stupidity of my youth. Of course, their people were not the only ones to have read the article. It was a matter of days after the magazine ‘hit stands’ that Rachel waylaid me outside the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park. “Jesse…how fortuitous to run into you. When did you move to New York?” She asked giving me the endearingly innocent smile she’d drawn me in with before.

I would not be fooled again. “Just before the New Year, just as it said in the piece you read that made you remember that I exist in the first place.”

The smile faded momentarily at getting caught. “I don’t know what you mean, I could never forget you Jesse. You were almost my first.” She whispered that last sentence.

“And I am sure that Finn Hudson enjoyed being your actual first.” I stated bluntly. I was hoping that maintaining a certain crass level of straight forwardness would throw her off.

She scoffed and looked indignant. “I will have you now that I have remained a virgin to this day.” She returned with an affronted glare.

I was actually surprised. Not that she hadn’t given her virginity to Hudson; that was just a shot in the dark. But having heard that she’d had the lead in Funny Girl for a short time over the summer, I’d assumed it had gone to that show’s producer or director. “I’m quite surprised. Word in the dressing rooms was that you must have sold it to land that Fanny Brice role you lost to Stark.”

She growled delicately. It was amusing how easy it really was to derail her from her immediate goals. It really just took understanding the way she thought. That was fairly easy for me…I shared many of her thinking patterns. “I got that role based solely on my all-encompassing talent.”

“Yeah, and you lost it based solely on your all-encompassing ego.” I taunted.

She gave me a chilling look. “Perhaps, but there are and will be other opportunities. Besides…at least I can say that I landed a lead role. You’re playing a secondary character at best.”

“Ouch, Rachel…that hurt me, right here.” I pointed to my heart. “Oh wait, no it didn’t. The days when you had to power to make me feel anything beyond curiosity and mild revulsion at the fact that I used to be just like you…those days are long, long gone.” I told her, very happy that my words were the truth. “I’d tell you to have a nice life…but I think that you are too far gone into your own wretched ambition for that to still be possible.” I left her standing there as I hustled to grab a bite to eat before we were called back into rehearsals. I felt renewed and revived. I was surprised how much I had been holding on to a small shred of hope that Rachel had been who I thought her to be. But she hadn’t. If she had, my cell number and email remained the same. She could have contacted me at any point without waylaying me at the open air theatre where I worked. She had been hoping I’d introduce her to someone who could help further her career. I was done being her patsy and I was done making her my victim when being her pawn became too much to bear.

The next few weeks were amazing. I truly enjoyed getting up every day. I was learning my craft in a way that simply wasn’t possible unless one was actively involved in a show. I had exorcised the worst of my demons. I was even making enough money to finally decorate my ‘charming’ little seven hundred square foot apartment. It was great. I tried to live pretty modestly, but since I couldn’t cook, I tended to go out to eat a lot. Since I was a Ovo-Pescatarian, meaning I didn’t eat any meat other than eggs, fish and seafood, I was not able to go to inexpensive restaurants. But despite the challenges, I was still able to start saving something of a nest egg. When the news broke about Puckerman’s original peccadillos, I had a reporter from one of the gossip shows approach me and offer me fifteen thousand dollars to give them an interview about the whole thing with him and having his daughter. It took everything within me not to backslide into the person I used to be. But I managed to resist. The money would have been sweet, but I had noticed that while I was working towards being a good person, things were going really, really, really well. I didn’t want to mess that up by pissing off the Karma gods with selling bad information about decent people, much of which I’d have probably have had to make up since I really didn’t know Noah or Sam all that well. When I tweeted that the paps were grasping at straws, one of them had tweeted me back to thank me for not being the ‘source close to the group’. My twitter followers jumped from a respectable twelve hundred to an unprecedented thirty-seven hundred overnight. It even yielded me an offer from Mercedes’ cousin to represent me as a PR agent. I hopped all over that.

When I went to see Daniel Harris, I was amazed by the KAMA reception area and Mr. Harris’ office. “Whoa, if I ever buy a home, can I please get the number of your decorator?”

Daniel gave me a smirk. “You might actually already at least have his email. According to Haja, Kurt Hummel did all the personalization of my office, and they worked together on the common areas, and most of baseline furniture of the offices.”

“If Hummel is this good at decorating why is he even bothering with NYADA?” I muttered. “Sorry. That was uncalled for. Just please let Hummel know that I apologize for pretty much everything I said about him when I was in pursuit of Rachel Berry.”

“I’ll relay the message. Now let’s get down to business.” He gave me a smile that reminded me of his cousin. We spent an hour working on his ideas for getting me more noticed so that I could get bigger roles. He was a firm believer in making sure that I only encountered good press. So I had to confess to each and every one of my sins, lest they come back and bite me in the ass later. I signed the agreement, where I basically agreed to give him fifteen hundred dollars as a retainer, and a hundred fifteen dollars per billable hour. For that, he would get me in front of not only industry people, but he’d get me interviews that could see me becoming popular enough that people notified me about castings rather than me having to dig through the trades. I definitely called that being worth the money.

My life was changing for the better more and more every day. When Daniel called to tell me that he’d gotten me an interview with WABC -7 to talk about Pirates, it would be me and the show’s lead James Mills…I almost cried. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. Things got even more surreal when Daniel and Hummel showed up at my door and went through my clothes to pick out what I would be wearing on the Saturday news show. Hummel did forgive me, which was really nice of me. Then he harangued all my clothing choices and he and Daniel dragged me shopping. But it was all worth it. I did that interview and got a few lines in the New York Times write up…those combined with the reviews that were positive across the board, got me a call to audition for a brand new play that would be starting rehearsals a few weeks after Pirates ended after the holiday season.

The best, very best thing that happened during that time was when I got a call from my father, asking me if it would be okay if my mother and he visited me over Thanksgiving…since he understood that I’d most likely be working during the holiday. I couldn’t believe my ears. I even said so. “I thought that you wished that I’d died instead of Jordan.”

“God no Jesse. I never…look. I miss your brother to this very day. Someday when you have children of your own, I still hope and pray that you never understand how it feels. But I never, not even once wished I could have traded you for your brother. I have wished that it had been me…but never either of you.” He said with a quietly intense voice. “I should have gotten you into therapy when it happened. But you were in the hospital for days after it…you were just so little and you’d run so far and…and then when you got out, you were…it was like you were determined to live life for both of you.”

“Huh?” I said eloquently.

“Jesse, you joined the soccer team. You started taking martial arts. By the end of that year, you were taking so many different classes that I had to start getting interns to take you back and forth because your mother couldn’t keep up.” he chuckled. “It was as if you took all the classes and sports your brother would have taken all while taking the ones that appealed to you too.”

“I thought you got the interns to take me because Mother…”

He sighed. “Your mother never blamed you. She blamed me…and rightfully so. I was the one who insisted that you and your brother have the kinds of freedoms we had when we were kids. I was the one who left you two completely unsupervised while I took a call that could have waited long enough for me to find out where you two were planning to get off to. If I had realized that you two were going that far afield…that you were even thinking of going to the quarry…I’d have been with you.”

I could tell from his voice that he really had been blaming himself for over a decade. “Father, I’ve seen that day over and over and over in my mind. No matter how I try I still can’t figure out how he fell. Even if you were with us, it could have still happened. Or we could have lost you instead…or even both of you.”

“Look, Jesse. I’m going to look into finding you a good counselor there in New York. I’ll pay for everything…but I think you could still benefit from talking to someone. I never knew that you thought we blamed you. I never even realized that you blamed yourself until your old choir coach Shelby Cochran let me have a huge piece of her mind the other day in the middle of Nordstrom’s in Columbus. I’d have been mortified if she hadn’t been right. Your mother and I, we’ve started seeing a therapist ourselves and together as a couple. I was going to wait and tell you all of this at Thanksgiving, but there is no reason you can’t get started now.”

I couldn’t help but smile at the idea of Shelby going after my father in the middle of a crowded department store. But there was one thing weighing on my mind. “If you don’t blame me for Jordan…why did you kick me out and say you were going to disown me?”

I could literally hear him shake his head. “Jesse, you’d spent the better part of seven months in your pajamas. If you weren’t laying around in your pjs eating ice cream, you were working out in your boxers. It was time for you to make something out of your life. By the time I was your age I had finished college and was working on my MBA. I was wooing your mother and I had some damn direction. You were rudderless. I’d hoped that kicking you out would light a fire under you. As for disowning you…who would I leave my money to, your crazy Aunt Georgia and her thirty-seven cats? Hell, before I told you you had two weeks to get a job or get out, I dumped ten thousand into your savings account to give you a cushion to live on while you figured out your next steps.”

Shit, I wasn’t sure if I was hurt or angry. I could admit that though I had wondered where the extra money had come from, I’d never looked into it. I’d been too afraid to look a gift horse in the mouth. I was sure of one thing. I would take the fact that I’d gone back to that quarry to end my life after his ultimatum to my grave in seventy-five or so years. “Well, I guess it worked. I moved to New York. I have an apartment that I like and a job that I love.”

“That’s all I wanted. Well, that and control of the big screen in the family room back.” He joked. “I’m so happy for you that I will do my level best to keep your mother from critiquing your apartment or asking if you’ve met anyone nice since you got to the city.”

“Father, if you can make either of those thing happen successfully, let alone both…we’d both drop dead from shock.” We shared a laugh. It was so different to share a laugh with my father rather than feeling like he was laughing at me. By the time we hung up, I had the name of a good therapist who dealt with grief and survivor’s remorse and Father had reminded me that I was still on his insurance so if I needed to see a regular doctor, I could log in and find one nearby that was in network.

With the knowledge that my parents never blamed me for Jordan’s death nor had they wished it had been me instead, I was finally able to release my final demon. It was the heaviest of the load as my own guilt had created and fed it for the previous fifteen years. It was also the darkest…completely insidious in that it kept me so consumed with the projection of my own feelings of guilt, remorse and inadequacies that I couldn’t reach out for help until it was almost too late. Free of the shackles that had been holding me back, I could finally step forward into a brighter future. Maybe I could finally learn how to make actual friends.

 

Breakdown (Seether)  
Will Schuester PoV

The thing about being wrong was that it was next to impossible to see that you actually were wrong in the midst of the wrongness. Then, even once the situation had completely changed and a person knew that wrong was an understatement of how idiotic they had been, there was still little that could be done to correct the past. I had been very wrong about Rachel Berry. I had been wrong about Mercedes’ marketability. I had been wrong about Sam and Noah’s musical talents. I had been wrong about my own talents, my own abilities to be a man. I spent much September learning my new trade. Apparently there was far more to being a gigolo than just sex. I had to keep my body in peak physical condition. Which meant I had to get my body into peak physical condition. I was in good shape, but not good enough. I also found that I was, apparently, one of the worst listeners the Matron had ever encountered. “How were you a teacher when every time someone talks to you, you immediately equate what they are going through to something in your own life and turn the conversation into a chance to talk about yourself? Usually when I get a current or former teacher in my stable the only thing I don’t have to teach them is how to listen.” I had to learn to listen actively and not try to give advice or solve the problem. It seemed that sometimes women just wanted someone to listen…they could solve their own problems.

I found out that there was more to pleasing a woman than I’d ever considered. I never realized that what felt amazing to me, like spreading my partners legs wide or pushing them up by her ears, weren't necessarily great for my partner. Those things make the penetration better for the man, but in most cases they lessen clitoral stimulation, and therefore the woman didn’t get as much pleasure. I learned to tease and caress to heighten the pleasure the woman I was with rather than just trying to see to my own. I was taught several, more correct, ways to use my mouth and hands to give my partner pleasure. The things that pleased Terry were apparently in no way universal and would probably get me punched by woman paying for her pleasure. Even more than learning how to better please women, I was taught how best to present an attractive escort, without drawing undue attention to myself. During my training, I was already under contract and I earned my fees by ‘dating’ older women who got off on the fact that they were teaching me. I soon learned that to maintain my lifestyle, which wasn’t in any way extravagant, and to be able to pay back Emma and April, I needed to book at least four full appointments in addition to several ‘short’ ones every week.

That didn’t seem like much until I realized that I was expected to build my own client base from the ‘agency’s roster of clients. The fact of the matter was, that was difficult to do without poaching anyone else’s clients or overextending yourself until you got fully established. I was having a very hard time doing so. At least I was until the Rolling Stone article about Noah, Sam and Mercedes hit stands. There seemed to be more than a few affluent women of color who enjoyed ‘showing a racist little rent boy the error of his ways’, as one woman said repeatedly during our time together. Or maybe they just enjoyed punishing me for my past bad acts. Having read the article, there were far more people in the greater New York City area that felt I needed to be punished for my years of favoritism, racism, sizism and whichever other ism they read into my actions and inaction. There was apparently a clause in my contract that I missed that stated that I couldn’t back out of an appointment simply because the client wanted another person present.

Unfortunately, that clause led to my first instance of on the job rape. For the most part, they didn’t happen all that often and some of the guys considered them an initiation of sorts. As if you weren’t really making your living plying your body for other people’s pleasure until you’d been forced to do something you never wanted to do and then had to suck it up and accept the money as if it had just been a normal appointment. Speaking to some of the other men in the stable, I learned that it was rare, but not unheard of, for a wife to schedule an appointment for a closeted husband. Usually the agency was able to figure that out from the phrasing of the appointment and send a bisexual rep. I was sent because the client, a previous appointment, specifically asked for me. As soon as I was undressed, she ‘left to get more comfortable’. Only when the door opened, it was her adult gay son who joined me in the room instead. Her son had read of the homophobia Puck alluded to in the article and wanted to punish me for my treatment of Kurt, though this guy didn’t know Kurt’s name. In reality, while I had accepted that I was carrying some disgustingly wrong feelings about women of color, I wasn’t homophobic. I was just an idiot who played favorites and who allowed Rachel to lead me into stupidly shunting Kurt to the side. I did learn in a way few men will ever experience that I was in no way, shape or form bisexual. I couldn’t even report it because even if I wasn’t arrested myself for the reason I was there, no police officer would bother with investigating the case. A sex worker would be seen as not having any right to say no.

When the news had broken about Puck’s eldest child, I couldn’t help but think of the teacher who had done the most horrible thing any teacher could. She’d slept with a very much underage student in her care. That was the ultimate taboo. What was a little rampant favoritism compared to that? Yet, as I tried to at least get a job as a substitute teacher to begin to transition out of the hellish existence I’d found myself living, I still was considered to be an unacceptably bad teacher. As October turned into November, I was still working primarily as an escort. I had finally created something of a reliable client base. To maintain the needed four appointments a week, given that few of my clients would make more than one or two appointments per month, I needed a crop of twenty to thirty reasonably reliable clients.

I found another niche other than whipping boy as well. I was the gigolo that women hired when they really needed a non-gigolo looking escort. I was the guy who looked like an actual date. I spent so much time at the opera and the ballet and the theatre that even I started to hate the arts. I also found that those women didn’t want sex, they wanted to be seen as dating. I got paid far less for those dates, so I ended up working more often. My afternoons soon became filled with clandestine meetings with young professional women who didn’t have time to date and yet still needed sexual satisfaction. Those were almost like acting since I would dress in business suits to meet them. I quickly realized two things…a lot of women had daddy issues of one kind or another and as a sex worker my job was really only twenty-five percent about the sex. It was mostly about the leaving. I ensured that the young urban professionals didn’t have to deal with a man wanting them to change their ambitions or dumb down their intellect to soothe their masculine pride. It was very interesting.

Of course, given the circles my evening appointments traveled in, I suppose that it was inevitable that I would encounter April and her fiancé, Victor French. “Well, hey Lil Willie.” April greeted me with a mean smile.

“April…how lovely to see you. You’re looking amazingly sober.” I hit back.

She smiled a real, gentle, loving smile at the man to her right. “Yeah, well…when you’re this fucking happy, who needs the hooch?”

“I am glad that you’re happy.” She actually sounded sincere. I was surprised to find that I really was kind of happy for her.

She grabbed a sparkling water from a passing tray. “So, word is that you’re working hard for the money. Couldn’t get another Broadway gig?”

I knew that my face was ridiculously red. I didn’t want to have to acknowledge my failure in front of a current and who knew how many prospective clients. I may not have liked my job, but I certainly needed it. “Things haven’t turned out quite the way I’d imagined.”

She threw me another smirk. “Maybe you should try apologizing to those kids. After all, remorse is shown through actions. You’ve done nothing to show those kids that you even know that you were wrong.”

“I went to apologize…” I started only to be cut off.

“Yeah, you went to their record drop party to apologize and therefore make a night that was, rightfully so, all about them about you. That was a dick move, Lil Willie, not an apology. Besides the only point of doing it there would be to be seen doing it by guys like my Victor and the other Broadway billionaires. You were hoping to undo your bad impressions. But if you’d actually gone forward with your little plan, you’d have ruined the best night of their lives…to that point…and you’d have brought the wrath of the little Puerto Rican girl and the big ass Dentist Daddy onto your head. Now, in the months since, have you reached out to them? Have you emailed them? Sent them a letter? Tried to make an appointment to talk to them in private? Of course not. You only want to apologize if it’s done your way…which basically makes the apology completely worthless.” April’s voice never rose above the normal polite conversation level, but as she spoke her tone got more and more intense until the final sentence seemed almost shouted.

I stammered for a long while as I realized that she was totally and completely right. I hadn’t done anything worthwhile to prove that I was truly sorry. That was why I was still being punished by fate or God or the universe…whichever it was. I looked at April and the very smugly infatuated elderly man next to her. “You are right April. I will try to contact Mercedes, Sam and Puck privately and find a way to apologize on their terms not my own. I wish you well on your pending marriage and I am happy that you are looking so healthy and vibrant.”

Victor gave me an assessing look. “Perhaps there is more to you than stupidity and selfishness.” He finally said. “Yet, are the famous ones the only ones among your former students who deserve an apology?” The unlikely couple turned and walked away, leaving me with my client.

The tall, rather awkwardly thin, pinch faced woman who was my ‘date’ for the evening gave me a long look. “You know…I wasn’t expecting to get quite so much drama tonight.”

“My apologies…I’ve known April for a very long time. She doesn’t hesitate to tell me when I’m being an idiot. I’m sorry that you had to see all of that.” I told her calmly.

She just shrugged. “It’s not a big deal…just a little weird to realize that you’re a real boy.” She dropped the subject. The rest of the date went well and I was a little surprised that she actually invited me to extend the usual date. I actually made rent that night.

It took me and additional three days to work out what to say and how to say it in an email to my former students. I started with the smaller slights, emailing Finn and Rachel apologies for the disservices my favoritism had wrought. My next round of emails went to people like Lauren, Quinn and Brittany, Michael and Artie, people who I hadn’t given the opportunities to hone their skill sets that they deserved, but that I hadn’t active undermined. Then I was able to find the words to email Sam and Puck. They hadn’t deserved the disbelief I’d expressed when they had landed their contract, nor did they deserve the thoughts I’d had about their relationship with Mercedes. While those thoughts had never been verbalized, I was still wrong to have even thought them. Finally, I had to write the hardest emails of all…those to Santana, Mercedes and Kurt.

Dear Mercedes, Santana and Kurt,

I’m emailing you to apologize. It has taken me this long to do so, due to my own stubbornness and arrogance. I’ve finally figured out how to thanks to April Rhodes…she truly cares for you guys even if she didn’t get to remain your choir mate for very long.

I now realize that I was very wrong in how I treated all of the New Directions during the years I was your choir director. It has taken me a very long time to understand how wrong I really was and how the three of you, more than anyone else were harmed the most. Mercedes and Santana, I have entered therapy…of a sort…to explore my disgusting feelings towards women of color and how and why I believed that simply because you were not white, you were less than your classmates. Neither of you are in anyway less than anyone else. In a great many ways you are far greater. You are both individually and together stronger than many people twice your age and you both have a resiliency that is simply breathtaking in its scope and beauty. You are just beginning to see just how much your talents are appreciated by people who haven’t lost their ability to see beyond their own shortcomings. Kurt, while I have recently been uncontrovertibly assured of my heterosexuality, I am not actually homophobic. However, I was a man who felt no small measure of insecurity in myself and my own masculinity. Seeing another male, one more talented than I, one more self-assured than I…it caused my insecurities to flare unreasonably in dealing with you. The fact that at sixteen, you were already far more comfortable in your own skin than I am in mine to this day was something that should have been praised and lauded. Instead I was jealous and acted shamefully. For those things and all the times I pretended that I didn’t realize that the three of you were just as talented as Rachel, I apologize.

I am reaching out to you in the hopes that you will at least consider letting me know what I can do to convince you that I truly am remorseful would like to make amends.

Please give me the chance to let you know that I’ve learned from my past mistakes.

Your proud yet humbled former foolish teacher,

Schue

I sent all of the different emails with a set delivery at the same time. I didn’t want any of them to think that I’d apologized only to the lesser offenses, not even for a moment. Once they were sent, all I could do was hope that they were well received and the kids would help me to begin the process of earning their forgiveness.

Jealousy (Wiz Khalifa feat. Nicki Minaj)  
Rachel PoV

When I returned to school in the fall, I truly hoped that things would be far better after the disappointment of the summer. But of course, that wasn’t to be. It wasn’t enough that I had that spineless, rolling buffoon in one of my classes that semester, it seemed as if the worthless, moronic, talentless hacks known as KAMA were everywhere. They won those trashy awards from MTV. Then, as if the ancient video channel was still in any way relevant, they were mentioned on every single morning news and talk show. They were on all the tabloid shows. Then they were on The Daily Show blathering on about unimportant things. After all everyone knows that if a cop shoots you, it’s your fault that you ran. Only people who are guilty of something run in the first place. I had a black father…racism wasn’t that big a deal anymore. He was a well-respected lawyer in a small middle American town.

There were two blessed weeks of semi-silence. I said semi because their songs were still being played far too often and somehow whenever one of the disgustingly amorous trio showed up looking disheveled, some tabloid ‘journalist’ felt the need to pontificate about what they had probably been up to. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore, one of the larger, rugby playing…I was fairly sure it was rugby he kept talking about rather than showing a real interest in finding out more about me on our date. A date I only went on because I was sure that the popular campus sport player would elevate my social standing somewhat. Still it was no hard thing to get the rather physically minded boy to fear and disdain the wheelchair bound Artie. I barely had to use any of the proven persuasion techniques Brody had taught me to put the bug in his ear. From there, it was almost as if Artie was trying to paint a target on his chest. He bested the rugby player and his friends constantly in class. I was laughing in amusement when they turned Arthur into a turtle after class one day. It was very easy to anonymously post the video online. I even titled it KAMA Guitarist goes from being a rock star to mimicking road kill, just to make sure that anyone who viewed it knew just what they were watching. I shared it with the public safety officer that took exception to the larger men’s ‘harassment’ of the disabled. But that was a premeditated response to make sure that the rugby player wouldn’t be believed if they pointed the finger at me.

Things were finally starting to go as I wanted. In fact, I was cruising on that victory when the news broke on the Insider that Noah Puckerman had been the victim of child molestation by his sixth grade teacher and was a father of an eight-year-old daughter as a result. For two days it was all over the news and no one from ‘KAMA’s camp’ could be reached for comment. That made it look as if he was trying to avoid taking responsibility for his actions. I even used the Twitter account linked to the email address I’d used to anonymously post the video of Artie’s ‘fall’, to press the point that Puckerman was the kind of pathetically irresponsible expletive that wouldn’t step up and take care of his child. At the same time, I felt completely vindicated. I knew that there was no way that a second, out of wedlock child, with a woman more than twice his age could possibly be acceptable to Mercedes or Samuel. I was absolutely positive that this would herald the end of the ‘grand love affair’ of those three idiots.

But it would seem that the faithless friend, Mercedes Jones, was even more determined to be seen as desirable enough to have and keep a ‘relationship’ than I ever imagined. So much so that she forgave Puck’s perfidy. They went on to somehow not only weather the storm, but they came out the other side as even more of the darlings of the music industry. Women were divided. Half seemed to love the fact that Puck had slept with a woman who was patently ugly and ‘cherished the memories so much that he kept them hidden in his heart for almost a decade’. One woman actually said that where anyone could hear her. the other half were lauding Noah as being a survivor of molestation and they cheered how well he was growing and maintaining a healthy relationship after what had been done to him at such a young age. Those women really didn’t know Noah Puckerman. I remembered Ms. Shirling; she had been tiny and naive and looked a little like Kermit and Miss Piggy had a human child. He’d probably seduced and taken advantage of her. Guys just seem to love that he’d lost his virginity at thirteen and was so virile that he’d gotten the grown woman with child. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes, when the same men castigated the woman in question in their very next breath. The stupidity of the American people didn’t surprise me and yet it never ceased to amaze me.

Things seemed to have turned from good to bad to worse. The music group had apparently done a Rolling Stone interview. I had received a notification asking if I would allow my name and a little personal information to be utilized in an article in the world recognized magazine and assumed it had something to do with ‘Funny Girl’. Since all press was good press and I wanted the name recognition the next time I auditioned for a role, I of course gave the go ahead only to find that I was mentioned in a few sentences in an article about them. They had attacked my talent, my ability to carry a role. Oh, Mercedes couched it in such a way as to make herself look above character assassination, but I could easily see what she was doing. I suppose that it would only be fair of me to admit that Schue got painted with a much darker brush than I…but the truth was that he also got far more mention than I.

As I was suffering all of those indignities, one morning as I was preparing for mid-terms, I woke up with a very high fever and a splitting headache. I treated those, had a nap and went back to studying. As the testing and performance days drew closer, I noticed a lot of burning sensations when I used the restroom. It took a hand mirror and some contortions that tested even my fabulous flexibility, I found a huge grouping of bumps across my inner labia that seemed to increase in redness and size every time I checked then. I purchased and applied a feminine hydrocortizone cream, but it seemed to have just inflamed the bumps even more when I used that.

I checked WebMD and determined that I had a UTI. The symptom tracker gave other possible illnesses, but they were all unbelievably ridiculous. There was no way I had any of the sexually transmitted diseases they suggested. Having reached the only feasible conclusion, I went to the student health center and got a simple urine test for a UTI. The female doctor said there was some bacteria there, but that my symptoms were not those of a UTI. I knew that that was the only thing it could possibly be, I was still a virgin…for the most part, and I told her so.

Dr. Wymer forced me to suffer the indignities of a pelvic exam and instantly said "This looks herpetic. We have to culture these!" The next 30 mins or so of my appointment, after the pain and degradation I endured as she gathered her samples for a culture, were spent on questions about me, my partner, our activities, etc. I explained to her repeatedly that I had never had sex. She started going on and on about how any sexual activities could spread the virus and once it was in my blood, I would possibly have outbreaks for the rest of my life. I screamed at the humiliation. Brody and I hadn’t seen each other since he met Mr. Schuester on the stage of Memphis. He couldn’t have been the cause of the mortifying diagnosis. The persuasion techniques I’d used on the rugby player certainly didn’t count as sex. If it had, Bill Clinton’s impeachment would have been successful. I stewed as I waited for the results to come back. Three days later and I was called back into her office.

Of course, because fate hates me for some unknown reason, the test results were positive for genital herpes and I had to take a dose of Valtrex every day for the rest of my life. Even with the medication, there was every likelihood that I would have intermittent break outs whenever I experienced stress. I had to be cursed a disease that only afflicted whores and degenerates while Mercedes Jones was rewarded with four American Music Award nominations. I was absolutely livid. Life wasn’t fair and it seemed to be going out of its way to treat me as it should have treated those who stole what should rightfully have been mine. I would be forced to spend the next three weeks of my life unable to urinate without wanting to scream in pain and washing my hands and all my clothing so much that it would be a miracle if I had any underwear that wasn’t worn through and that I hadn’t gone through my entire stock of vegan hand lotion by the time the lesions finally abated.

As if all of that weren’t enough, I endeavored to run into Jesse St. James outside the open air Central Park theatre where he was playing Frederic in Pirates of Penzance and he completely brushed me off. When I read the article where he talked about the role and how he was enjoying working on his dream job, I just knew that if I saw him face to face, I’d be able to, at least, garner some introductions to the director and possibly make it into the chorus or one of the understudy roles. From there it would be little matter to cause the main actress some minor inconvenience that would necessitate me filling in. Once my talent was shared with the masses and the play’s reviews improved for showcasing all my incredible skills and gifts, it would be the smallest matter for me to become the feature actress instead of the understudy. But no, he wouldn’t even entertain getting reacquainted. He acted as if I were some kind of pariah. So I returned to campus burning with shame and anger. When I got there, I told that I needed to speak with my advisor. I rushed to his office only to find out that there was some type of problem with my computer. None of the papers I’d studiously completed and emailed to my professors made it to their inboxes. I was forced to go to each of their offices and open my email account and show them the sent email. Even when I tried to forward it to show them the original date and time stamp, it still wouldn’t go through.

It took some looking, but one of them finally found out that my email address had somehow been flagged as a spam address. Nothing sent to any of the multitude of NYU email addresses would get through. No one could figure out how it had happened. The things I’d emailed to various professors at the start of the semester had been received in each case. It took me a few days later to realize that the only emails I sent that went through were the ones to or from my fathers. I was in a constant state of pre-audition, sending headshots and resumes to casting agents and Broadway directors and none of them were going through. I was also getting gross amounts of spam, adult related, pornographic spam. It seemed as if my laptop hated me.

As for my fathers, since the birth of their beloved triplets, two boys and a girl, I’d been inundated with news and pictures of their precious replacement kids. They had named my ‘sister’ Ramatha Bette. By the first email after the babies got home from the hospital, she had already been nicknamed Reba. The boys named Rephael Channing and Rezin Terrence. My fathers probably thought that by giving them all R names, I’d find some sort of connection with them. It wasn’t going to happen. I did suggest to Daddy that they just call the boys by their far less ethnic middle names. I think they took my suggestion to mean that I cared. I had to admit that the babies were cute. I noticed that they were all biracial. I wasn’t sure if they had done that to assure me that the babies were not a replacement for me or to ensure that they would be nothing like me. Unfortunately, with their birth, I already knew that I was expected to be home for both Thanksgiving and Winter breaks. The airline tickets had already been purchased.

Of course, as per my luck, the start of the holiday season brought KAMA back to everyone’s lips and eyes. They were releasing an album of Christmas and Hanukah songs. The first video hit the airwaves. It was the song that they had asked me to join them and so many of our former choir mates and competitors in recording. I knew that it couldn’t be very good. I watched the video on you tube and it was a very strange thing. The video started with all of them together on choir risers. It took me a moment to find the famous music group among the forty to fifty people on the risers. The only way that ‘KAMA’ stood out was that they were dressed in a different color than everyone else. They were in an unfortunately beautiful shade of blue, while everyone was wearing a shade of gray that managed to work on each of them pretty well…despite the vast differences in their complexions, hair colors and sizes. Mercedes was centered among the sopranos, Sam standing among the tenors, but very close to Noah where he stood among the baritones. I looked through the rest of the assembled mass and noticed that they had that freak I’d run out of Vocal Adrenaline in the video as well. It was dressed as if it really were a girl, even to the point of wearing a long weave. The scene shifted from the assembled choir to one of them all playfully clustered around while Mike and Brittany and some other dancers performed a waltz to the classic Christmas carol. Then there were other scenes showcasing the friendships and erotic relationships among the vast choir. At one point it was singing with the traitorous Mercedes and they looked enough alike to be sisters. That fact and the fact that many seemed to feel they possessed more vocal promise than I did, a complete falsehood, but those facts made me hate them both all the more. When I saw that Jesse St. James was there looking happy and as if he were really part of the group, I wanted to scream. I bet that Mercedes, Noah or Sam, having forgiven him for his numerous transgressions, had put in a good word to make sure that he got his role in Pirates of Penzance.

The group was on Kimmel, where Mercedes apparently did an acapella version of ‘Mary Did You Know’. Jimmy and his audience found it endearing that she mentioned that the album version was her and her elder brothers all together. The next day they were on ‘The View’. At least I didn’t have to suffer through their singing again. And Nicolle Wallace was very hard on their pseudo-relationship and Puck’s affair with a teacher in sixth grade. She was the only one who seemed to think it was his own fault. Still, even she was very much throwing soft balls on both issues. Kimmel, the night before, had been more hard core than the former White House staffer. Wallace kept coming back to the number of acapella songs on the Christmas album. Finally, Whoopi just laughed and pointed out that real singers can sing acapella without a problem. It’s only those people who are more image than talent that make sure they are never without musical accompaniment. I growled at the TV. What did she know? Besides I did prefer to have music backing my superlative vocals but that was only because I had learned the hard way that human accompaniment was never to be trusted.

Saturday, I allowed myself to indulge in many of the same rituals that I’d celebrated during sleepovers with the traitors I’d believed were my friends. I slept in, then awoke and showered before lounging around in my footie pajamas, eating healthy snacks and watching large amounts of movies or tabloid television, well websites. I checked a music industry site and found news that made me want to scream. In its first week the ‘Carol of the Bells’ had already raised over a hundred thousand dollars for Toys for Tots. The article listed the name of every single member of the choir that had been pulled together to accompany KAMA for the track along with a short little bio. They even mentioned Jesse and his play and Lauren and her stupid wrestling title…it was ridiculous. I couldn’t believe that their stupid video was garnering such attention. I checked the counter and that damn article was being shared prolifically. I couldn’t believe that there was any way on earth the song was that popular without me. I was wallowing in a pit of despair so great it was trying to swallow me whole, when I decided to check another site, hoping to find some news that would make me feel better.

It was as I was browsing TMZ’s site that I found out that Noah’s very first paramour had died leaving him a single father. I smirked when two of the site’s reporters argued as to the veracity of the title single father since he was in a long term ‘relationship’, that according to the Rolling Stone article was only not a marriage because there was no legal way for them to do so. The plebeians had not been able to get a picture of the girl, despite the fact that they had all tried for the last several weeks. Apparently, the girl was protected by some elite security firm when not with her new family. I hoped that the cost of the security would bankrupt the new group. After all they couldn’t possibly be making all that much as music artists. Everyone knew that the music industry was being killed by the internet. Only extremely popular acts like Beyoncé or Lady Gaga really made enough to have a lavish lifestyle. Mercedes, Sam and Noah still shared a domicile with Artie, Satan, Brittany, Kurt and Blaine. They lived like animals all in one, probably absurdly small, nest. I wished that I had been able to find out where their little hovel was…I’d have been able to make a mint from that information. I tried to think of so way to find out where they lived. I would love to be able to show the world how pathetic their home life had to be. It might well be possible to get that daughter taken by social services. After all Puck was a twenty-one-year-old budding rock star in a deviant relationship. That could not be a healthy environment for a young, impressionable little girl.

I tabled that idea for later as I watched my favorite modern movie, ‘The Tree of Life’ and indulged in some kale chips and vegan cookies. The day stretched into the evening and I heard my phone ping a notification from the TMZ app. I quickly looked through the site. There was breaking news and, of course, it was about KAMA. “Paul Puckerman, the father of KAMA front man Noah Puckerman has died in Ohio’s NorthWest Community Corrections Center where the elder Mr. Puckerman was serving a ten-year sentence for multiple charges of identity theft, breaking and entering and failure to pay child support for any of his three children; Noah, Jacob and Sarah. Initial reports from inside the prison claim that Paul Puckerman was found beaten, raped and repeatedly stabbed in an area of the ‘yard’ that was closed to prisoners as it had been deemed unsafe after a sewage pipe burst over the summer. Paul Puckerman was forty-five years old.”

“It is interesting to know that another prisoner in that same facility has ties to the music super group. Shane Williams Tinsley is serving a seven-year sentence for electronically and physically stalking and the attempted sexual assault of Mercedes Jones during the summer before her senior year of high school. According to court records, Mr. Tinsley’s assault was stopped by the timely intervention of both Noah Puckerman and Sam Evans.” The second reporter mentioned. “Man, don’t you just know they beat the breaks off that guy.”

“Oh, we definitely know.” Harvey Levin laughed and showed Shane’s mug shot. He really did look very much the worse for wear. Noah and Sam had visited quite a substantial amount of physical violence upon his person. “Maybe that should be a lesson for any future stalkers out there.”

“Shoot, I’m not even scared of those two…Have you seen the size of her father and brothers? If I were some crazy stalker guy, I think I’d hope that her husbands got to me first.” The thick white reporter joked as he leaned over the wall. “Still, she’d be worth it.”

The African-American guy with the dreads and Harvey Levin started to argue with some of the girls about that point. My disinterest in listening to their discussion was boundless. I returned to watching movies and began thinking ahead as to how I was going to fake enthusiasm when I met my fathers' other children at the holidays. It seemed completely unfair to me how fate conspired against me. It made no sense how little the people who were supposed to love me and care about me actually did. I still couldn’t understand what I could have possibly done to make life treat me so cruelly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, You guys did it.
> 
> 12 Reviews in under 12 Hours. You Are awesome.
> 
> Here is your reward.
> 
> I've gotta ask you to review this chapter as hard as you did the previous. Not because I'm begging...but simply because I am almost literally dying to know your reactions to this chapter.
> 
> Like seriously...tell me what you think.
> 
> I'm very close to working on the Christmas pull out story, I'd love it if, while your letting me know what you think of this chapter, you tell me your favorite holiday song, and which of the story's many characters comes to your mind when you hear it.
> 
> Thanks for reviewing Chapter 11 so well.
> 
> TTFN,
> 
> Anni


	14. Best Day of My Life (American Authors)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Harry Potter & the Curse’s Cure by Dragon-Raptor (Not Glee Fic)
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe, you are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!!

Best Day of My Life (American Authors)  
Gabrielle PoV

As much as I loved my kids…there were days that the whirlwind that had become my life was so much I just wanted to scream out ‘Stop the World, I want to get off’.' The summer had been positively restful, even with the three family weddings that were held, one of which I was in, compared to the fall. In short order, Sander, George and Benton come up with this huge life altering plan on how to fix their inner boredom. Well, in all fairness, I think George’s mid-life crisis precipitated his move to Lima, Sander and Benton were the ones changing their entire worlds around that fall. I guess we should all just be grateful that their mid-life crises didn’t involve affairs with younger women or sport cars. I loved my husband, I would have hated to have to kill him. Still, as soon…literally…as soon as we’d started moving things forward on their real estate developers plans, things went to hell in a handbasket with the news breaking about that old bitch having raped Noah when he was still just a baby. I said all the right things to keep Becah as calm as possible…but Lord above I didn’t think Mabel Shirling could ever suffer enough. Between Paul Puckerman and her molesting ass, they almost ruined that poor child.

In the midst of all that, I somehow became the contact point for getting the kids an interior designer when the lady who did their Chicago apartment couldn’t do the house in Lima. Now, I really didn’t have to do much. I just called the guy Gwen knew and boom we had a decorator. But having the decorator in place led to the next tumultuous thing and it turned out that every one of us had a hand in that one. The kids' Lima house had grown from a nice six-bedroom house to a fourteen thousand square foot palatial estate with a colonial exterior look. The house had a total of six guest rooms, each with their own bathroom, four in-law suites and one hell of a master suite. There was a home office and a library, a home studio and theatre…plus a semi-private exercise room with its own private laundry and bathroom, a small wine cellar, a rec room, four car garage and parking courtyard…it was monstrous. I couldn’t believe it. Gwen’s guy needed help and given that I had the most regular free time during business hours, it turned out that it fell on me. He also had to bring in a couple other young designers in the firm he worked in to assist. But major decisions were up to me or I had to take them to the kids. An option that wouldn’t even be really available until after Halloween. 

Of course, I got kind of shirty with Sander and George. “What the hell were you two thinking? How much did this even cost? Do the kids even know? How are they going to even be able to live in this place? It’s huge!”

They had the grace to look sheepish. “We admit we may have gone overboard. But this didn’t cost near as much as it would have if it weren’t me and Sander doing it. They didn’t have to pay for an architect or blueprints and mark-ups. They only paid for the crew, subcontractors and materials for the build and I used my usual contacts to make sure I got them the best possible deals on everything. If you look at the costs, they are in for maybe a hundred grand more than they had budgeted to be at for this part of the build…but Benton and Danica put in fifty grand so really its only half that.”

“Why did Benton and Danica put in extra money?” I asked confused.

The guys shrugged. “I can give you my theory.” Sander finally said. “I did the plans and blueprints, George is doing the actual building…they probably wanted to contribute something to but it is outside either of their skill sets, so they gave money.”

That made a lot of sense, but it still didn’t answer a huge question for me. “Where the hell did they get all that?”

That made George start to laugh so had he ended up bent over with his hands on his knees. “That's where I get my theory on why they gave that much money to the build. In June…Cede refilled her college fund. Benton was so pissed…I could actually tell that he’d gotten red. She had gotten Gwen to do something so he couldn’t even put it back in her accounts or anything.” He told us when he finally could speak. “So the money they put into the house account may have been his way of giving her back what he didn’t want back in the first place.” That set him off again, but he wasn’t alone that time.

Finally I looked at him and asked one last question, “How are they going to live in all that house?”

Both Sand and George gave me wicked grins. “That’s the best part of the design…the master suite and what I guess will be the little girl’s bedroom when they are in town, they are on the first floor. They will have a small family den they can use when it’s just the three or well four of them with Nikolette. There is a separate, small laundry room off the exercise room…they don’t have to live in the whole house except at Christmas and Thanksgiving or if they have some kind of big to do.”

Sander smile a plotting little grin. “Besides, we tricked this place out with a professional class in home recording studio and everything else we could think of to make them want to make this their primary residence after college when they aren’t touring and such.”

There was no arguing with that goal. It was one that, deep down, all three sets of parents shared. Really, more than just the three of us. All of the parents who made up our ‘corporation’ hoped and dreamed of the same. I was fairly sure that was the real reason Will Anderson had gotten onboard with the property development idea. If Lima became more…became a place where the kids could find decent shopping and such, we’d have a better chance of the kids coming home for more than just a visit. With all my objections settled, I had to make my first decisions for Terry Ringler. For that I needed to see the floor plans. When Sander got me those, it was easier to see what George had meant. They would really only have about fifteen hundred to two thousand square feet of house that they would occupy if they weren’t hosting a gathering. So I looked at cataloging for which rooms would go to who. I made the executive decision that yes the in-law suite next to Sam, Mercy and Puck’s room would definitely be going to their daughters. I decided to make sure that it was set up for both Nikki and Beth. Make sure that they both had their space and knew their father, and his loves loved them each equally even if Beth was only rarely there with her sister. Then I tried to reason whether it was more important that MeMaw only had to climb one flight of stairs, or that Hudson was nearer the office, just in case something arose while they were in Lima that needed her immediate attention. That problem was solved when I realized that my husband and his cohort had put in an elevator. So MeMaw received the third floor suite and Hudson got the in-law suite on the second floor near the home office. Sam had told me that since she didn’t have any family at all they would be bringing her with them to all the family celebrations. I was so proud of my son and his loves. The last in-law suite in the ‘attic’, though it was really just a fourth floor, went to Bubbie Ruth. I made up a list of Hudson, Bubbie and MeMaw’s favorite colors and an overall summary of my observations of their styles…anything that I thought might help him with personalizing their spaces. With MeMaw and Bubbie, at the kid’s house, Grandma Mae would have Mercedes’ old room up the hall from Dani and Hell Bent. That made sure that all of the grandmothers were covered. Everyone else could fight over the guest rooms.

While the in-law suites would all be personalized, the other six bedrooms would definitely be pretty bland, as guest rooms always were. I knew that the kids had asked that George source as many things from renewable resources for the house, so I let Terry and his crew know that there would be hardwood floors throughout everywhere except the recording booth of the home studio, and we wanted it to be bamboo rather than a more traditional hardwood. Once I had done that and asked him to go with bamboo cabinetry where applicable and I was pretty much done with my hardest job for that. Which was good because then I got roped into helping Danica keep Becah from losing it when she got back from meeting that Shirling woman. In an effort to distract her, we went to our favorite places, like Veronica’s, Jewels, and a few other places that we were pretty sure were renting their spaces. We knew that by offering them comparable rent, with a much better and more modern space plus a guaranteed better landlord situation…then we’d certainly be able to lure them to our development. We actually had one anchor space already contracted. Will Anderson had reached out to the farmer market based grocery store chain that had expressed interest in the space under the original owner and as soon as we could get the space ready, they wanted to sign a ten-year lease with rental terms assured for two year intervals and they would move in immediately.

Oh how I wish I could say that that was all that happened in the first three months the elder kids were back at college. But then KAMA got nominated for FOUR, yup, four American Music Awards. They followed that up by getting nominated for three People’s Choice Awards. I was as happy as a clam and as proud as a peacock. Until the kids decided that they wanted us to walk the red carpet at the AMAs with them. There was never a point in my life where I thought that I would be walking a Hollywood red carpet. I didn’t have any idea how to do, well, any of that. I loved watching the events, but I didn’t know how those people put those looks together. Thankfully I didn’t have to do it by myself. When Hell Bent told Dani-child she screamed so loud Sander and I ran upstairs because we thought that something was wrong. “I’m gonna be on a red carpet with my Babies.” She said as soon as she saw us. Then she grabbed me and restated that, “we’re gonna be on a red carpet with our babies.” She was so damn excited she was jumping and flailing.

It took quite a few minutes to calm her down, especially when Becah and Bubbie Ruth called to start on the whole what we should wear. Dani and Becah decided that we’d make sure we stood out, without overshadowing Mercy. So they made the choice that we’d pick one color from Mercedes’ gown and we’d all get gowns the same color. Bubbie had a picture of the Carolina Herrera runway gown and she was nice enough to send it to all of us. We knew that black was immediately out. I couldn’t wear it without looking like I’d just buried someone near and dear to my heart. that left us silver, hot pink and yellow. Becah put the kibosh on the hot pink. “We’re all too old to wear a dress that color.”

Dani pointed out that yellow made her look jaundiced, so silver it was. Then came the trips first to Cleveland…that one was Becah’s fault, I told her that we should start closer to home and only go further afield if we absolutely had to. “But Gabby, it will be fun. Come on…I could so use a whole weekend off from thinking about ‘That Woman’ or my MCATs or anything else adulty. We can pretend like were sixteen shopping for the prom.” She already had Danica on her side, so I folded like a house of cards in a windstorm. Cleveland was a wasted trip in the worst way. We were so disappointed that we didn’t even bother staying overnight as we’d originally planned. Instead we canceled our reservations and made it down to Columbus by dinner time. Since we were there to shop, and I was booking the hotel, I got us a two-bedroom suite at the Residence Inn by Marriot at the Easton Town Center shopping mecca. We had dinner at Edamame Sushi which was within walking distance. Then we went to the movies and saw ‘Gone Girl’ and we didn’t have to listen to the guys’ opinions of our movie. Then we agreed that we’d never, ever tell them that yeah, the movie kind of made us wish we’d killed the broad ourselves. She was heinous.

That night, after we finished gossiping and teasing and playing around like we really were teenagers, we each got to sleep in our own beds. The room came equipped with two king sized beds and a really comfortable queen sized pullout, so no one was crowded and I kept all the covers. I didn’t sleep very well, too used to Sander’s slight snores creating a white noise affect, but still it was nice to be able to stretch out and not to have to worry about his blanket thievery for a night. There were two bathrooms, which made getting dressed that next morning a total breeze. Given the reason we were looking for dresses; we went to the high end of the shopping plaza first. Our first stop was Nordstrom. We came up empty there, but in the store window of the Talbot Runhof boutique…we were passing it on the way to Saks…I happened to look up and I found my dress. I dragged them in and they had exactly one more of the silver, shiny and matte crepe, ruched sheath dress in my size. I almost wept paying sixteen hundred bucks for one article of clothing…but I was not going to embarrass my son and his loves on the Red Carpet by wearing something from Macy's.

When we left the boutique, we came to Bergdorf Goodman first. It was there that Danica found an adorable Jason Wu double-face satin evening gown that was made to look like it was actually a two-piece dress. The dress was gorgeous and despite the fact that it covered her from neck to knee in the front and then neck to floor in the back, it still made Danica look sensual and beautiful without taking a turn for the matronly. While we were there, I decided to look for shoes. Becah decided to look to even though we hadn’t been lucky enough to find her dress yet. She actually found her shoes first. She fell in love with a sky high pair of Tom Ford velvet evening sandals in a color the box called pacific blue. Then she found me a pair of Manolo Blahniks in red suede that were totally gorgeous. It was like my feet were covered in soft, pretty swirls. They looked a little familiar, but they were gorgeous, so I didn’t care. Dani found her shoes there too. A pair of Alexandre Birman suede sandals that looked as if they tied at the ankles. They were supposedly red, but they looked pink to each of us. And we tried all kinds of light to make sure that the color would look pink no matter what. It did. We were able to find small evening clutch purses that matched our shoes pretty much exactly. I knew that it was said that we shouldn’t match the purse to the shoes any more…but things looked more complete when they did. At least they did to me.

Saks was another score for us. Becah found her dress, a Catherine Regehr off the shoulder floor length subtle mermaid gown. I thought we were done. I was wrong. Danica dragged us into a store called the Diamond Cellar to find our most expensive accessories. It took all my will power to actually buy something there. Thankfully they sold jewelry that was real semi-precious stones and created diamonds…I found a beautiful ruby and ‘diamond’ collar necklace, a pair of earrings that while they weren’t made by the same designer, they looked like they were, a ring that went with it beautifully and a bracelet to fully complete my ‘ensemble’. Danica actually bought the real deal diamonds…and pink sapphires. She found a complete set of jewels that had been arranged into floral shapes, a collar necklace, cuff bracelet, a cocktail ring and statement earrings. I was a little surprised that there was room for negotiation. She got him to take a full two grand off the total by agreeing to mention the in-store jewelry designer when asked who she was wearing. Becah like me was far more budget conscious. She went with the lab created diamonds and real aquamarines. She didn’t bother with a necklace, but then again her earrings were huge so she didn’t need one. She went with more traditional bracelets, one for each arm and a cocktail ring.

I was so happy to get everything back to our room. We stayed that night as well and had to wake hella early to make it back to Lima in time for them to drop me off at the school. But it was done so I was happy. Plus, it turned out that we went at exactly the right time. The next few weekends were taken up with everything from the simple…Halloween costume shopping, to the extreme the death and funeral of ‘That Woman’. Maybe it was because Stevie was the age Noah had been when she did what she did…maybe it was because she didn’t express remorse until she was sick unto dying…maybe it was just because I wasn’t as good a Christian as I should have been, but I just couldn’t forgive her as easily as I’d told Becah she should. If I’d been a man, there wasn’t much that would have stopped me from peeing all over her damn grave. But I had told Becah that the woman had paid the ultimate price for her transgressions. But I’d really only done so because Becah wasn’t the kind of person to feel okay holding a grudge. I’d done what was best for my friend despite how I may have felt on the situation.

November was a laugh riot…not. On top of the house decorating, Sander and Benton were working with Haja to finalize the finishes for the RVs the kids would use on their North American tour the following summer. Somehow that led to the bothering of anyone they thought would have an opinion for ideas and decisions on options. Okay so there were a few things that I put in my two cents, like making sure that each of them had a wi-fi system so they would all have their devices and be able to stay in touch and handle their business. I also talked them into going with the option that gave them patio hammocks and a patio entertainment center for their down time. Tessa piped up to interject that the bigger shower was better for the trio. Becah had them add in extra drawers for Hudson’s work type things. She would actually be accompanying the group on the road so that she could keep them connected to Haja and the rest of their crew in Manhattan. Dani went through the choices of appliances and picked out what would be needed for both buses. It was a joint decision that they would have microwaves and an induction cooktop rather than a full stove. They were primarily going to be eating in restaurants or hotels, so they didn’t need the oven and the cabinet space would be very useful.

While the husbands were in total build, build, build mode, Danica went into over drive on the whole diva thing. Which was second only to how crazy she was about trying to get Thanksgiving planned before we went to LA. Becah had taken the MCATs the day before the Shirling woman died. So she was all atwitter waiting on the results. Tessa had retaken the SATs the first Saturday of the month. She had done great on both the verbal and essay parts the first time she took the test in October, not so much the math portion, so she wanted to get that score up before the college application deadlines hit. Applications she was in the midst of completing and therefore she was walking ‘round as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. The middle kids were in the midst of their fall testing. We teachers knew better than to try for more than spelling and chapter tests during the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so metrics testing was done before Thanksgiving and again after spring break. Sarah was ruling the middle school girls with an iron fist. Everyone could tell that Stacey was being groomed to take her throne when she moved up to high school. But the teachers were pretty happy for it. Blatant disrespect and bullying were down across the board. That was definitely a good thing. The quintet of toddlers were quickly getting to be too much for the AME church day care. Thankfully Beth would go to pre-K the next fall and she currently spent half the day at a Montessori pre-school. Mara and Maea would be going there the next fall which would just leave the church ladies with Sloane and Jeanie, and Jeanie was a little angel. We just needed to make sure that we gave each of the ladies an awesome Christmas gift from our family.

KAMA’s ChristmaKah album dropped on the first Tuesday of the month. The first single released had been ‘Carol of the Bells’. The video was highly acclaimed for its inclusivity and the beauty of the voices of all the New Directions, Warblers and their friends. The album’s over nights saw over a hundred thousand units sold in stores. A fact which Haja sent to all us parents and Gwen as if we knew whether that was good or not. We knew that the charity single was breaking all kinds of records and that Haja had arranged for the first check to go Toys for Tots on Black Friday and he was projecting that that check would probably be in the mid to high six figures. Lyor sent us an email saying that he was trying to convince Warner’s board to give a matching amount from their cut of the single’s profits, but they were dragging their feet on agreeing to do so. They could do what they wanted. Me, Danica and Rebecah were the three proudest moms in the world at the fact that our children were doing something so awesome without anyone telling them they should. A small part of me had worried about them giving away so much money, but when I asked Gwen she just smiled. “It’s good that you care, but remember that we are only talking about the proceeds of one single. That won’t include the monies made from album over all or the other nineteen singles. Now, given that the group’s profits for the single are slated to go to charity and everyone knows it, it will likely be their best-selling single. People don’t mind ripping music but gospel and charity songs are different. Artie says that people aren’t willing to go to hell for one song.” She laughed.

I felt better. I wasn’t a mom-ager, but I was a mom and as a mom I worried. Thankfully, Sam didn’t give me much to worry about, other than getting ready for the red carpet. The Monday of the week before Thanksgiving, the three moms, along with Tessa, Sarah and even Stacey, all went to Jewels. Sarah got to experience her first waxing. Lord have His mercy, I was so glad I got to witness it. She cussed a blue streak and a half. It was hilarious. We all had facials, mani-pedis and massages. As we were leaving we got a bunch of texts from the kids. I recognized April Rhodes, despite having only met her once…she wasn’t a woman anyone forgot. She was in a short and ornate wedding dress in a shade of eggshell that made her tanned skin glow. Her feet were encased in ornate, crystal embellished heels that even I recognized as Manolo Blahniks. and the smile on her face was bigger than the rocks on her hand and that was saying something. I was pretty sure they could see those bad boys from orbit. Next to her stood a familiar looking older gentleman who looked at her as if she were the very epitome of perfection. Clustered around them were the kids, Sam, Noah and Mercy looking very happy for their friends. The wedding pictures were in all the gossip mags and on all the tabloid shows. Someone recorded a video of Mercy serenading the couple with an old Sinatra song called ‘All the Things You Are’. It was an amazingly beautiful song. Sam and Noah’s version of ‘Unchained Melody’ popped up online as well. Their social media guru had both videos up on their website and when they hit YouTube, April Rhodes loved them so much she put them up, they about crashed the site they were viewed by so many people at once.

The very next day we were back into the AMA preparation fever. We got the dresses back from Dani’s alterations lady. I guess when everything you bought had to be hemmed, you built a really good relationship with the person who did your alterations. Each of them fit like they had been made just for us. We talked to our NYC kids, learning about the travel arrangements and they said that Haja had flown to LA the day before to work with the stage designers to get things perfect for the kids’ performance. Wednesday, Rebecah dragged us to the mall because she wanted new lingerie for the weekend. When George told Benton and Sander why we were heading to the mall, my beloved husband jumped all over that one. He wanted me to buy out Victoria Secrets. The more I thought about Rebecah and I and how we felt about shopping at that point, I realized that we were flip sides of the same coin. Becah had spent the better part of two decades just a couple of rungs up the economic ladder from where Sander and I had fallen during Sam’s junior year. She was so happy to have money to spend on herself after so many years of putting her every free dime into Noah and Sarah, she loved having reasons to do so. Me, I’d spent less than twenty months living hand to mouth and I was still scared as hell to wind up back there. So while I spent more freely on Stacey and Stevie and Sloane…I really had trouble buying for myself. Since in my mind I didn’t need the lingerie to make sure that people didn’t think of Sam’s mom as a country bumpkin, I wasn’t very inclined to spend it. Sander managed to convince me that I should buy some sexy pieces of nothing because only he and I would know what was under my dress, and the thought of that was, admittedly, really sexy.

Thursday, we had a family dinner. Tessa and Jake were staying in Lima, only because Jake was starting as quarterback at the next night’s game and Tessa was cheering. The two of them and the senior New Directions were having a sleepover at Sugar’s house after the game, so they would only be on their own Saturday and Sunday nights. At least they thought we believed that. All the New Directions were having an AMA watch party at Jake’s house on Sunday. I didn’t know if they were going to make it a sleepover, but we did find out about the main party. We couldn’t let those teenagers think they were getting too many over on us. After all we let Jake believe that we didn’t know that he was letting Regina, Chase and Jessica share him to keep the other guys at bay. I wasn’t sure if the relationship was convenient sex without the mess of high school dating, or platonic dating to avoid the mess of high school dating all together, but I was sure about the existence of the relationship itself. We were going to surprise Sam, Noah and Mercy by flying Shelby, David and Beth out with us since Bubbie and Nikki were coming. Shelby and David would help Bubbie looking after Triple S, Commune’s girls and the toddlers while the Sisters Puckerman would have time to get to know each other better. After dinner everyone got packed. We ladies put our jewelry for the event in Benton’s carry on. Out of all of us, we figured that the expensive as hell pieces of jewelry were the safest with the six foot six tall and broadly muscled black guy.

We flew out of Dayton to LAX on Friday evening. KAMA and the band along with Hudson and Darcy had gotten there the night before and they were in rehearsals when we arrived. But Hudson had arranged transportation for us so we got to the hotel with no problems. Unfortunately, because our rooms weren’t booked until the month before the event the Ritz Carlton was full so we ended up at the Hilton Garden Inn, a quick two minute walk away. Bubbie and Nikki were already there. Hudson was in on the surprise so she’d reserved an extra junior suite for Shelby, David and Beth. Check in was more difficult than it needed to be, especially since we had the confirmation number and the printed confirmations. Okay, yeah, the rooms were reserved in the names Michone Richards, Rick Walker and Shane Grimes, but it was a Hollywood hotel, they had to understand the need for that. Then when they were finally agreeing with us that the rooms were for us, they didn’t want to take our credit cards rather than the ones the rooms had been booked with. Finally David let loose with a hell of a lot of Spanish. That turned out to be the golden ticket. The desk clerk was quickly made to understand that we were not letting our kids pay for the rooms no matter what and she fixed the problem, taking our credit cards to handle the room fees and any sundries.

We had had dinner while waiting on our flights at Dayton, so once we were finally in our rooms, it was bath time for the kids. We really did love the rooms. They were all together and on the same floor. They were so together, that our room shared a connecting door with Dani and Hell Bent’s while George and Becah’s connected with Bubbie Ruth’s. We unpacked immediately. Our dresses and the father’s suits were hung up and all jewelry and the guys’ cufflinks and studs and watches were all locked into the in room safe in Bubbie’s room, since hers was sandwiched between two other family rooms. Once we got the little kids all bathed and the bigger kids in all the showers…literally, Sarah showered in Becah’s room, Stacey showered in ours, Stevie showered in Dani’s all while Nikki was showering in her room…we adults and the babies chilled out in the living room of Bubbie’s suite until ten. We were all in bed early because the next day we were getting up early to meet Sam, Mercy and Noah for breakfast.

As soon as we saw them, and Lord knows it was good to see them. The last time I’d laid eyes on them in person, theirs had been clouded in sadness and my own in anger. But as soon as we saw them, I knew they were up to something. They managed to keep their news to themselves until everyone had been served. “Rather than going on one of those maps to the stars homes tours or something…how would you guys like to spend the day at Disneyland?” Mercedes asked with a wicked little grin on her face.

We had seven kids ranging from eleven months to thirteen years old, and their big siblings just said the words Disney and land in the same sentence. The sounds of agreement and happiness were so loud that I almost wanted to hide as everyone in the very posh restaurant turned to look at us. The excitement was off the charts but then they got suddenly quiet. “Are y’all coming with us?” the hope in Stevie’s voice was so damn touching it ‘bout broke my heart.

Sam nodded. “We can only stay until two though. We have rehearsal at four, but yeah, we’re coming too. If y’all don’t mind having us there.”

“I don’t care if they do mind. I want to see my girls meet the Mouse.” Puck teased. Then came the noogie war which ended up with Noah under the puppy pile of all the kids old enough not to be in high chairs. I saw plenty of people taking pictures and I knew that it would hit the net. But before I could say anything three Rangemen appeared out of nowhere and glared and glowered people into stopping and thinking before they posted the pics.

We finished eating quickly after that. Thankfully we’d all dressed for a day of comfortable sight-seeing, because we didn’t even go back to the hotel. We all crowded into the five prearranged vans. Each van sat eight, the three Rangemen drove three, Benton and George took the other two. Of course, Hudson had thought of everything. She could have gotten vans that were driven by professional drivers, but that would have necessitated a sixth van and we didn’t really need one when we had plenty of licensed drivers and each of the vans had GPS. As soon as we got in the vans, everyone was handed a small KAMA sport pack containing an empty KAMA logo water stay cold type bottle, a disposable camera, sun screen, hand sanitizers, a hat, a pair of ‘no big deal if you lose them’ sunglasses and a list of a mommy blogger’s things to do and skip with small children at the park. Each of the kids had a red or pink Disneyland autograph book and big pen to match. We got there before the park was opened to the crowds. We each got a two day pass, I guess someone thought that we might have some time to return the next day before we had to get ready…maybe. Then again the guys and the kids could go since they either didn’t need the ton of readiness time, or they weren’t going to the show. That would give them something fun to do. 

Despite the fact that meal plans tended to go along with a stay at one of the associated resort hotels, we also got a meal pass for the Donald’s two day Dine in the Magic plan. The meal plan gave us two character dining vouchers, which would let us eat at one of those ‘guaranteed to see the characters’ restaurants, two other dining certificates, each worth fifteen bucks for adults and ten bucks for kids. They also included two snack vouchers. I had just finished reading through the ticket and meal plan packet when Hudson appeared like magic next to us with one of the park’s rentable strollers. I looked over and Darcy was giving Benton and Danica a twin stroller and Kurt Hummel was hugging Dani like his life depended on it. Puck had stolen Beth and was strapping her into another twin stroller. Nikki was small enough that they had gotten the second seat for her if she got tired. Sam. Noah and Mercedes stuck with the family while their friends, band, Hudson, Haja and Darcy went to explore on their own. The Rangemen stayed with us.

The next five hours were a total blast. We started by walking down the Main Street USA. I’d seen the Orlando version a time or two…but seeing the original was something else. When we finished that we ladies demanded a trip through FantasyLand first. Mercedes, Sam and Noah signed an entire boatload of autographs at the Biddidi Bobbidi Boutique, but it got Nikki, Beth, Mara and Maea into the seats. When we left the boutique we were accompanied by Belle, Rapunzel, Tiana and Jasmine. All four of our family’s youngest girls were decked out in full Disney Princess regalia. Sarah, Stacey and the guys may have disappeared into FrontierLand for a while, but they met up with us by the time we reached Pixie Hollow, and my darling Sloane was the most adorable little Pirate ever. We had so much fun. By the time we hit Toontown, we had a million pictures. We’d encountered all four of the walking princesses that were represented by our babies, and Pocahontas, Merida and Mulan. They all gave the kids autographs and posed for pictures with them. Mercy almost snatched Mulan up for trying to slip Sam her number though. In Toontown, Puck got his wish twice over as we got pictures of his girls with both Mickey and Minnie. Sarah played like she didn’t know she was supposed to get in the shot with her nieces, but it did her heart good to know that despite having Nikki and Beth, Noah still included her among his girls.

Our party was big enough and diverse enough that there was always someone who wanted to sit out with Nikki, Beth, Maea, Mara and Sloane, or any combination thereof, when they couldn’t do a particular ride or attraction. Though I did notice that Puck, Mercy and Sam seemed to be sitting with them more often than anyone else. At one point they took the five of them and Triple S and disappeared so we adults could go and enjoy some roller coasters. Near two, we rode the Disneyland Railroad back to Main Street USA and found that the band, Hudson and Haja were all ready to go. Kurt and Darcy asked if they could stay with us, and we had no problem with that. We did miss our older children, but since six of the family’s kids weren’t present in the first place, it almost seemed wrong to think about that. When the trio and their band left, Sam grabbed the keys from one of the Rangemen and Binkie stayed with us as well.

We had lunch at the Blue Bayou Restaurant in New Orleans Square before getting back on rides. The rest of the afternoon and evening flew by. We had dinner at the park and we stayed and saw the fireworks…come to find out neither Sloane nor Maea particularly cared for those. Both Beth and Mara did though. By the time we all got back to the rooms, we were exhausted. It took twice as long to get everyone showered and in bed because even as tired as they were, the munchkins were still all hepped up and talking about all they had seen and done that day. I loved the fact that the things they had loved most had been the stuff we’d done all as a family.

The next morning, Dani, Becah and I were due over at the Ritz by ten thirty to do some spa treatments. The kids and the husbands were already gone when we woke up at nine. They did leave us a note to let us know that the six adults had taken the seven kids back to the theme park. We showered and headed over. Breakfast was actually served in the spa as was lunch later on. We had facials and massages in the morning. Then we decided to be bad and have our mani-pedis redone…we’d played it safe with French manicures and American pedicures, but I saw a perfect shade of aquamarine gel polish that would look perfect on Becah and Dani and I didn’t stop ‘til we had our perfect pink and red shades of polish as well. When the husbands joined us, they were literally done in like an hour. Each of them having gotten a men’s facial with shave and a manly-mani. Best of all they had brought all our dresses and lingerie and accessories with them when they joined us after their showers. At two, we all headed from the spa up to a small conference room where our hair and makeup were done by professional, even the guys got professional haircuts. We got dressed, by turns, in the kids’ suite. From there we ended up in three separate limos, which wasn’t fun, but necessary.

When we got out of the cars, I was happy to see that we’d gotten there in the proper order. Noah’s car was first. He and George looked so handsome in their different but similar navy blue suits, with Rebecah beaming in pride in silver with tiny pops of blue on their arms. Then Mercedes walked the carpet with her parents on either side of her. Her black silk jacquard, Carolina Herrera gown had been accessorized with a pink and white diamond collar necklace, a pair of round diamond, tear drop shaped earrings, a hammered silver broad wrist cuff and a floral Oscar de la Renta pave diamond bracelet, a pair of red bottom pink, sheer looking heels. Her hair was up in shiny, elaborate up do and her makeup was perfect, very natural with a nice, shiny, warm brick red lip. Then came Sam, Sander and I. Sander’s charcoal suit was the perfect complement for my silver dress and Sam’s grey on gray plaid Tom Ford suit. Dani’s silver gown picked up the print on the front of Mercy’s dress and Benton’s pops of pink in his tie and handkerchief brought his black tux and snowy white shirt right into line with his wife and daughter’s looks.

The red carpet wasn’t as bad as it I thought it was going to be. I noticed that Kurt and Hudson were blending into the plethora of ‘people’ and they made their way up the carpet near enough to text us an answer if we didn’t have one, Hudson, or help out with a wardrobe malfunction if one should occur, Kurt. We mentioned who we were wearing and all three of us mothers name dropped the jewelry designer at the Diamond Cellar as promised. We chatted with Giuliana Rancic and Ryan Seacrest. I got to crow about Sam’s mid-term grades and how far he’d come despite his dyslexia. It was nice to see some of the other acts greet Sam, Mercy and Noah as if they were old friends. When Pink ran over and gave all three of them a huge hug and then pinched Sammy’s cheeks when he blushed at something she’d said, I almost passed out trying not to laugh. Jesse J, looking gorgeous in a white suit, pulled Mercedes to the side and they had a quick conversation. A few moments later, there was something of a ruckus further up when Nicki Minaj and Mercedes Jones met face to face for the first time. Up close and personal, it was very easy to tell that the blogger who confused the two of them must have been smoking crack rock. I may well have been biased, but I thought our Mercedes was the more beautiful of the two.

Once we were inside we were ushered to our seats, and we sat as couples with Sam, Noah and Mercy in the center of us. I was fit to be tied since I was sitting near Brantley Gilbert, and I just loved his song ‘One Hell of an Amen’. Then I realized that I was sitting so close to DIANA ROSS, that if I sneezed, she could say ‘bless you’. Danica and I shared a total and complete freak out. I looked around some more, when I could breathe without giggling again and noticed that Taylor Swift and her all girl clique were clustered together. Something about them reminded me of the popular clique in high school. I noticed Jordan Sparks and thought she was just the cutest little thing ever. I was kind of proud of myself at how many of the really young artists I could identify.

The show started. I thought it was interesting that the show was hosted by a music artist, when I was more used to comedians hosting those things when I was watching them at home. The kids had to disappear pretty quickly to go get ready for their performance. Ms. Ross ascended the stage to give Taylor Swift of all people the Dick Clark Award for Excellence. I liked her better before she crossed over. She just seems to make the same song over and over again by that point to me. Patrick Dempsey gave out the Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group to One Direction. We watched the Charlie XCX performance and then our babies were introduced by Rita Ora and Tony Award winner Jonah Persch. When the curtains went up, I was shocked. Mercedes was front and center in a gorgeous purple halter corset top that showed everything God had blessed her with. Her bottom wasn’t any more better, though it was completely covered. The black leather leggings or skinny pants that were tucked into knee high, black leather, red bottomed boots with super high, ridiculously high, thick heels and silver buckles all the way up the front, showed her ass off like whoa. Her makeup was stronger and darker and even I knew that the bolder lipstick probably had every man watching who wasn’t related to her or gay thinking some pretty dirty thoughts. On either side of her, Sam and Noah both seemed somehow more dressed even though neither of them were wearing shirts, just different cuts of black leather pants, black leather wrist cuffs and boots. They each had their guitars, but Sam’s was on a strap that was lower than I’d ever seen him wear it, they looked like rock stars.

The dancers were slightly more dressed. The male dancers wore shirts that were pretty much the same color as Mercy’s top. The shirts were skin tight and showed their muscles well…but their black leather pants were even tighter, but they had to be stretchy with all the moves they were doing. The female dancers were in black and purple, steampunk looking, corset dresses. Santana and Xena wore similar dresses, though theirs were cream and black and had the halter bodice. Like Brittany, Rainbow, Elena and Bianca, they were wearing old fashioned boots that look like they came off the set of an old, black and white, wild west movie. The Dam brothers were in tight blue tee shirts and looser black leather pants, and like Sam they had paired their pants with black work boots. it wasn’t a surprise that Dave hadn’t bothered with a shirt, he looked like Puck and Sam, just in black tennis shoes rather than boots. Artie was in comfortable jeans topped with leather pants and a sleeveless red tee-shirt that showed off the fact that his arms were wirily muscled. Justin was wearing the same loose cut black leather pants as Dave, but he had added a blue compression tee. Cassidy was at a turntable set up, wearing a steampunk gray jacquard corset top that covered a lot more of her, it even had cap sleeves. she’d paired it with a black leather pleated skirt and Doc Martins. Erika was rocking her bass down low too and it showed off her black satin corset top that was shaped just like Cassidy’s. Her Docs were showcased by an asymmetrical hem chiffon skirt that was layered thicker at the top so the bottom looked sheer.

The stage was set like an old western saloon, and as they sang and danced you could just tell the Mercedes was the madam and she was ruling over everyone. I was a little surprised to realized that they had sped up the tempo of the song and made it a dance number. And oh what a dance…The dance moves were all sensual and yet frenetic and manic. It was a strange combination that shouldn’t have worked, but it so totally did. The audience was up and dancing and I saw a couple of the younger men pretty much drooling over my daughter-in-law. No one was seated by the time they finished…not even us old folks. And when Mercy had straddled the mic stand and rocked suggestively towards Noah, I clearly heard Brantley Gilbert swear. The audience roared their approval as the last strains of the song faded away.

There was a commercial break and then Jamie Foxx and his daughter, Annalise Estelle Foxx, presented Rap/Hip-Hop Album award to Iggy Azalea. She was pretty good, but I hated the way she tried to sound like a black woman from my home state when she was a white girl from Australia. Then Becky G and Gavin DeGraw introduced 5 Seconds of Summer's performance. By the end of that, the kids were back in their seats dressed in their arrival apparel looking every bit as put together as they had when they left. We watched the next few performances, it was to Garth Brooks’ credit that everyone of us lost our minds like we were in the fan section when they played his performance from North Carolina on the huge screen. There were a few more awards and we cheered all the winners. I really enjoyed the Jesse J, Nicki Minaj and Cat Valentine ‘Bang Bang’ performance. When the kids’ ‘The Fighter’ beat out Katy Perry feat. Juicy J’s ‘Dark Horse’, Pharrell’s song of the last few forevers ‘Happy’, John Legend’s ‘All of Me’ and Iggy and Charlie XCX’s ‘Fancy’…we couldn’t believe it and I just know that the cameras caught all of our looks of shock and awe and happiness. We cheered like crazy, hugging them happily as they made their way to the stage. That was so awesome. They thanked all the usual suspects, God, us, their management and label…then Sam shocked them all by taking Noah’s soap box.

“So, this time I’m going to say it, maybe hearing a southern white guy say this is wrong and racist, y’all will start to believe it. Yesterday a twelve-year-old child was shot by police for playing with a toy gun in a park. Near as I can tell the only crimes that were committed was that Tamir Rice was black and Timothy Loehmann was a moron who should never have had a badge and a gun. We’ve gotta call for a change before things reach the point of no return. Call your local, state and federal officials and demand better psych evaluations and training for police in this country. Friedrich Gustav Emil Martin Niemöller said ‘When the Nazis came for the communists, I remained silent; I was not a communist. When they came for the Jews, I remained silent; I wasn't a Jew. When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out.’ We’ve gotta stand up, stand together and speak out…before there are none of us left to speak.”

I was so proud of my son. I started clapping like a fool. I was surprised that Brantley Gilbert and a few other country artists nearby were clapping just as hard as we all were. So when he won the Favorite Country Album award, I clapped just as hard as I could. The rest of the night I was on cloud nine. After that they won Top Soundtrack as one of the contributing artists for SongBird’s soundtrack…then they won both the New Artist of the Year and the Favorite Pop/Rock Album for 'Necessity 4 Existence'. It was wonderful and it was definitely, at least in my own biased opinion, well deserved. None of their other speeches were out of the ordinary thanks and such…which made a certain kind of sense. They wanted to get their message to the audience, but not alienate said audience. It was an awesome night and I was ridiculously happy. Afterwards, we parents went out to dinner, hell we looked ridiculously good, why wouldn’t we want to show it off. As soon as we got back to the hotel and found that the kids were all staying with Bubbie, well, I don’t know about the rest of them, but me and Sander had one hell of a night before we finally showered together and went to bed. I was the happiest mother in the world and no one could tell me that we hadn’t done one hell of a job raising our kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...eventful week in the real world. Praying for the Sterling family in Louisiana, the Castile family in Minnesota and the families of the five slain police officers.
> 
> When Almost ever single black person says Black Lives Matter, we aren't trying to say that Blue lives don't. Stop Killing Us isn't a rallying cry for us to start killing them.
> 
> Lets all pray for peace.
> 
> Lets all also read and review our favorite Fan Fic authors and give a happy 'Welcome Back' to KayBee 80. Kay, I pray that life will get better and you will find your joy again real soon.
> 
> Last but not least...I'm having a really hard time trying to decide if KAMA beats Sam Smith for the Best New Artist Grammy. Feel free to chime in with your opinions.
> 
> That is all this has been Annikay...signing out.
> 
> TTFN


	15. Keep it Together (Madonna)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Lucky Now Series by Mollykakes (Not Glee Fic-MCU)
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe, you are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!!

Keep it Together (Madonna)   
Tessa PoV

There was a certain amount of responsibility inherent in being teenagers left home alone. If one was an avid teen movie watcher, one might believe that the responsibility was to have an epic party and try to get away with it. Another school of thought was that maybe one didn’t throw an epic party, maybe one just did a whole bunch of stuff you couldn’t do with your parents at home; things like staying in their pajamas and not moving at all if they didn’t actually have to or inviting over their significant other, or a suitable booty call, and making like it’s their honeymoon weekend. The final set of kids tended to do neither. They did the same things they would do if their parents were home, just in the peace and quiet without any parental interruptions. My younger brother and I were so close in age it was biologically impossible for us to be full siblings, which was fine since we were technically a weird kind of step-sibling. But no matter all that, we were siblings and we got along amazingly well; yet we were completely unable to come to an agreement on how to spend the weekend our family, almost all of it, was spending in LA. Jake was a member of the first school…well maybe not an epic party, but he was seriously planning an AMAs watch party Sunday night. It took forever to reach a compromise by which we agreed that no one who wasn’t a junior or senior New Direction or a friend for more than two years could be invited. It was a good way to make sure that the ‘watch party’ didn’t accidentally morph into some major rager. I also knew for a fact that Chase, well all of RJC really even if Chase was the only one he was actually dating, those four did so much together…the rumors were getting ridiculous. The only time I didn’t hear some new salacious take on their outings was when they were joined by Unique and Ryder, which was pretty often, Thank God. Anyway the Cheerio trio was going home with him from the upperclassman ND sleepover Sugar was planning. So I guess he also was a member of the second school of thought.

Me, I was of two minds. I would have loved to invite my boyfriend over and spend the weekend exploring a physical relationship with him…however given the fact that my boyfriend was even more religious than Sam and Cede, that wasn’t about to happen. I still sometimes found it hilarious that I’d begun a relationship with Joe Hart. It was a very strange thing to me since I was at best a lapsed Catholic turned mostly agnostic who went to Jewish religious services so that I didn’t have to wake up early enough to go to mass. That wasn’t the only reason, there was a certain beauty in my Mom’s faith that I just didn’t see in my Dad’s and my mother’s. Joe was a borderline fundamentalist Christian. I said borderline because as he was exposed to more and more people who had different beliefs and different faiths, the more he started to lean towards a certain progressive Christian bent. As he pulled away from what he’d learned in the church of his parents, he’d worried that they would be angry with him. Only to find out that his parents had pretty much expected the drift from the moment he’d entered public school. They had only agreed because they themselves had started to worry about all the hate their congregation was beginning to embrace.

I actually got along well with both of his parents, which was a huge relief after dealing with Aidan’s mom’s hatred. Jacob and Rachael had even attended Ada AME with us the weekend that Cede, Sam and Puck were home and actually made it to church…mainly because Rachael wanted to meet Joe’s Mama Mercedes. She loved her thirty seconds after meeting her, of course…who didn’t love Cede. In fact, they had loved it so much that they were a regular presence every other Sunday. I wouldn’t be very surprised if they converted over soon. Was it really a conversion if you were just moving from one protestant based faith to another? I shook off that stream of consciousness to return to my main line of thinking. I had met Joe’s whole family and only had any trouble with one of them. Joe was the second oldest of seven, but his older sister was even more fundamentalist than their parents. Mary had married at eighteen, a couple of months before Joe started at McKinley, and she was already expecting her first child. Supposedly, she felt that birth control went against God but Joe thought she was trying to fill another void, he didn’t tell me what that void was. I thought she was a little preachy, but not a bad person really…until she met Unique. Meeting our transgender friend caused her and Joe to have a HUGE fight about how she was sure that he was going to hell for the company he kept. Of course, Joe tried reminding her about Christ and his statements on judgement and on loving one another…but she wouldn’t hear it. Eventually, Rachael pulled me and Unique to the side to apologize for Mary. Apparently, she’d gone through her own rebellion at around fourteen and ended up pregnant with no idea who the father of her child was. The most likely candidate had been a thirty year old married man from their church, but he wasn’t the only possibility. When she’d miscarried, probably after praying fervently that she wasn’t pregnant or whatever, she took the miscarriage as both a blessing and as a punishment for her transgressions. That led to her going completely overboard in her return to the religion she’d be raised in. “We’re hoping that she will remember that God is Love and he would never punish her by making her loose her baby real soon. Because pretty soon, with all the hate and horror she’s trying to preach all the time, she is gonna cause irreparable harm to her relationship with Joseph…and that would be horrible.”

That would suck monkey balls. Joe was totally about his family. He loved them and he was fiercely protective of them. That didn’t just apply to his blood family. He was just protective of the NDs, Triple S and Double A&S as he was of his siblings that were born to his parents. I had grown very, very, very emotionally attached to Joe. In moments of total self-honesty, I knew that I had fallen far deeper for him than I had for Aidan, and I really hadn’t believed that such a depth of emotions was humanly possible. His reticence for going beyond a fairly intense second base was maddeningly frustrating. The sexual relationship I had shared with Aidan had left me with something of an addiction. It had been four months…almost five since I’d last had sex and to be honest, if it weren’t for the fact that I could be amazingly evil to the lesser Cheerios, I’d have been very unpleasant to be around for my friends and family.

On top of that, I was trying to complete quite a few more applications for colleges. I kept reading new lists that give different schools as being the ones offering the best creative writing programs. I’d started with a very reasonable ten. Those were done and fully submitted before we had to rush to New York to bury Puck’s old teacher-slash-first baby mamma-slash-she who it probably still isn’t a good idea to mention her around Mom or Angel Mom…Moms D is kind of less scary on this one which still surprised me. I can’t believe that I was the only one who noticed that Angel Mom would love to have been an avenging angel on that woman. Still, in the two weeks since then, I may or may not have bumped the very reasonable ten to a kind of neurotic twenty-five. I may have had a problem. It was a sickness really. I needed help.

Friday night after the game, we had a sleepover at the Motta’s guest house. Sue came out to remind those of us she considered hers…aka all of us in one way or another…that alcohol wasn’t allowed at any party for underage idiots on her property. Of course, one of my darling friends decided to ask her how it was her property. “Because Don Motta’s new legal name is Mr. Sue Sylvester. What’s his is mine and what’s mine is, well, it’s still mine.” She shot back as she turned to head out the door.

Those who weren’t in the know were looking at the door she’d made her exit through aghast. Sugar found their weird looks totally amusing. “Yup…the best thing is that she really is the world’s most awesome stepmother.” She assured our friends. The others finally went back to what they were doing. They all seemed as if they weren’t sure that Sugar wasn’t insane. But then again they seemed that way sometimes when she came to school wearing one of her favorite outfits, so there was that. The party was fun. It was a slumber party, so we were all in our pajamas. There were those who’d gone for the sexy look. Regina and Jessica were both wearing short little nighties, while Chase was in tap pants and a camisole. Jake’s eyes were tracking her backside the whole night…it was kind of hilarious. Sugar had gone completely overboard as usual, she was decked out in a light blush peignoir set, complete with matching marabou mules. Hell’s night wear was probably the sexiest. She was wearing a super short black baby doll nighty that was satiny up to the empire waist then sheer other than swirls of black ribbon over her breasts. But she swore that it was just her favorite nightgown and she wore it often. Roderick wasn’t able to keep his eyes off of her. She was teasing the much larger junior for all she was worth. I was pretty sure that Roderick thought she was just being Hell, but she was definitely going after him. I would have to figure out if there was some esteem issue that kept him from seeing the attraction. He was a great guy, who cared if he didn’t exactly have a six pack. Helena sure as hell didn’t.

Then there were those for whom, there was no one who they were trying to be sexy for. U was totally adorable she was wearing her weave up in pigtails and her short pajama set was baby breath white with the words hope, joy and love written in lavender all over. Ryder was there, but they were keeping thing pretty well platonic until after Unique transitioned. So I guess she was being kind enough not to tempt him. Cassie wore a long green cotton night gown with cute cap sleeves that looked beloved. Ivy was covered in a pair of boy cut flannel pajamas that were baby blue with fluffy white sheep on them. I guess I fell somewhere in the middle. My pjs were a navy racerback camisole tank top and a matching pair of wide leg pants. I even had matching navy blue ballet flat terry cloth slippers. I was very much comfortable, but since the thin cotton followed my every curve and I’d not bothered with a bra or a second layer on top, my breasts, modest though they may have been, were fully on display. According to U, Joe was just as bad tracking my movements as Jake was checking for Chase. It was just that Joe’s eyes were just trained on something a hell of a lot closer to my face. The guys were all rocking either novelty pajama pants, basketball shorts or in the case of Ryder, a pair of purple cotton track pants. He and Unique were still dancing around a full on relationship, but there was no doubt in anyone’d mind that they were heading there. Unique was scheduled to have her gender reassignment surgery a couple of weeks after graduation. Having the process that early in the summer should mean that her recovery would be complete before she heads to college. She had actually already started to ‘stockpile’ her sperm, in case she wanted children with her genetics later in life. And I know for a fact that both of Ryder’s older sisters are willing to donate their eggs to the couple if they get that far.

Maybe the hockey team had a point, we New Directions might be a little bit too close. But then again Unique and I had grown a lot closer when Marley started pulling back from their friendship. In fact, Marley had pulled back from all of her friendships within the glee club. She still sang with us and wrote for us but when it was time for socializing, she always had something more important to do. We’d talked about staging an intervention, but just decided that it might be safer to just let her do her own thing…none of us wanted to create the next Rachel.

I shook my mind away from that train of thought. The party had been fun; I’d spent the better part of the night in Joe’s arms. We’d talked and laughed and sang and in certain ways I felt closer to him than I even felt to Aidan. He made me feel like I’d felt before Aidan and I had taken the final step and actually had sex. Like everything we were discovering together was fresh and bright and new. I’d been very confused…very. I didn’t understand how I could feel such newness and discovery when I was far from virginal by that point. Fortunately, I had women in my life I could talk to about anything. Bubbie Ruth had explained it. “Tess-Doll, no two men are exactly alike. Even if they touch you in the same spot back to back, there will be differences in the way it feels. Even more…no two loves are alike. Every time you fall in love, whether it is the big, forever love or the love that lasts a season or a year…each and every time you fall the trip is completely different. Enjoy the fall. You and Aidan may find your way back to each other, you may find that Joe is really who you want to discover the future with, it may well be neither of them. You are eighteen years old. Enjoy it. Before you know it you’ll be staring sixty in the face and already be a great-grandmother twice over.”

We both laughed. I confessed my real concern. “I’m hating the celibacy Bubbie. Joe is ridiculously hot. With the long dreads and the way his hands are so calloused…he may actually be sexier than Aidan was. But he is so good and so true to his God…I don’t want to corrupt him, but if I don’t get a co-ed orgasm soon…I might just lose my mind.”

Bubbie laughed her ass off. “Are you sure you aren’t actually my blood?” she teased. “Look, I think this is one of those times when if you are really mature enough to have a sexual relationship then you need to be mature enough to talk about this with the person you want that relationship with. Ask Joe if he has any room for exploration or if he feels that all play is bad. If you can get him to at least the oral sex level, then you can get your orgasms and he can keep his no sex before marriage rule. Then again…no it would be totally wrong to try and convince him that you two are serious enough for it to count when you’re still not entirely sure that that is the truth.”

“That would be wrong, Bubbie.” I reminded her. “Totally the same thing as that full on lesbian you dated who kept saying that she was cool with keeping everything casual then trying to rope you into an actual relationship.”

“Oh hush you. Tammy is a very sweet woman. She just needs to tone it down a notch. She dreams of finding her forever love. Everyone does. Unfortunately, I can’t be that for her. I’ve already had mine. It isn’t something you can force.” She answered back chiding and advising at the same time. “But you are right. You definitely should never lie to a guy to get him into your bed. That breeds resentment.”

Bubbie was completely awesome and she knew of whence she spoke, so I followed her advice. Saturday morning as I was driving Joe back to his parents I finally broached the subject. “Joe…I like you. I mean I like you a lot. I’m not trying to pressure you or anything…but I would really like to talk about exploring a more physical relationship with you. I know that your religion is majorly important to you and I totally get that and respect it. So I was hoping that we could talk about your limits.”

“Oh.” Joe breathed. “I…I…I don’t know. I never thought about it. I thought that doing more than hand holding and kissing led to sex. And sex before marriage was wrong.”

I nodded. “Well…what constitutes sex? I know that when I was attending mass rather than temple, a lot of girls...well they satisfied themselves and their partners with their hands and/or mouths.”

“Yes, but doesn’t that just lead to us being a slave to our lusts?” Joe asked quietly.

I sighed. “I suppose that is one way of looking at it. I prefer to think of it as learning each other’s likes and dislikes and finding out if we are physically compatible as well as being emotionally well matched.”

He gave me a wry smile. “Tessa, do you think that I don’t want you? Because believe me when I say that I do. I would love to go into that house with you and strip you of every inch of your clothes…nibble and lick and suck every inch of you until you are begging and screaming and your pale skin is littered with little raspberries that show where my mouth found purchase…marking you as mine. I would love to lose myself inside you making you forget anything at all but me. No Aidan…nothing that you did with him would remain in your memory. You would be wholly and completely mine. But I know that that would be wrong. I know that as good as it would feel…and there is no doubt in my mind that nothing on this earth would bring me more pleasure that being with you…but it would go against the word of God. It would make me less and it would make us less.”

I huffed in annoyance. “Okay, so oral and handjobs are off the table. Could you maybe go for some over the clothes action? I promise I won’t tell a soul.” I said honestly. I was pretty damn desperate. I was so close after the hottest sermon ever, if he just groped my boobs a little, I’d be a fucking wreck. It would be so good. At that point, I didn’t even care that we’d just pulled into his family’s driveway.

Thank God, he gave me a wicked smile and we started to make out in the car in front of his house. I’d been a bad, bad girl and I hadn’t put on a bra when I got dressed that morning. When he palmed my breasts, I moaned into our kiss. “Oh Jesus, Mary and Joseph…you little minx. You are temptation personified.” He broke the kiss to murmur. But he didn’t pull back. He didn’t move away. his lips moved along my jaw line, nipping and kissing until he reached my ear. “Since you are such a naughty girl…I should punish you. I should…” his heavily calloused fingers found my hardened nipples and started to worry them, tweaking them then smoothing my tee shirt across them. “I should make you go home wanting and yearning, like I’ve been doing since the very first day we met. You’re so beautiful Tessa. I think God put you on this earth to test me. To tempt me.”

I arched into his hands with a moan I couldn’t fight. “You’re just as wicked. You think I don’t know that you enjoy seeing me go crazy with wanting to touch you, be touched by you.” As I spoke his fingers started gently pinching my nipples. The feelings that coursed through me almost made me lose my train of thought. “Yeah, you abstain because you feel it is what God demands of you…but you know that there is a part of you that likes knowing that every time we make out for more than a few minutes, I’m going to go home and play with myself until I’m screaming your name…yours not Aidan, not Brad Pitt’s…just yours.” I panted. I should have been ashamed of how close I was to cumming right then considering that the most we’d done was heavy petting.

“Then do it.” He growled and bit my neck while twisting my hard as glass nipples until I shattered.

Oh my God. It had been months since I came as hard as I did in that instant. I didn’t just scream his name…I screamed it, yelped it, moaned it and then as I was starting to come down from the highest point of my orgasm, I whined it and begged him to take me home and fuck me. When I could finally breathe again, I looked over at Joe. He was panting and his eyes were wide in shock and awe, the pupils so dilated that you couldn’t even see their rich, deliciously changeable hazel. 

“You have no idea…you are a work of art. When you reach the pinnacle of human pleasure, it…there are no words.” He babbled, his voice husky and deep. There was a spreading wet spot on the front of his jeans and yet there was still a massive…I mean so big it scared me a little…lump under the zipper. “Okay, that right there is our limit. I can touch you. I can make you fall apart. But I think if you touched me back not only would I shred the commandments, I’d probably shred your clothes and hurt you pretty badly.” He said honestly.

I blushed and almost blurted out that I would probably love it if he hurt me a little. “Okay. I can handle that.” For now. I thought the last to myself. I knew it would be so wrong of me to push him for more. It was probably wrong of me to have pushed him as far as we’d gone. But I had never been very good at not yielding to temptation. We kissed goodbye carefully…very carefully and he headed inside and I headed home.

When I got home, I cleaned the house from top to bottom as penance for leading Joe astray. Then I went over to Jake’s and helped him, Reggie, Chase and Jessica clean his house from top to bottom. It wasn’t as bad as one would expect. I didn’t go into his bedroom but the living room, kitchen and the bathrooms I helped to clean were not as bad as one would expect from a teenage guy living alone. But then again Jake was a pretty neat kind of guy so I guess I should have expected it. When I got home, I had hurry a little bit to get ready for my date with Joe.

I didn’t want to press him again so soon, but at the same time…if he wanted to go back to our newly established limit, I wanted to be ready. I showered and washed my hair, drying the roots completely, but only drying the shoulder length curls to dampness. Lamar had taught me that trick to get my curls to remain bouncier. I moisturized everywhere, but didn’t bother with makeup beyond some lip gloss. I stood in front of my closet in just a pair of French cut bikini panties trying to figure out how to dress for the later November weather, and yet still look cute and sexy. I pulled out a pair of black leggings with fake leather inserts down the outside of the legs. Once those were on, with the seams straight, I pulled on some black socks and my comfortably worn Docs. I grabbed a cute denim blue, mini, shift dress with three quarter length sleeve, high-low hem and an off the shoulder, elastic, gathered neckline and pulled that on with the leggings. I didn’t want to be cold, or give up the fact that I was definitely not wearing a bra too early, so I grabbed my black, down, puffer vest and headed downstairs.

Since Joe’s family only had one car, I provided our transportation. I grabbed my wallet and headed to the car my family had bought me two years before. Hopping in, I did something I hadn’t done since our very first date. I swung through Lowes and bought Joe a plant. I didn’t like getting him flowers. For one thing he was a guy and for another why would I get him something that would die. So that evening, I bought him a mini cedar pine tree. For our first date I’d gotten him an olive tree from World Market. He’d planted it in their garden and it was already like three or four feet tall. When I pulled up to the house, I grabbed it and carried it with me to the door. My knock was a little tentative. I hadn’t texted him much that day, just verified that we were still on for dinner and a movie. I thought I was giving him time to come to terms with everything. But what if he thought that I was angry that we hadn’t gone farther. Or worse, what if he was disappointed in me for wanting to go farther. I probably would have worried myself into an anxiety attack, but Rachael opened the door in that moment.

“Oooh Cedar…that symbolizes Christ. Nice choice, I’ll let him keep that one. But if you want to get me something for Christmas…I’d love another one of those beautiful olive trees.” She joked giving me a hug. “Come on in. Joe will be back in a little while. I sent him on a wild goose chase to go find me something in the barn that’s already in the attic. I wanna talk to you.”

I felt my face go up in flames. She had to know. She must think that I’m the whore of Babylon. I hadn’t considered what would happen if his parents found out. “Okay. Ummm.”

She laughed at the look of horror and fear on my face. “Tessa, calm down. You have so much blood in your face, there can’t be any left to keep your heart beating.”

“I’ll try, but I’m pretty sure I know what you want to talk to me about so I don’t know if I can.” I blurted out.

Rachael shook her head with a smile. “You probably think I want to yell at you and call you a scarlet woman for corrupting my son.” I nodded. “I’m not. I was a teenager too. I just want to make sure that you…well that you aren’t going to hurt my baby. If you and Joe do go all the way and then you decide to breakup with him…it would shatter him. He is so deeply gone over you.” She said honestly. “He has been for a while. He was content to be your friend while you were happy with that other boy. But now that you two are together…he is really happy. He talked to his father today and found out that we weren’t angels when we were younger. So I don’t know how that added to what happened in your car today, and no I don’t know specifics nor do I want to know them, I just know that he loves you. You know that he has applied to more than one of the schools you applied to. I think he is very much hoping that you two will be able to continue this relationship beyond high school.”

“Why didn’t he say anything?” I wondered aloud. I blathered on pretty incessantly about my college applications so I didn’t have to wonder how he knew where I was applying but other than Emory and Johns Hopkins, I didn’t know where he’d sent in apps. I thought that those were his top choices and Oberlin was is backup school.

Rachael gave me a gentle smile. “Because Joe tends to think that God gives very clear signs. So if God wants the two of you to go to school together, he’ll give him that sign of him getting into the same school as you choose to attend.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think God has been that clear since the burning bush.” I muttered.

Joe’s mother showed that she was where he got his ability to convey high levels of mirth with just a simple grin. “Maybe not, but Joe thinks he sees thing more clearly than the rest of us. Maybe he’s right. Maybe we all let our doubts or wants cloud us to God’s signals.” She said reasonable. “Now, can I ask you…if you and Joe got into the same school…Would that make you happy?”

I started to think about it. Having Joe discovering a new world with me. I could feel myself start to smile. As I thought of all the stupid boring things I’d been dreading like freshman orientation or student mixers and undertaking those with Joe and his wit and wry sense of humor that picked at situations and things but never at people. My smile just grew and grew. I realized that while I had literally hated the thought of going to college with Aidan, and not just because of where he was applying, having the thought close to reality, I almost couldn’t imagine going to college without Joe Hart. I said as much to Rachael and she nodded. “I could tell.”

We shared a laugh. I couldn’t help but wonder. “I’m applying to some fairly expensive schools because Noah and Sam and Cede have set up a trust fund for my education. They said I should find the best school for my major and not worry about the cost.”

“Don’t you worry ‘bout that, Sweetie.” She assured me quietly. “My grandfather was Billy James Hargis. Now you’re probably too young to remember him but he was a televangelist from way back. Before that he was what basically amounted to a snake oil salesman. He may have been something of a disgrace, but he left his family well taken care of. My parents never touched a dime, but they left it for my brother and me. Neither of us have touched it either, other than to set our children up with college funds. Joe may not have as much as you probably will, but he’ll have enough as long as he remains frugal.”

Joe came in the back door and yelled out, “Mom, I don’t see that ladder anywhere.”

“It’s okay, Joseph. Tessa’s here so don’t worry about it.” She shouted back.

Joe came into the room and we were gone in a few minutes. All through dinner, I was totally distracted by my conversation with his mother. So much so that he asked me if we needed to skip the movie to go and talk. I assured him that it wasn’t bad, but yeah that would be perfect. So we headed back to my house. We got comfortable, losing outerwear and shoes and put on a DVD in the background then I broached the subject of the future. I confessed that his mom and I had talked about college and how I loved the thought of us going to the same school. Then I asked him why he hadn’t said anything himself. “I guess I was scared.” He said quietly. “I know that you’ve had other boyfriends and that you aren’t as religious as me, so sometimes I kind of hide how deeply I feel for you so that I don’t, I don’t know, scare you away. I fear your rejection of me. To me you are my future. But I’m not sure if you are ready for that, so I try to show you with actions, knowing they can be rationalized away…rather than words that are indelible. I think because the way Aidan ended things with you…which I know you say didn’t hurt and wasn’t that bad, but he was a chump and a coward…” huh, Noah and Jake both said something similar when I finally told them about the breakup. “Because you gave so much of yourself to that relationship and he couldn’t be man enough to take the harder route to be able to stay with you, you’ve held some of yourself back in our relationship. I understand that. I’ve prayed about it and I truly think that God’s answer was that if I love you and really feel that you are who he wants me to marry and have children with, or not…my parents have seven children, I’m fairly sure that Nic is one day going to find the man of his dreams and not be able to carry on the family name without medical intervention…but that still leaves both Eli and Kal to carry on the Hart name.”

I think my heart stopped. Aidan had been sure that I would change my mind about wanting kids. He was positive that eventually I’d give in and pop him out an heir…insert eye rolls there…even as much as I loved the twins and Sloane and even the Berry Triplets, I just wasn’t that interested in being a mother ever. I liked kids I could play with and then give back best of all. The fact that Joe recognized that and accepted it as part of who I was…it was so vitally important. I may have, in a moment of overwhelming love, dove onto him kissing him with everything in me. My coat had been shed, and as soon as my mouth met his, I felt my breast grow heavy and achy with want. There was no way my nipples weren’t noticeably boring into his chest. We got so deep into the kiss I wasn’t even sure how the hell he managed to roll us so he was on top of me without knocking us off the couch, but he did.

Our kisses and caresses got deeper and stronger and closer and closer to the line we’d drawn in the sand that afternoon. When he pulled the top of my dress down and popped my breasts out, I knew it was done with deliberate decision. I pulled back confused, “But our limit?”

Joe looked at me, his eyes looking so deeply into mine that I was sure they were etching him into my very soul. “We’re expanding our limit…to the limit you originally offered me this afternoon.” He thrust our clothed sexes together. “Hands and mouths. No genital to genital contact without at least four layers between them.”

“Why the change?” I asked him cautiously.

He smiled. “When I talked with my father, he told me that I was being a little too stringent in my adherence to the commandments. He explained the restrictions he and mom had set when they were dating, and if I lose my erection talking about my parent’s sex life, it will be your own fault.” He said with a smirk. His eyes had never left my breasts, probably the first set he’d ever seen. For a short moment I wished they were bigger for him but then he licked his lips and his eyes went greener and hotter the same time and I knew that he liked what he saw.

That gave me a flash of confidence I hadn’t realized I’d lost somewhere along the way. I laughed and arched up into him. If he was flagging before, he was back in full force with that little move. “So, four layers? I’m wearing panties and these leggings, are you in two yourself?” I asked coyly.

“Be a good girl and let me see you cum again, and maybe you can see for yourself.” He taunted sexily as he resumed kissing me long and slow and deep. The kisses led to him teasing my skin with his tongue as he made his way down to lick and suck my nipples.

Joe was certainly not as experienced as Aidan had been, but his enthusiasm and almost tangible want and worship of me made me feel like a goddess. I came and I came hard. But Joe wasn’t done with me yet. He kissed and nipped his way across my chest to the other peak and went to work on that one driving me even higher. I babbled and begged like a crazy woman. I begged him to keep going. I begged him to please let me have his dick. I begged him to shred my clothes and show me who I belonged to. I felt his chuckle in response to that one and it just made me cum harder. When he finally let me come down, and there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that he let me come down, he sat back up on the couch and drew me close to his side. He didn’t pull the top of my dress up…so I didn’t either. We sat in companionable silence, my body still shaking with aftershocks of pleasure every time Joe trailed his fingers up and down my arm. Eventually I felt stable enough to make my move. I straddled his lap in a quick smooth move. I kissed his lips and smiled against them. “Was I a good girl? Did I cum nice for you? Can I have my treat now?”

“And what treat do you want for cumming so beautifully?” he asked me quietly.

I gave him a really naughty grin. As wicked as I could manage. “I want to taste you. I want to lick and suck you until you explode in my mouth and I swallow you down.” I told him honestly. I’d loved dirty talking when Aidan and I had been together. I’d thought that I would miss it since Joe never used curse words, but his version of talking dirty was just as effective.

“Well, I may not know much yet, but I do know that you’re in the wrong position to put your mouth on anything that will explode in your mouth and give you something to swallow down.” He said with a wicked grin of his own.

I sacrificed grace for expediency and was on my knees in between his very, very quickly. He unbuttoned his jeans, pulled down the zipper and hunched up to push the denim down on his hips, but then he placed his hands on the couch cushions on either side of him. I decided that meant that he wanted me to take him out of his boxers, so I did just that. “Hmmmm.” He grunted a little. He felt, no lie, huge in my hand. If the lump under his pants earlier had been scary, the feel of him hot and hard and thick as ever in my hand was in no way reassuring. As I gently pulled the length of him out of the slit, I mentally congratulated myself on the fact that he wanted me so much he was already slick with pre-cum.

He was long too. I knew that comparisons were not a good idea, but I couldn’t help but think that he was both ridiculously thicker and a little longer than Aidan. I wasn’t sure if I could take him inside me, and I was fairly positive that deep throating that was only going to happen when I was no longer singing for the Cheerios and the New Directions. Which wasn’t a bad thing…gave me time to build up my courage. I enjoyed the feeling of controlled choking on a dick…the actuality of really choking on one probably wasn’t as much fun. I licked my tongue up the entire length from root to tip. A quick breath across the underside of him earned me a whispered plea. So I licked him again, punctuating that lick by swirling my tongue around the head of his cock. God, he tasted amazing. I guess that freaking all fully organic and home grown diet he eats does wonderful things to the flavor of his cum. I went after more with a vengeance. I took him as far as I could bobbing my head up and down, sucking hard on the up stroke and relaxing my cheeks to breathe deeply on the down.

Given that this was pretty much his first social sexual interaction, Joe lasted longer than I would have thought. I’d been bobbing and stroking for at least a couple of minutes, when his head fell back and he reflexively grabbed at the pillows under his hands, I knew he was close. I took him as deep as I dared and flickered my tongue against the swollen vein on the underside of his cock. I dragged my mouth up still flicking my tongue and sucking deeply. He erupted into my mouth with a groaned sigh of pleasure and satisfaction. I swallowed as promised and licked him clean before tucking him back into his boxers. When his hands were steady once more, he righted and fastened his jeans before pulling me back up to straddle his lap. We kissed and cuddled for a long time. Talking things over. I found out that yes, he’d applied to most of the same schools as me; his favorites were Emory, the Candler School of Theology was world renowned, and U of Iowa because it was considered one of the most walk friendly campuses in the country and it was definitely the most pedestrian friendly one of all the ones I’d applied to.

Getting all the way back together and taking him home was really hard. I was starting to think that I was one of those ‘play like it was a honeymoon’ type of teenagers for real. Joe invited me to go to church with his family the next morning. So I went to bed as soon as I got back after dropping him off. Okay there may have been some masturbatory time spent somewhere in there. Anyway, I got up early and dressed in my pre-Cede and crew type of demure layers…it was way hotter than I remembered. Like I was sweating, it was so hot. Still I knew how his church could be. Heck, I was kind of worried they’d think I was the devil because I had red hair. I drove to the Hart farm and rode to church in their huge conversion van with them. Joe’s church always made me think of Weird Al’s ‘Amish Paradise’. Especially since the pastor’s daughter was very, very plain and she hated me. I’d only gone to Independent Fundamentalist Baptist Church twice before that Sunday, and each time she had glared daggers at me from the choir stand. Thankfully little Nic, Nicodemus Hart, had given me the skinny on her. She desperately wanted to marry Joe. He wasn’t into her at all. They weren’t even friends, but she was somehow convinced that he was meant to be with her. But then again, nothing in that church really made sense. They all dressed like Menonites, but they had cars and technology. They really should pick a side of the fence and stay on it. It was also the least holy feeling church I’d been in since I stopped going to mass. Both Ada and the Temple felt more ‘Godly’ than the place where everyone was, supposedly, strictly adhering to God’s Law at all times.

God I wanted to sit them all down and force them to watch ‘Saved’ and ‘Dogma’ on repeat until they finally got the ‘thou shalt not judge’ and ‘love one another’ points of the bible.

Still I made it through the service, without nodding off. I was so proud of myself for that feat of willpower. I even made it through the pot luck social afterwards when Amity, the pastor’s daughter, came over. “Good afternoon Joe, Teresa.” She said with forced pleasantness. “Why Teresa, I understand that you are from New York, but it really isn’t done to wear a mini skirt to church.”

I rolled my eyes. “Well, Annie, good thing this skirt goes all the way to my calves. Miniskirts end above mid-thigh. I’m sure that you’ve never seen one, so I can understand your confusion. I say that because I’m sure it is just that you’ve never seen one and not the fact that you know you simply don’t have to legs to wear one.” Joe choked on a laugh, but he knew better than to get involved. He’d tried the first time the ‘oh so pious’ bitch had run at me, it wasn’t pretty. I was very independent and I loved Joe but I didn’t need him to fight my battles for me. Besides, he was so unqualified to fight in a bitch-off.

She gave Joe a simpering smile. “I would never pay more attention to the clothing I wore than to serving the Lord.” She shot back.

I thanked God for the opening she just gave me. “No? I am a bit surprised. I thought you paid attention to any thing but serving the Lord. Because you seem to feel perfectly comfortable with ignoring the whole ‘thou shalt not covet’ thing. And I can’t see how hating ‘all the right people’ could possibly get you closer to God when Jesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves.” I returned with an innocent smile.

“Joseph, are you going to let her talk to me like that?” she demanded petulantly, which told me I had so won that one. Thank you Yeshiva for bringing Santana Admira Lopez into my life. Anyone who had learned anything at all from her could certainly out bitch the chick in front of me.

Joe laughed. “Amity, you brought it on yourself. You’ve always acted as if you had some claim to me. Even setting aside the fact that I am a human being and I cannot be owned, I have always rejected your advances and your attempts at possessiveness. I’m not yours. I’m with TESSA. That is my choice and I very firmly believe that she is God’s choice for me. Now, this is the last time this kind of interaction is going to happen. If you are looking for a husband already, Jedidiah has loved you since we were kids. I’m graduating in a few months then I’m going off to college. I’m not staying here and getting a farm and living the way this church is heading. I just don’t have enough hate in my heart. I cannot be what you want and you are not who I want.”

Had to give credit where it was due, she turned and walked away with her head held high. I turned to Joe and gave him a smile. “You, sir, are really quite hot when you are being all strong and assertive.”

“And you are looking like all those layers are roasting you alive.” He grinned. So once we got back to his house, we climbed into my car and went home and we had some pleasant fun where we were both topless and we kept exactly four layers between us. 

We dressed and got over to Jake’s just in time for the red carpet. My mom looked amazing, so did Angel Mom and Moms D. all three of them were in silver gowns and their hair and makeup was flawless. I knew that two of them were wearing engineered diamonds, but looking at them, it was impossible to tell the mined from the lab created. Their shoes were really cute to. It was wicked the way they had accessorized to bring pops of color to their ensembles, Moms D’s color was hot pink, Angel Mom’s was red and Mom’s was teal or greenish blue. As we watched we started to hypothesize about Ryan Seacrest’s sexuality, since he checked out Sander as much as he did Angel Mom. Giuliana Rancic mentioned that Moms D was wearing the same designer who had done Michelle Obama’s Inauguration Ball gown in two-thousand and nine and a few others she’d worn in the years since. I was fairly sure that Moms D totally knew that and loved the fact. She also repeated the fact that Johnson Weber at the Diamond Cellar in Columbus, Ohio had designed their jewelry. Then Giuliana and Ryan started bantering about how they hoped their future children would become rock stars.

Of course, Mercedes was given her due too. That Carolina Herrera gown was gorgeous. It was tailored to look as if it had been designed just for her. The bodice framed and highlighted her endowment without making her look trashy of like she was trying to flash the world. The coral pink band of material giving the dress a sweetheart rather than a banded strapless neckline was mimicked in her shoes. The pink, sheer sided Louboutin shoes were completely awesome. A thin ‘belt’ of butter yellow nipped her in at her natural waist. A large, silvery gray modern art floral print on the gown’s skirt drew the eye down the dress giving it more visual interest and elongating Cede’s rather abbreviated vertical line. The white and pink diamond jewelry shown almost as brightly as her smile. Ryan Seacrest proved to be at least bisexual because he was checking Cede hard, possibly even harder than he had the parents Evans earlier. So too was Michael Yo. He congratulated them on their nominations then asked about how school was going. When they answered that question he gave them a charming smile and changed to a different subject entirely. “Alright, now that the pleasantries are out of the way…I’ve heard that your performance tonight is going to be very different from any others you’ve done so far. Is it as different as the video was?”

Cede’s laugh probably charmed half the country. “I don’t think it is anywhere near as intimate as that video was.”

“Yes, but word is that it is just as sexy.” Yo returned. “Though I guess you can’t help that, can you?” he flirted outrageously.

“I watch The Insider. I know that you’d flirt with lettuce. Wouldn’t you, Mr. Yo.” She shot back.

He gave her another wide smile. “If lettuce looked like you, I sure would.” He teased. The banter was fun and cute and it was making Sam and Noah fume. “So, you each brought your parents. You’re mothers are very lovely. Who are they, and you wearing?” he asked Sam and Puck to set them at ease and draw them into the conversation. They gave him what he wanted and then they headed up the carpet. They didn’t get stopped by any more interviewers, but the cameras caught them talking to P!nk, Nicki Minaj and Jessie J. The world watched as they introduced the parents to them. I saw the Moms talking with Jill Scott too. I think she and Moms D had become email-buddies over the course of time since they’d met in person that previous January. The whole experience looked like it was a great deal of fun. I wondered if it might be possible to talk Noah, Cede and Sam into taking me and Jake with them to something too.

I was one proud sister that night. It was a great weekend. We watched the whole thing and Joe led us in prayer for the kid Sam spoke about during the commercial break after his speech. The thought of Stevie being shot down in cold blood because he was playing in a park chilled my soul. So I prayed extra hard for that family. The rest of the family got back the next day. Thankfully Lima schools had us out the entire week of Thanksgiving. Even with all the cleaning we’d done the parents still found things for us to clean since everyone and their mother was arriving that Wednesday. Noah, Cede and Sam’s new house wasn’t finished yet, though it was supposed to be done by Christmas, so things were going to be quite interesting considering how many people were coming to town for the holiday. I couldn’t wait to see everyone. I couldn’t wait to introduce Joe to Aunt Essie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no Sh*ts left to give. I've prayed until I am hoarse. I've cried myself bone dry. I've argued and debated. I've Challenged and begged, and this world still seems to be going to hell in a hand basket wearing gasoline drawers.   
> Every where I turn, whenever I turn on the TV there is more violence and fear and hate.   
> Lets all pray for our fellow man.   
> Lets all love one another.  
> Lets all come together...before its too late.   
> God Bless the City of Nice & France as a whole.   
> God Bless good cops everywhere, esp in Dallas & Baton Rouge.   
> God Bless Black Lives Matter, because all too often too many people feel they don't. 
> 
> With all that out the way, I'm asking you all to make a big difference in a lowly little ficcer's life.   
> Drop me a line and let me know if you found something funny, if you found something especially pleasing, if you found something to make you think or to make you smile. 
> 
> TTFN,   
> Anni


	16. Thanksgiving Prayer (Johnny Cash) & Every Time You Go Away (Brian McKnight)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanksgiving in Lima & for our favorite guidance counselor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> This Never Happened by JudeCairnsmom & This Never Happened II  
> (Plum Fic)
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!

Thanksgiving Prayer (Johnny Cash)  
Danica PoV

The simple truth about the family that had come about thanks to MeDe, Sam and Noah’s relationship was that it was really freaking huge. I loved every second of the holidays for that very reason. We returned from LA, where we watched our children win four-FOUR American Music Awards. It was completely awe-inspiring. And yet, there was a sense of ‘I knew my baby was just that damn good’ that we six parents all shared. We had a blast at Disney Land and then at the awards themselves. We got mentioned on several of the fashion segments of shows like Entertainment Tonight and The Insider. We were shown favorably against the likes of Kris Jenner on E!’s Red Carpet Break Down, which was unexpected since the Kardashians were a cash cow for the entertainment based channel. It was really, really cool. Even Gayle King said we looked amazing when she interviewed KAMA via satellite on CBS This Morning. Granted we watched that one while getting ready to have breakfast before we went to the airport but we did get to see it.

As soon as we got home, and I finished a scheduled wisdom tooth extraction for that annoying Nelson kid. He was just lucky he got a slap on the wrist for the trouble he got into biting Jake over the summer. He’s also very lucky that I did the extraction in a timely manner and didn’t let the anesthesia start to wear off or anything before I finished. Still after I got cleaned up from that surgery, I turned my attention to Thanksgiving. As I did every year, I invited all of Benton’s aunts and uncles. Most of them spent the holidays with their kids and grandkids, but I still made the offer anyway. Every few years a few of them would take us up on the invite. I’d noticed long ago that they tended to come when Mae was at one of his sisters’ homes for Thanksgiving. It was a nice time for them and a nice visit with them for us. That Thanksgiving we were being joined by Auntie MJ and Essie. The kids were all pretty excited and so were the Aunts. MJ Hastings loved babies, Double A&S have her completely clutched in their tiny little hands. Of the other kids Tessa was the one most excited to see Essie. She like Quinn had bonded tightly. Tee couldn’t wait to get Essie’s opinion of Joe.

Now that relationship had surprised me, all of us parents really, and not just because Tessa hadn’t shared her breakup with Aidan until just before she told us Joe had asked her out. The main reason was that Joseph Hart was even more committed to remaining a virgin until marriage than Mercedes had been. Mercedes’ commitment had been partially because she feared rejection so much that she’d made herself unavailable rather than risk it…Joe’s commitment was purely because he fully believed that it was God’s will and command. He was from a very strict, fundamentalist, evangelical religious background. Tessa was, at best, agnostic. Not to mention that I was pretty sure that Tessa was full on addicted to social orgasms. I couldn’t see Joe giving up the cookie. Still, having met and liked his family I was hoping that their relationship would work out where Aidan and Tessa hadn’t. It did have a stronger foundation. Tessa got along great with both of Joe’s parents. In fact, we all did. The whole Hart family seemed like really nice, good Christian people without most of the attitudes I tended to associate with their religious sect. Except for their eldest daughter, but if my eldest sister had taught me anything, it was that every family had their black sheep. So I’d had Tessa extend an invitation to join us for Thanksgiving dinner. I was a firm believer in the old adage of the more the merrier.

As I looked over my plans for Thanksgiving I realized that I was planning a holiday dinner for seventy-five people. The worst part was that there was anyone that wasn’t considered family on the list. The Jones, Neeleys and Fosters numbered twenty-five. The Puckerman-Altmans and Harts were eighteen, the Evans and our three rock star children came in at nine. Beth came with her mother, aunt, Mommy and Papi plus James's family which was going to be ten people total…bringing that contingent up to fifteen. Once I added in the Mottas, Coach Bieste and her boyfriend…we were sitting just under the final number, but I knew better than to only plan for the exact seventy-three. In fact, Benton looked at the list and sighed. “Dani, there are too many teenage boys on that list. I hope you’re planning for eighty.” So that was what I did. Actually, since the banquet hall sat eighty-five, I ultimately decided to get enough food to feed that number. I felt a little guilty for having so much when so many others had so little, so I sent an order of three times as many turkeys as I was ordering for the family to the Allen County Long-Term Family Shelter that Sam had gifted to the people of our county who were going through hard times. I knew that they were hosting a Holiday Meal for the area underprivileged. I was certain that those twenty-one turkeys would definitely help them as they brought some holiday joy to those who could use it the most. I had ordered seven eighteen-pound Bell and Evans turkeys and I did the brining and injections for them myself. We had four deep fryers and Benton, Sander, George and Lester would be manning them to get all the turkeys cooked to perfection. Becah, Bubbie and Gabby were buying the five honey baked hams. We went with less ham in deference to health constraints. We didn’t want to be responsible for running anyone’s pressure up. I swear, we cooked from Monday evening straight through Thursday. MeDe joined us when they got there on Wednesday evening. She was a baking machine. We were her minions.

As she baked, we talked about the after party that they had attended at the Nokia Theatre after the AMAs. “So where did you get your outfit?” Becah asked. “E! News showed pictures and you looked amazing.”

MeDe laughed. “It came right off the rack at Neiman Marcus. Got that bad boy on sale too. Granted I had to have it altered, so I wouldn’t have my back all out but I like how it turned out. Puck loved the color on me and Sam said that he was jealous that it got to hug my curves while he had to keep his hands to himself.” We all chuckled at that. The pics had been all over the net to prove he hadn’t kept his hands to himself at all. “Halston actually contacted Haja after the pics hit the net, so did Herrera.”

“Damn, girl. You’re getting fashion offers already?” Gabby teased.

My beautiful little girl shrugged. “Yeah, but I’m not taking them up on them…I don’t want to get locked into one designer or one look. I love showing that big girls can play with fashion just as much as skinny chicks. Neither of them are known for designing for women with curves. Besides, the truth is that I never know who I’m feeling until I see their lines.”

I could certainly understand that. “I get that. But Baby…those earrings and that necklace were kickin’. I was a little surprised you went so big on all the jewelry, but it all looked great together.” I told her honestly.

“You want it?” She asked me easily. “I’ve been photographed in it now, can’t wear it again for a while...I can easily borrow it back if I need it.”

I looked over at Becah and Gabby, “You two are so jealous that I have the best daughter in the world.” I said seriously.

Gabby just chuckled. “Yeah well…she gave me the shoes, so I ain’t even mad.” She rejoined.

“Hey, can I ask a question?” MeDe interjected before the teasing could even really get started. She stood back from the stove where she’d just put in three layers of another red velvet cake. “Why won’t George let us go see the house?”

Gabby, Becah and I all exchanged looks. Tessa didn’t even try, she just kept icing the cake she’d been decorating and didn’t say a word. Finally at the exact same moment, me and Gabby put out fingers against our noses. “Not it.”

Becah sighed deeply. “Fine. I don’t know why you are making me do it.” She gave us both evil looks. “Sander is just as much to blame as George.”

“Blame for what? Is something wrong with the house?” MeDe asked worriedly,

“No, nothing is wrong. The decorator we found and his team are working their asses off and it should be ready for you guys next month as planned.” Gabby raced to assure her.

“So what is it? When Puck asked about it, George ran off like Sher Khan when Mowgli tied that flaming tree branch to his tail.”

Okay, it wasn’t the right time to laugh, but that was funny as hell. “Ummm…the dads…they may have gone a little overboard when designing the house. It wasn’t all their fault, we were so busy trying to make sure that there would be room for a lot of the family for holidays and visits…they may have felt encouraged to well…”

“Your cute little house here in Lima is actually freaking huge. Dad is trying not to let you see it until it is completely furnished and he’s hoping that you will fall all in love with it so you won’t mind that it’s like three times bigger than it was supposed to be.” Tessa finally blurted out.

Mercedes looked at all of us like we were crazy. “Wait, like how big are we talking? Quinn’s house big?”

“Ummm…there is the Master suite, four in law suites. But those are decorated specifically for certain people; one for Nikki and Beth, one for Hudson, one for MeMaw and one for Bubbie Ruth. In addition to those five bedrooms there are six guest rooms, a rec room, home theatre and a few other extras.” Gabby told her with a long suffering sigh.

MeDe looked at us. She stopped loading the dishwasher and just stared at us. “What are we going to do with all that space when no one is there?”

“Oh please. Angel Mom didn’t even tell you about the wine cellar and the two laundry rooms.” Tessa teased.

“Shut up Tee.” Gabs shot back. “Look, the dads…okay, all of us, we just wanted to make sure that you’d have a really nice place here with everything you’d need to ya know visit more often.” She finally admitted. “But I’m not going to tell you all of the surprises. George would kill me.”

There were some attempts at wheedling more information out of Gabby, she had the most information out of all of us. She was the only one who had even seen the floorplans and she was the one playing go between for the decorator and Sander. But then Tessa asked how many cakes we needed for eighty people and by the time we decided that two of each, plus the pies and cookies should cover us, Mercedes had dropped the subject of the house. We caught an even bigger break when Emma called the house to get Mercedes to sing a song for her for some reason. After that, my darling eldest daughter forgot all about the house. It also helped that Mara and Maea had gotten free from the men and toddled in repeating her name over and over. She stopped cooking for almost two hours just to sit on the floor and play with them. Lord knew that did my heart good.

By ten o’clock Wednesday night, we had everything cooked or ready to be cooked. We were able to get the hotel to agree to allow us to use their kitchens to cool what needed to be kept cool and reheat-slash-finish cooking all the hot sides and the turkeys and hams. We were also renting their buffet tables, plates and flatware. So all we only had to do was take the food over Thursday morning. The other family members were bringing drinks and extra side dishes, desserts and the like to make sure that we were covered in addition to the main parts of the meal. We got there at ten to make sure that everything would be ready by two when people started to arrive. We were sitting down to eat at three come hell or high water.

Since the Wyndham had been booked solid as far as their meeting rooms, and the kids house wasn’t ready for all the out of town family members, we just reserved a block of rooms at the same hotel where we were hosting the dinner. A dinner which turned out to be a rousing success. The Mottas had brought a whole boat load of board games and even toddler toys, so we were able to play games while people waited for their food to settle between dinner and dessert. There was enough food for everyone to wind up almost uncomfortably full but not so much that there were a ton of left overs. Best of all there was very, very little clean-up for us to deal with. The hotel staff handled all of that. They even washed out pots and the non-disposable containers in which we’d brought our food over. It was the best Thanksgiving ever. When we returned home late Thursday evening, we lounged around the basement family room talking about the day and just enjoying our time together. It was funny, we had all of the Jones, including Auntie MJ and Essie, had come back to the house with us. Though Franklin and Hannah had called it an early night. Hart and Hawk were finally sleeping through the night, so Benton and I had brought them back with us so Hannah and Franklin could get some sleep or some alone time. Bubbie, Saul and Mills had come over with Becah and George. I think Benton or Sander had dragged Jake home with us and of course MeMaw and all the rest of the Evans clan was present and accounted for so our little after party was quite lively.

At the first lull in the conversation, I asked Essie the most important question of the evening. “So Essie, what did you think of Joe?”

She gave me a smirk. She knew that as much as the family brought people for ‘family’ approval…she was the true litmus test. “Well, his hair is gonna have to grow on me…but he is a handsome young fellow. Smart and so strong in his faith. He knows his bible but isn’t afraid to listen to and learn from his elders. Lot of little brothers and sisters, he’d be a good father. I like him. He is good for Tessa and she is helping him find the balance he’s missed so far.”

“What balance?” MeDe asked quietly.

Essie gave her a long look. “The same balance you found with your young men…the balance between faith and life.”

I know that several of us exchanged slightly confused looks, but no one wanted to be the one to admit we weren’t deep and profound enough to get her statement. Until suddenly, one of us was. “Okay, I’ll be the bad ass as usual and admit that I don’t get that. I mean it sounds all deep and profound, but it seems like it means something that I’m just not understanding. Isn’t the point of faith to live a faithful life? Why is there balance needed?” Puck asked for all of us who had heard her statement.

“Because we are to live a faithful life…live it…not hide behind our faith and experience nothing.” Essie stated plainly. “MeDe hid behind hers from fear, Joe because for so very long, it was all he knew. Now they are both living a faithful life. Not living in the shelter of their faith.”

That actually made a lot of sense. It was slightly sad that I hadn’t gotten it without the assistance. But the truth rang through her words. Tessa looked over at Essie and smiled. “It would have saved me from a lot of heartache if I’d managed to talk Aidan into coming to one of the Gatherings with me wouldn’t it?”

“The fact that he refused to value your family at least as much as he valued his own…it never set well with me. He showed his weakness then, couched it as respecting his parents, but he forgot the simple statement of Genesis the second chapter and twenty-fourth verse and restated in Matthew nineteen and five. ‘And said, for this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife’. If he truly felt for you what a man feels for the woman he wants to make his wife…then he would have found the strength to make that final step…from defense of your relationship to prioritization of your relationship. Joe…he is already there. He is a good man.” Essie’s wisdom was unassailable. In a family that valued education above most things, many of her relatives underestimated her because she’d been too sick for traditional education. She’d learned how to read and taught herself everything she could. But even beyond that, she had something that couldn’t be learned. She had wisdom and common sense.

Apparently, Auntie MJ had enough of deep and profound thoughts. “Alright, Joe is good…even I like him. Now on to the important things…how are we attacking Black Friday?”

MeDe clapped happily and soon we were all talking about dividing our lists amongst ourselves. Some of us could stay awake until after midnight and hit the websites to get all that we could on sale online. Then at four, we’d hit the stores for their second round of Black Friday shopping. We loved our sales, but not enough to cut short our family time to catch one. As we planned the strategy for the electronics shopping that we almost had to do in person, Sam actually raised his hand. “Umm…I know that it’s weird that I’m the one saying this…but don’t we have enough money that we don’t have to fight those crowds…Shouldn’t we leave the sale stuff for people who can’t afford to get it any other way?”

“But…but…but…sales?” MeDe whined.

Bubbie reached over and patted her hand. “Well, why don’t we just hit the sales at the high end stores online and leave the electronics for those who can’t afford them any other way.” She said reasonably.

Puck gave a huge grin. It always worried me when he smiled like that. “Or, we could go anyway and just buy other people shit they want or need but can’t get if they miss the sale. We can totally pull a TI or Ludacris and just pay for peoples’ stuff…pay off their layaways right after they set them up. That kind of thing.”

So we turned out attention to doing that instead. We let the kids stay up until midnight to catch some sales at different online stores like Michael Kors and Prada. Their US online stores were having pretty awesome sales all weekend. Then we all woke up at four and made it to the mall by five. We divided into five groups. Mercedes, Sam, Puck, Saul and Bubbie all had black cards linked to one of the kids’ credit lines. The rest of us had turned the cards down, but Saul and Ruth had needed the access to do their work for the kids. Anyway Auntie MJ was with Benton and I with MeDe, Auntie Essie was with Tessa in Puck’s group. Sander and Gabby had stayed home with the twelve and under crowd. So Sam was being accompanied by Kevon, Patrice and Hudson. She was so quiet I kept forgetting she was even there. But she was so nice, efficient and just real that it was almost unreal that the kids had found her. Bubbie and Saul split the rest of our fam up and we all headed out to help those who weren’t as monetarily blessed as we were.

Mercedes seemed to love playing Santa’s helper. Her joy was infectious. So much so that I found myself pulling out my own card to help a person or two myself. We ran into one of my patients who I knew was going through a hellacious divorce rife with drama and a spiteful custody battle. Her husband had run off with his mistress barely leaving her able to care for their three children. But when she finally filed for divorce after the year it took to prove abandonment, he popped his happy ass up to try and get custody. We were comping her kids’ cleanings and such like that just to make things a bit easier on her, so when I saw her in the toy aisle trying to stretch her meager savings far enough to get her kids a decent Christmas, I pointed Mercedes in her direction. Then as we were shopping for her two daughters and her young son, I managed to get a feeling for her style and most of their sizes, so I left them in Toys R Us and I made tracks to Macys. I got a couple of sales people to help me out. I explained that I was trying to make Christmas better for a single mom, and her three kids and the two young people were quick to help. I knew that she worked as a paralegal at the firm where Quinn had had her internship the previous summer, so I had a rough idea as to what her work apparel should be and grabbed her three new work outfits, as well as a couple of nicer going out and about outfits, two new purses, both serviceable leather totes-one black and one brown, and a new pair of shoes to match each purse as well as a new pair of workout clothes and sneakers. I got each kid a new Sunday-go-to-meeting outfit, something nice they could wear to school and something they could wear for playing outside, riding their bikes or otherwise being active. I also got her a gift card to allow her to get pair of shoes and a new winter coat for each of them. Kids shoe sizes changed even faster than their clothing sizes and they could get very tetchy about their sneaks…so it was better that they pick out their own shoes.

One of the young guys who was helping me ran it all back to the gift wrapping desk and somehow reappeared in about ten minutes with it all wrapped and in three huge Macys bags. By the time I got back to Toys R Us, MeDe and, Anita, my patient were near the front of a check-out line. Benton and a guy in a store shirt were in another line with three age and gender appropriate bicycles, so I knew that I hadn’t missed them. I stood with the huge bag and the envelope containing the gift cards at the end of the line, with a huge smile on my face. I’d laid out about a thousand at Macys, Benton dropped another five hundred or so on the bikes and I hadn’t paid any attention to what MeDe spent…but it felt like Anita had given us the gift. That was the only one where Benton and I helped so much, but we chipped in a little bit here and there on quite a few other Christmases that morning. When we met up with the other four groups at two for lunch, I was so exhilarated that no one would ever guess that I’d had a grand total of four hours sleep the night before. I smirked to myself as I remembered how Benton and I had spent the two hours between when we went to bed and when we went to sleep. Thankfully we were quieter than our children, or the Aunts would have let us hear about it for sure.

Since the cat was out of the bag about the house, George and Sander let us walk through the first floor of it on Friday afternoon. The house was really coming together. I was glad to see the progress. It really did seem like it was going to be all ready at Christmas. Then most of the family spent the next morning in Columbus at the Easton Town Center doing our own Christmas shopping. The oldest four of our soon to be graduates, grabbed all the children from Sarah on down to Hart and Hawk and went to spend the day spoiling all their younger siblings and cousins. Aunt MJ and Essie were with us though they took breaks as they needed them. The most adorable thing though was that whenever one of them went for their wallet, Sam or Noah or Mercedes tried their level best to beat them to the punch. The rest of us had a blast watching the game being played. It was funny until they started doing it to me, the other moms and their fathers as well.

As we sat down for dinner, we started talking about the next coming event in our lives. Devon, Kevon, Tonya and Patrice were graduating the Saturday before Christmas. Kevon and Patrice were leaving school with Masters Degrees in computer engineering and civil engineering and an MBA respectively. Dev and Tonya were getting their doctorates. Tonya in secondary and post-secondary pedagogy to go with her Masters in Linguistics. Devon was receiving a PhD in public administration he’d earned his Master’s in the same subject. The four of them and all decided to wait until they got their penultimate degrees to go through the process of graduation. Probably because their previous chance at crossing the stage wearing a mortarboard had been the same time, literally same day and time as Mercedes’ high school graduation. My sons and daughters were all wonderful people. They’d been there screaming their sister’s name with the family rather than making us divide the attention on that special day. Because to them, they’d had one graduation and she hadn’t…God I was so proud of them.

“So, we’re going to try and finish up all our finals by or on Thursday, then we’ll pack up the Tahoe and the four of us will drive to Ann Arbor.” Mercedes said with a grin. “Hudson, we have rooms right?”

Hudson nodded from where she sat talking with Essie…I was pretty sure that Essie had made another conquest. “There are rooms reserved for everyone including the Harrises and Dr. Benton’s sisters’ families at the Residence Inn about three miles from the campus.”

“Which city did they finally decide on?” Sam asked way too casually. That boy swears he’s slick. But it was always so easy to see when he was up to something.

But Benton was a rooster ready to crow to anyone who would listen. “They’re going to Atlanta. They all already have jobs lined up to start in the New Year.”

“Oooh…Did Tonya get the job at Emory?” Tessa asked happily.

I smiled happily. “Associate professor of languages…it’s a tenure track position.”

“What about the others?” Auntie MJ asked. “They were planning to move to whatever city they could all find jobs in…”

“Well, don’t tell them we told you, I’m pretty certain they want to tell everyone themselves. But Tricie got hired at an engineering firm in Marietta, Kevon got hired by Amazon for their software development department and they wanted him so bad they told him that he could pick which office he worked out of. Devon…he’s still shocked about the job offer from Fulton County…he was offered a position as an administrator in the land acquisitions office. It’s a lower middle management job, right off the bat. I swear he signed that offer letter and sent it back so fast that the mailman hadn’t finished doing his route before Dev put it back in his hand.” Benton’s laughter was joined by our family’s.

“So what do they need?” Saulie asked. “I know that Mom’s already planning to give them a shopping trip to get them all outfitted for their new jobs. She’s been talking about it for the last two months. What can Mills and I get them?”

I shrugged. “I’m having the same problem. Their cars are still in great working order. They are planning on moving their furniture down to their new places…when they find them.”

“Oh shit.” MeDe whispered. “Mommmm, I was supposed to tell you to stall them on that like two months ago. We got them townhouses in a really cute community in the safest area of town we could find. Thankfully it’s near Emory…but yeah…if they sign leases or anything we’re kinda screwed.”

I stopped and shook my head. “What were you going to do if they picked DC or Philly or Chicago?”

Noah shrugged. “Same thing we’re going to do in those cities now. Sell off the freshly remodeled townhomes for a nice profit. Hell, the duplex in DC we got for a little under three fifty, we put seventy thou into the refit, and they were each appraised at over five seventy-five.”

“How the hell did you three manage that with your schedules without anyone else knowing?” George laughed.

“We just took all the changes you had made in the condo in Chicago and hired people to do pretty much the same upgrades in each of the condos or townhouse.” Sam explained. “In each of the cities, it almost doubled the property value since we were buying older places and doing upgrades that hadn’t been made in a long while.”

I think we all just stared at them and then at each other. “So…you bought them houses? Out right?”

They nodded. “Well, it’s their graduation and Christmas gifts...”

“Yeah, and they are couple gifts so it had to be something major to make up for that.” Puck added.

I just laughed. “I can’t even get mad because if we had the money any one of us would have done the same thing.”

Benton smiled. “So MeDe, can you get us each a copy of the floor plans for the houses? Then we can each take a room and concentrate on getting them something they don’t already have for that area. Like, I don’t know the specifics of the new places, but Devon and Tonya are in a small two bedroom, one bathroom…condo right now. If the new place has an office, then they could have an actual second bedroom rather than just a bedroom and an office.”

“I do know that the rooms are big enough to hold a bigger bed.” MeDe smiled. “It was something I insisted on. Devon and Tonya's tall selves on a double…I just can’t.”

Essie and Auntie MJ decided that they would get the young couples each a new bedroom suite. Saul and Mills called dibs on getting them new dining room sets and things snowballed from there. Before I knew it, MJ had Benton’s sisters on speaker phone so Saul got Bryant on the line so he could play too. It was all so sweet but kind of annoying. They took all the good ideas. So Benton and I decided that we’d get them something fun instead of very useful things. That decision was rather freeing. We had a blast the rest of the afternoon, Benton and I, each of us trying to top the other in the most fun thing we found not just for Dev, Kev, Tonya and Patrice, but for all the kids. When we got home we were all exhausted…though not as much as out eldest sons and their brides and the family’s twelve and under kids. Between Skyzone and Chuckie Cheese’s they were totally wiped out.

The next day we had a big old breakfast during which, Devon, Kevon, Tonya and Patrice shared the good news about their post-graduation jobs and everyone displayed pride in their accomplishments. I managed to convince the four of them that they should put off looking for apartments or whatever down in Atlanta until after Christmas so they could just concentrate on graduation and selling their condos in Ann Arbor. Hell, I was so smooth on that one I was proud of my damn self. After breakfast all of our out of town friends and family had to pack up and head back to their ‘real lives’. As the house emptied out, I felt the same way I did after a big family event, happy to have the new memories, but relieved to be back down to just our much smaller day to day family. As much as I missed my older kids, I was still really glad not to have had all five of them little at the same time. I decided to splurge and get a cleaning service in rather than doing it all myself. So Monday we were all refreshed as we headed back to work and school. It was the perfect end to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Every Time You Go Away (Brian McKnight)  
Emma Pillsbury PoV

Meeting Hal Gruber was the biggest changing point in my entire life. I now knew that for the very first time in my entire adult life,I was truly, deeply in love with a man who loved me back. That love gave me a strength I never thought I possessed. I wasn’t miraculously cured, but with Hal’s support and Dr. Harmon’s counsel I was down to fewer rituals and behaviors than I’d even been in my adult life. I still needed to clean in a way few others ever would, but I could manage staying in a hotel and having Thanksgiving dinner with the Grubers. Every other year, Hal and his three brothers all met at their mother’s home in Lawrence, Indiana. Over time, each of his brothers had brought different significant others with them, though only his elder brother Ron had married. When he invited me to join him for the holiday, Hal warned me that it would be the first time he’d ever brought a woman with him to any of the family events and his brothers were probably going to be very curious about me.

“Ron’s wife Cheryl decided long time ago that since I was shy and quiet and didn’t date as far as they knew that I was the one in four who was gay. The fact that the statistic isn’t even right has been argued to death. She swears that that is the reason I don’t bring girls with me every time we all meet up.”

“But I thought that it was your brother Ronald who caught you having intercourse with the base commander’s daughter when you were in high school.” I asked him as we spoke over skype. We’d gone from talking and texting every day and skyping once or twice a week to talking and texting more than once an hour when we weren’t at work and skyping every evening for hours at a time as our relationship progressed. We’d spent two glorious weeks together as September changed into October. I really enjoyed having him with me in my home where I felt most comfortable. It really helped that he was there when news broke about Noah’s child with his former teacher. I will never understand how the reporters got my home phone number, but as his guidance counselor of record, they hounded me trying to get me to say that there was something that should have pointed out that Noah had been molested. Hal had taken the phone from me and done something with Hector and in a matter of minutes the calls stopped altogether, without changing the number I had had since I moved into my house four years before. 

“It was…but I swore him to secrecy so he’s never told a soul…not even her. Plus too I think he finds it really funny since he told her that I wasn’t but she won’t listen.” Hal was adorable when he was exasperated. “So anyway, just be prepared for Cheryl’s attempts to find out about our personal life.”

“I will endeavor to persevere.” I replied with a smile.

Hal smirked at me. “So now that things have quieted back down on the KAMA front, have you had a chance to talk to them?”

“Not yet. Though I’m not sure if we can count things as quieted down. They just won several AMAs last night and Sam spoke out about that poor little boy in Cleveland. I’m almost surprised that Ranger isn’t planning on ramping things back up as far as their security. But no I haven’t talked to them other than emailing back and forth. Last week, they sent me a forward of an apology email Will sent to each of them…in fact he sent one to each of the New Directions he led. They are pretty much all different depending on what his transgressions against them were except the letter he sent to those he treated the worst. They wanted to know what I thought about them. I don’t feel like I gave them a very good answer. While I think he was actually sincere…I just can’t get past the fact that his idea of apologizing by email was a gesture of very little worth. But then again, we’ve made it pretty clear to him that if he approaches them in public, there will be consequences and repercussions. So I suppose that he utilized the only media left to him.” I tried to be fair. “Yet…I just want to punch him in his face. Why can’t he just leave them alone and let them be happy. They are all doing so well. Finn has really found his niche learning to be a teacher and helping with OSU’s athletic department. Santana, Artie and Brittany are all doing wonderfully with Commune…and on their own. Sue said that Santana and Artie both had three point seven somethings after their mid-terms. Brittany is just a year and a semester away from completing her certificate that will make her an official professional dancer. We weren’t sure Brittany would ever be able to graduate high school…but now she didn’t just finish high school…she’s found her future. I hesitate to think what would have happened to those two if things hadn’t changed. They accepted Azimio Adams who had bullied them for years and helped him find real self-worth. They just became so much more once he was out of their lives.”

“Sounds like he was as toxic to them as he was to you.” Hal commented. 

I shook my head. “Will was far more toxic to those kids. I still cannot believe that he knew Rachel sent another student to a crack house and didn’t say a word to anyone when she clearly needed help.”

Hal looked thoughtful. “I’ve been wanting to ask you something, but I wasn’t sure if I should. You know that even though we’ve reduced our physical presence, we are still providing security for KAMA. Are Schuester or the Berry girl a danger to our clients?”

“I can’t give you a professional assessment of this, Hal. I’ve never done any real analysis of either of them.” I said honestly.

“Not asking Ms. Pillsbury, guidance counselor. I’m asking Emma, ex-girlfriend and personality observer.” He pressed. “I don’t want you to give me any confidential information. Just tell me what your gut says.”

I sighed. “My instincts say that Will Schuester doesn’t have it in him to hurt another living soul. I worry about suicide from him if his life gets too bad…but he’d never hurt anyone…let alone one of those kids. Not on purpose.”

“And Berry?”

“She is capable of anything.” I finally admitted. “I don’t see her turning to violence immediately and even once she does, she’d try and manipulate or pay someone else to do it for her. She wouldn’t be able to see the wrong in doing so either…not if she feels slighted enough. I don’t think it’s an immediate concern…but yes…she is a danger to every single one of the New Directions who do better than her.”

He nodded. “Thank you. Binkie, Manny, Junior…even Caesar…they have all come to really care for those guys. I know how much they mean to you. We want to take care of them.”

“Thank you.” I told him honestly.

We talked for a while longer. “My flight lands at Dayton tomorrow at six.” He reminded me.

I nodded. “I’ll be there. Then you’ll drive us on to Lawrence.” I acknowledged our plans with a small grin. It was probably his military background, but he did love to check and countercheck plans. We said good night and I rechecked the locks and made sure that I had everything packed.

I barely slept. It was kind of strange to feel like I was nervous for a perfectly normal reason. I was rethinking my outfit, my hair, the manicure and pedicure Shannon, Shelby and Sue had dragged me to get. Shelby swore that being perfectly groomed had helped with her nervousness when meeting David’s family. Sue and Shannon didn’t have to go through the meeting the parents, Mark’s father had passed away years ago and his mother barely remembered him a lot of days. Don’s parents had retired to Italy and Sue had been able to talk with them only by phone because they didn’t have a computer. And of course Sue was Sue Sylvester…she really didn’t care what anyone ever thought of her. Oh how I wished I could have that level of confidence. I got up before my alarm even rang. Then I spent the next two hours cleaning out my refrigerator and rearranging my freezer. I took a long hot bubble bath and then took a lovely nap. When I woke, I took my suitcase out to my deep blue pearl Honda Civic then I took a short shower and dressed carefully.

I’d picked a cute printed A-line dress with a pointelle cardigan in a nice melon color palette. The dress had black and white and melon in a mixture of patterns. The dress hit me perfectly at the knees and I had found a very comfortable pair of black wedges that gave me a full three inches of extra height. The dress came in three colors and I had them all. I wanted to make a good impression on his mother and I was most comfortable in a nice dress. I grabbed my purse and checked the time one final time. I would be a little early, but it was better to be early rather than being late. Traffic was not on my side, but it wasn’t bad enough to make me actually late. However, had I not left when my nerves forced the issue, I would have been.

Hal strode out of the terminal looking as handsome as ever, tall and broad shouldered and well-muscled. There was a time in my life when men like him frightened me. But Hal and every one of his coworkers and friends I’d met were all so gentle and caring, I’d learned not to prejudge based on how scary they looked. I quickly got out and waved at him. No matter that I was the shortest person there, his eyes found me unerringly. His long strides brought him to me quickly and efficiently. I threw myself into his arms, not even caring that he’d just gotten off one of those horribly germy airplanes. “Hey, Dearheart.” He murmured. “I’ve missed you too”

“I guess we’d better get on the road.” I whispered to keep myself from kissing him senseless. Besides we were starting to get a lot of attention.

Hal apparently missed me so much that he had no fucks to give, as Lester and Stephanie had said when Hal kissed me in front of all of Rangeman. That day he kissed me in front of the entire Dayton loading and unloading area. Only when I was breathless and admittedly wanting, did he stand back up and lead me to the passenger door. Once I was seated, he closed the door, his duffle joined my suitcase in the trunk and we were on our way. I loved the way Hal drove. He was a contentious driver, but he wasn’t overly careful like I sometimes was. He was confident behind the wheel of my car, even if he did sort of look like he was driving from the back seat like Bubba Smith from that old Police Academy movie. The ride was less than two hours long and since we didn’t really have to catch up, we talked of anything and everything. Hal told me stories about growing up with brothers. As an only child, I really never tired of hearing his tales.

I had done the research into the hotel, though Hal was the one to actually book it. We finally decided upon the Comfort Inn East. Hal would have preferred something fancier, but the hotel had only been opened a little over a month, it was still rated as the cleanest in the area and it was a lot closer to his mother’s home than the ones he’d suggested. We checked in and unpacked then Hal took me out to dinner and to a real drive in Movie Theater. I didn’t know they still existed. They were perfect for someone like me. It allowed me to see a movie on a big screen and yet I was in an environment that was comfortable for me. We saw Interstellar. It probably would have been better had I understood all the science they were throwing at me. We returned to our hotel room, a very nice one with a large king sized bed. I turned it down and sprayed the sheets with the fabric disinfectant I traveled with while Hal took his shower. It took a bit of convincing to get him to go first, but I had a plan. I took a shower and prepared myself for what I was hoping to have happen.

I moisturized my entire body with a fragrance free lotion subtly scented after the fact with a miniscule amount of gardenia oil. I hated heavily scented lotions so I made my own. Once I was secure in the fact that my skin was as soft as I could possibly get it, I got–well, dressed was probably the wrong word- I had splurged on a very sexy, silken lace, white teddy and matching robe set. I wanted Hal to know that I was ready. It looked a little bridal, but I felt beautiful in it. I slipped my feet into white ballet flat slippers and centered myself before heading back into the bedroom. Hal stood and looked at me with every bit of love he felt shining in his eyes. He crossed the room and took me into his arms. “Dearheart, are you wanting what I’m thinking this tiny little bit of nothing means you want?”

I nodded. “I, I purchased prophylactics and lubricant as well. I want…I want you…but I found sex with Will painful and degrading. Then again according to Sue, any woman with taste or sense would probably find sex with William to be degrading. Still, I’m certain that you are more endowed than he was. But at the same time, I rather feel that you’re capable of helping me to enjoy the act far more.”

“Dearheart, that’s because what’s gonna happen between us will be making love. I’m going to make sure that you feel my love in every kiss, every touch, every part of me.” He gave me a deep, long, slow kiss, but then stepped away to grab something from his duffel. “Before we make love for the first time, there is something that I…I’ve been wanting to ask you for a while.” To my everlasting shock, he dropped to one knee in front of me. He held out a very specifically blue jewelry box. “Emma Pillsbury, you are beautiful, loving, loyal and kind. You truly care about others and I love you more than I ever…ever thought I was capable of loving any woman other than my mother, Ella and Steph. Will you please do me the honor of agreeing to become my wife.” He opened the box and showed me a simple and yet beautiful ring. It had a round cut center diamond inset in platinum with tapered baguette cut diamonds on either side.

“Oh my God, Hal, I love you. I would love to be your wife.” I said and for the first time in my life I meant it with every fiber of my being. I wasn’t trying to want to marry him. I wasn’t just wanting to be married. I wasn’t in love with an idea of a man who didn’t really exist. I loved Hal for who he really was and he did me the honor of doing the same.

“Thank God.” He sighed in relief. He pulled the ring from the box and placed it on the third finger of my left hand. I was a little surprised at how well it fit. He must have seen the question in my eye. “Bomber helped me with the size and stuff. She was like a kid in a candy store at Tiffany’s.” he smiled. “But enough about my big sister…I believe that I was about to make love to my fiancée.” And he did exactly that. We made love three times that night. He was far more well-endowed than Will had been and I’d not really understood the sizing on the condom boxes, so when he came inside me the last time, the condom he was wearing broke. I could feel his emissions inside me, but rather than being disgusted or desirous of an immediate shower, I felt warm and too well loved to move. Hal went to the bathroom and returned without the ruined latex and carrying a very warm wash cloth to clean me up with. I fell asleep in the nude, wrapped in the arms of the man who showed me what true love really was.

The next morning, Hal introduced me to co-ed naked showering where he carefully made love to me under the cascading water without ever letting me touch anything else but him. Then we dressed and headed to his mother’s home. Elise Wimmer-Gruber lived in a single story brick house not far from what had been the outer wall of Fort Benjamin Harrison and was now Fort Harrison State Park. The three bedroom, two bath house was older but very clearly well loved. Mrs. Wimmer-Gruber herself was a tall woman, handsome with a wide face and beautiful smile. Hal had her eyes and the brightness of smile. His elder brother Ronald and his wife Cheryl were already there. They had laid claim to their childhood home’s only guest room. The other of their childhood rooms had been turned into a sewing and craft room for Elise over a Thanksgiving weekend not very long after their father had passed away.

Cheryl Gruber was nothing like I expected. I don’t know why, but I was expecting her to be blonde and thin and have an air I usually associated with Cheerios. But she was a tall, thick, lighter skinned black woman with a mass of wild curls and a mouth like a sailor. Cheryl Gruber was anything but Cheerio like. She wore all black and had a wicked smile. As soon as all the introductions had been made, she looked me up and down, turned to Hal and shook her head. “You just had to prove me wrong didn’t you?” she chuckled. “Your Dearheart is beautiful Harry.”

“Cheryl…how many times must I beg you not to call me Harry?” Hal sighed long sufferingly. He hugged his family. “And yes, my fiancée Emma is beautiful.”

That led to squealing from his sister in law and a proud smile from his mother. “I am very happy for you two.” Mrs. Wimmer-Gruber said gently. “Now, come Emma, tell me all about the woman who captured my gentle son’s heart.” I didn’t really object as she led me into the house and towards the small, open kitchen. I was an adequate cook, but what I truly excelled at was prep work and clean up. As that was what we were concentrating on that Wednesday, I had quite the enjoyable time in the kitchen. Cheryl joined us after washing her hands. Mrs. Wimmer-Gruber managed to interrogate me without me even realizing that she was drawing the information from me. Finally, once everything was in readiness, and several of the side dishes were cooked, cooled and added to the refrigerator, Mrs. Wimmer-Gruber looked at me. “That one over there,” she pointed at Cheryl, “she is verrückt (crazy)…but she has the biggest, brightest, most accepting heart of any woman I’ve ever met. She and Ronald they are good together. You and Hal…I think you give him an understanding that even I cannot. You bring brightness to his darkness…thank you.”

“You’re welcome. But Hal…he understands me more than anyone else ever could. More than my own parents do really. I love him.” I said honestly.

She nodded. “I can see that you two love each other very much. Hal told me all about meeting you in March and every time we talk he tells me more and more about his Dearheart. You may call me Elise.” She finished and I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.

Cheryl smiled and then turns a shade of green I didn’t realize could happen to a person of color. She ran to the bathroom and, despite the fact that she’d closed the door, there was no doubt as to what was occurring on the other side. I made haste back outside. I knew that it wasn’t anything I could help with at all, so instead I went out to find Ronald and let him know. He and Hal were in the garage, efficiently tuning up Elise’s older Camry. “Cheryl is experiencing some gastro-intestinal distress.” I told him carefully.

“Crap.” He quickly cleaned his hands and fumbled for his phone. “I have to find that song.” He muttered.

“What song?” Hal asked him.

Ron looked around like someone was there listening. “Cheryl is pregnant. We’re telling everyone tomorrow. But she has this weird thing with her morning sickness…which comes whenever it damn well feels like it…but if I play her this song. That song from the new group…Hal said they were Rangeman clients and your former students. There are about four that will work. But the two that works best are the two with Mercedes and Jill Scott. I think ‘Turn to You’ is currently working better than ‘Who You Are’ though. But I just had to get a new phone and I don’t have everything on this one yet.” He grumbled looking through his phone quickly.

I smiled. “Come with me.” I said with a laugh. We raced into the house and I grabbed my phone from my purse where it sat on the coffee table. It took me no time at all to pull up Danica and Benton’s home phone number and call it. Thankfully, Mercedes was a sweet and understanding young woman. The live, via cell phone, rendition of ‘Don’t Make Me Over’ had Cheryl back on her feet in no time. She even felt well enough to clean the bathroom up so that I wouldn’t need to. She really was a lovely person. Best of all Ron recorded it on his phone to have for her if it was needed again.

About the time that the five of us were assembled in the living room trying to decide where to go for dinner, that Hal’s immediately younger brother Ben arrived with his girlfriend, a six foot two model looking woman with the thinnest body I could ever remember seeing. Her name was Helga and she was a very beautiful, very coldly blonde, very vapid woman. It was very easy to see that Ben was with Helga because she was externally beautiful. She had no substance, and her dress was certainly not ‘meet the possible in-laws’ appropriate. I wasn’t sure it was appropriate for anything other than selling her wares on a darkened street corner. I may have thought it. But Cheryl, she said it…aloud…to Helga. For some reason I found that endearing. That was a level of confidence I usually only experienced when talking to Sue. Cheryl and I soon bonded even further in our dislike of her especially since she had a very awful habit of flirting with our Gruber brothers in addition to her own. Helga was trying to convince us to go somewhere that served vegan cuisine when Caleb, the youngest, finally arrived. His girlfriend’s name was Janine and she was a secretary at the construction firm he worked for. At twenty-five, Caleb was already a certified, licensed and bonded electrician and he was greatly in demand in his area of St. Paul. Janine was very cute. She was fresh out of college and had the prettiest chestnut brown hair and blue eyes.

Elise finally decided that we’d go to Buffalo Wild Wings. They were the only restaurant in the area with a perfect score from the health department and they had salads for Helga. Plus, they were always ready to handle a party of seven. So we headed to the cars and we were seated very quickly since the hostess was one of Hal’s old classmates and she thinks he’s ‘home from a warzone or something’. Watching a large family interact was entirely new to me. The men were brothers and got along so seamlessly that even their arguments seemed to just be a moment in time that was unexceptional. Cheryl was one of the guys, Janine held her own. Helga flirted shamelessly, which was starting to not only piss off Cheryl, Janine and me, but her boyfriend Benjamin as well.

“So, Ben, I know that Hal is thirty-one, a security expert and a solider, Caleb is six years younger than Hal and an electrician who lives in St. Paul. Ron is two years older than Hal and he and Cheryl live in Chicago where they both teach at two different two-year colleges. But other than telling me that you’re three years his junior and live in LA, I don’t believe he’s shared all that much with me about what you do.” I asked Ben across the rectangular table.

Benjamin laughed. “That’s because Hal is not comfortable with the fact that his brother is a director of adult films.”

I stopped looked at him, looked over at Helga and before I could think the thought through, I blurted out, “Helga’s breasts are fake, but not nearly big enough to make me think you met her at work?” I blinked twice before slapping my hands over my mouth.

He just laughed. “Believe it or not I never bring women in the industry to meet my family. I thought they would be too…well flirtatious. I thought nice, normal women who have nice, normal jobs would be safer to bring around my brothers.”

“Yeah, how’s that working out for you?” Janine asked with a grin as she sat to his right. “Yo Hels…if you put your hand on Caleb again, I’m cutting it off with this dull serrated table knife.” She turned to the taller woman to say caustically.

Helga looked shocked, but unrepentant. “I’m sorry. I just speak with my hands a lot.” She lied. She had to reach across the table to touch him. When she’d tried it with Hal, the look he had given her was so cold, she hadn’t tried it again.

“Yeah, well…to paraphrase Georgia Satellites ‘don’t tell me no lines and keep your hands to yourself’.” Janine said with a wicked grin. She turned her attention back to Benjamin. “So, Benji…tell me what kind of movies you make. They aren’t those stupid, soft core, late night Skinemax ones are they? Those are really all kinds of depressing. I mean, housewife porn is no porn at all.”

It became very clear that the only person at the table who was completely surprised by Ben’s occupation was me. I gave Hal a quelling look. I didn’t appreciate the fact that he hadn’t told me. He mouthed that he was sorry as Ben explained to Janine that he had done a few of those when he first moved to LA, but he’d found it too difficult to work within the restrictions set by those types of films. I was shocked when I realized that I had far more knowledge of the subject than I ever would have believed. I stopped and looked at the brothers Gruber. “I’ve seen one of those movies in its entirety in my entire life and it was simply to better understand the concept of human sexuality when the very idea of that much physical contact seemed beyond me. How on earth am I able to hold such a cogent conversation on the subject?”

Hal gave me his lovely smile. “Don’t worry Dearheart. It isn’t you. The simple truth is all of those things may as well be the same. If you’ve seen one…then you’ve pretty much seen them all. So it’s kind of easy to be conversant on the subject.”

“Oh.” I muttered, still unsure as to whether or not I’d just screwed myself over with that admission.

I cut a look at Elise to see if the family’s matron was looking at her with displeasure. Elise gave me a gentle smile. “I own every film Benjamin has ever directed.” She told me her voice filled with pride. “I have the very first circuit Caleb ever created, it was for his fifth grade science fair. I have Hal’s first medal from the Army and Ron’s first teaching award. I am proud of my boys, no matter what they have chosen as their careers. A parent’s job is to love them and be proud of them no matter what…as long as they aren’t hurting anyone else.”

Helga looked a little smug. “Isn’t the porn industry exploitative to women? Doesn’t that hurt the actresses?” she points out…as if she wasn’t the one dating Ben.

I rolled my eyes, but it was Cheryl that answered. “That old bailiwick isn’t true anymore. Now women in that industry make significantly more than the men and for the most part, they have more decision making power than their male counterparts.”

The rest of dinner was still spent in discussion about Thanksgiving and all the rest of everything. Since we knew that Cheryl and Ron would be making their announcement the next evening, Hal and I told Janine, Caleb and Ben about our fresh new engagement that night. Of course, that topic of conversation was apparently inexhaustible. Despite the fact that Hal had asked me less than twenty-four hours before there were questions about the possible whens and wheres and whys. Hal’s brothers immediately started to argue about which of them would be best man. It was all in good fun and good humor though. We went back to the hotel, after making a stop so that Hal could get the size of condoms that he needed. Then we chatted a bit about the future. There were a lot of decisions that we’d need to make. But just talking about a time when we could see each other every day…made us very much ready to engage each other in a physical expression of our emotional connection. So whenever we weren’t with his family over the course of the weekend, we were making love. It was a beautiful weekend full of family and love and fun and food. The very best one of my life to that point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Ranting...No Raving...No beseeching you for reviews (though I do still love them as much as air and I'm going to my 20 year HS reunion this weekend and they would do a heart good)
> 
> Instead I will simply say that after next Thursday's update, we'll move to Christmas.
> 
> Let me know what you think of this update in the ongoing saga that is the French Lessons Series.
> 
> Let me know which of our intrepid characters you want to peek into their holiday celebrations.
> 
> Pray for me...my HS experience was not the best. Wasn't the worst thank God...but it sure wasn't the best.
> 
> Go Wildcats Class of '96
> 
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	17. A Long December (The Counting Crows) & December (Collective Soul)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time flies between Thanksgiving and the end of the semester.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Forbidden by LoveShinesThrough (Unfortunately Unfinished)
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You rock the casbah!!!

A Long December (The Counting Crows)  
Mercedes PoV

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family, friends, fun and food. Then Friday we got to help some people who needed a hand with making their Christmas holidays special. Quite a few of the people we helped posted their gratitude online, but Darcy just told each of them that we wished them the merriest of all possible Christmases. Saturday, the family separated and a lot of us went shopping for our own Christmas gifts while the elder bros and brides took all the young ones out to play and bond and Nikki had an absolute blast. Shelby even let them have Beth for the day…mainly so she could get some of her own Christmas shopping done. But Beth and Nikki were well and truly sisters and they loved spending any time together that they could. When they were states away from each other, we made sure that they got to know each other by facetiming or skyping at least once or twice a week. Best of all my brothers were great uncles, they took a billion pictures and sent us all copies of every one. When we got home all the kiddos were washed, dressed and in bed. The next day after brunch, a lot of us went to church accompanied by the Harts. I wasn’t going to lie. I had been firmly in Camp Tesdan until HartMan became a thing. Then I was all like ‘Aidan who…Joe is Tessa’s man’. I liked his family as much as I liked him, which…okay yeah, I’d liked Ethan and their dad, but their mother had never sat right with me. Even before she went all evil cray-cray teen relationship destroyer.

Before we’d left New York for the AMAs, I’d made the arrangements for our KAMA Employee Christmas party. I had sent everyone from Haja to the newly arrived Grant, Daniel’s admin assistant and our overall office manager, as well as Violine and Patrick an e-vite and they had all accepted with plus ones as needed. We arrived back in New York the Monday before the Grammy nominations came out. The nominations were announced the same day as our Christmas party, so I could only hope we’d have something a little extra to celebrate. Haja got the call on Monday that they wanted us to perform at the world class event. We were very, very deeply honored. Especially since we wouldn’t just be performing as KAMA. AC/DC asked Puck to play with them. Sam was going to join Eric Church for his number and he was so excited he was pretty much floating on air. I got tapped to join Usher in his tribute to Stevie Wonder. I may have been even more excited than Sam. They had actually offered me the chance to join John Legend and Common by singing ‘Take My Hand Precious Lord’, before they performed ‘Glory’. But I just couldn’t that song was now officially Ledisi’s. It was Mahalia’s but the torch was finally passed and that song would forever be Ledisi’s to me.

It was just crazy how nervous I was all week. I was very grateful to have classes and practices and the party to concentrate on or I would have lost my mind. Sam and Noah tried to take my mind off of my nerves every night too. Monday night, we took a long soak in the tub with the jets on and we made love in the tub and again during the quick shower after it. A three way moisturizing massage led to more sex in our bed before we finally fell asleep. Tuesday night, Sam was feeling frustrated with his final project for our JAVA programming class. Everyone’s was different and his just seemed harder than mine or Puck’s. It had him all tied up in knots, so Noah and I gave him a double blow job, complete with both internal and external prostate massages to make him feel better. Technically that one was us taking care of Sam, but it was still a pleasant distraction from my worry about if we’d get any Grammy nominations. The night after handling Sam’s mini-finals-breakdown, we spent our evening playing with skin drawing, washable markers and then just straight fucking each other’s brains out. Thursday, we made slow, sweet, gentle love until I was too languid and relaxed to do anything but sleep the night through. I didn’t even dream.

Friday morning, I was literally buzzing when I woke up. So much so that I was up well before my alarm. I managed to get out of the bed without waking either of my lovers which enabled me to wake one with a morning blow job. I decided that Noah was the lucky recipient since Sam had had a double one two nights before in addition to the licks and sucks that were just part of things when we made making love. Puck came awake with a swear on his tongue and his cum on mine. He pulled me into his arms and gave me a long deep kiss before he looked at the clock and snuggled back down into Sam’s arms. I was still entirely too wired to go back to bed and it would have been for less than an hour anyway, so I went ahead and showered. As soon as I had my hair rodded on steam rollers, I headed to the closet and decided to do it up big for the day. I pulled on a pair of winter white skinny jeans, and a matching scoop neck thermal top. I’d found a great butterfly sleeved, teal, multi print, caftan mini-dress that I knew would make an even better tunic top. Putting it on, I was happy to see that I was right. Putting away my hair rods, I left the abundance of curls as deconstructed as humanly possible. A quick pass through with a very wide tooth comb and I slapped on some lip gloss and I was ready to roll.

I headed down to the kitchen with my Burberry fur cuffed, walking boots in my hand to be put on before we walked out the door and found Violine already hard at work. “Hey, Bautista, what’s good?” I joked. Ever since we found out that she was a huge wrestling fan, we all called her by the last name she shared with a former WWE heavy weight champion turned actor.

“Made some spinach and red pepper egg white frittatas, whole grain toast, an eight-ounce chia and berry smoothie and either juice or tea to go. Of course, you can also bust out the Keurig. I know that you and Kurt are secretly having an affair with it, but one day I’m going to break the both of you of that coffee addiction.” She shot back.

“You and Patrick are still coming tonight, right?” I asked her with a big smile.

She gave me a look and nodded. “Yes…though, I mean, are we really 'employee Christmas party employees'? I thought that was for the office types.”

“Well in this corporation…it’s for all of our employees.” I told her honestly. “I firmly expect to see you two at Crave at seven looking fly.”

Bautista nodded. “I’ll be looking fly. Patrick will be looking Irish. He just can’t pull off fly.”

We shared a laugh and talked about household things until the guys came down. Puck greeted her with a wicked grin. “Are you going to miss us Bautista? You’ll have three weeks without having to clean up behind or feed eight college students. Whatever will you do with all that free time?”

She laughed and tossed a dishrag at his head. Missed by a mile and a half. “Hopefully, she’s gonna work on her aim and throwing arm.” Sam joked.

Our housekeeper shook her head. “Nope. Me and Patrick are gonna pool our money to get a better place. We’re going to look while you guys are all gone.”

I nodded but whipped out my phone. “I’m texting you Mills number. She and Saul will be out of the city the week of Christmas, but they will be back before New Year’s. She is amazing. If you want to look before she gets back, her partner is still really good too.” I told her honestly.

“Thanks. And in return for this vital information, I will watch CBS This Morning, so that I can text you three whenever your names are read off.” She said magnanimously, as if we didn’t already know she was going to do so anyway.

“We appreciate it.” Sam laughed. We couldn’t stay much longer after that. Classes only waited on the professors, not the students. Besides, Binkie was waiting on us and I couldn’t wait to grill him about how he’d spent his time off.

Not that I got much out of him. He did tell us that Ms. Plum and the Rangeman mom, Ella, had done a Thanksgiving Dinner for any of the Rangemen who didn’t have a family to go see. In exchange, I told him what I knew of his friend Hal’s Thanksgiving, which I really only knew because Ms. Pillsbury needed a favor for his sister in law. Over the course of the day, Sam, Noah and I got six…SIX…texts from Bautista. I was legit freaking out. It was awesome. I was also very happy that I’d dressed up that day, because as we were heading to the Tahoe after our classes at Columbia ended for the day, we ended up having a local news reporter catch us and stick a camera and a mic in our faces.

“Mercedes, Sam, Puck…congratulations on your six Grammy nominations. How does it feel to have such success with your first album?” She asked with a professional smile.

“It is a dream come true.” I answered simply.

Sam gave her a big bright smile. “It feels awesome. I really want to prove that we’re worthy of all the money our fans have spent on our music and this goes a long way towards doing so.”

Puck was just as happy. “It feels almost as good as how our woman woke me up this morning…so pretty damn amazing.”

I swatted him for it but part of accepting Puck for who he was meant that I just rolled with the overshares that routinely come out of his face. “It’s just an honor to be nominated to some of the same categories as many of our idols have over the years.”

“Puck, with back to back losses last month, how are you dealing with your grief?” The pleasant looking reporter of Middle Eastern descent asked with a calm sort of empathy.

“My biological father and I weren’t close. He wasn’t very present in my life and when he was, he wasn’t a very good influence. Ms. Shirling…she was an amazing teacher. I know that there are a lot of people who feel some kind of way about what ultimately happened between us way back when, but she had a gift for believing in the students every other teacher thought weren’t worth their time or effort. For that and for the beautiful little girl she gave me, I will forever be grateful.”

She turned to Sam. “Sam, many have blasted you on social media for your comments about the Tamir Rice case at the AMAs. They say that you were speaking about things before you had all the information. That the Mike Brown case proved that jumping to conclusions led to erroneous decisions and false narratives. What do you say to those critics?”

Sam’s growl was captured and broadcasted for the whole world to see. “I say that those critics are racist bastards who refuse to have even the lowest acceptable levels of human decency. Tamir Rice was a CHILD. He was about the same age as my little brother Stevie. He was playing in a park and two seconds after the cops arrived he was gut shot on the ground. The video has shown that every word out of the cops mouths that they typed up on their incident reports were a whole bunch of lies. A child died at their hands and all they cared about was covering their own backsides. I also said that that those people who believe the ‘narrative’ that Darren Wilson spun are willfully ignorant. And please let me remind you…the things that have supporting video and audio, the things that can be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt…they don’t support the use of deadly force. So I say if you can’t be brave enough or smart enough to assess a situation before you open fire, you sure as hell don’t need a badge.”

“And to those who say that you three are race baiters, just trying to stir up attention so you’ll sell more records?”

“I say that's hogwash. In fact, the people at Warner keep telling us to shut up because standing up and speaking out will only harm our sales. As for being race baiters, I’ll just say this. Throughout history, there have always been those people who felt the status quo was fine no matter what they saw to the contrary and those who saw the wrong around them and spoke out. I’ve never wanted to be one of those people who see all the wrong happening around them and sit silent because it didn’t affect me. I was raised better than that.” Sam told her honestly. “And whether you credit it to Voltaire or to the great Stan Lee and Steve Ditko…it is still very true. ‘With great power, comes great responsibility’. We have the voice to speak out, therefore it is imperative that we do.”

Puck took it one further. “Sam’s right. I have relatives who only made it out of Eastern Europe because their neighbors saw what was going on and knew that the right thing to do was to help them. The establishment in this country hasn’t gone that far yet, but we’re reaching a tipping point. Soon the poor whites in this nation, one of which I was not very long ago, they are going to realize that the establishment and the rich have been using the skin color of other races to keep them from realizing that if the poor whites and the other races band together to demand change to the rampant classism happening in America, things would be better for most and worse only for those upper one percent of the one percent.”

With a nod and a smile, she turned to me, “you’ve been noticeably quiet when Sam and Puck speak out against police violence. Many have wondered why that is.”

“I stay silent so that I don’t give anyone an excuse to negate the import of their words. This is not new to the black community. We’ve always known that to make it in this country we had to be smarter, more talented, work harder and maintain the most pure lives possible. Any black person convicted of a crime in this country are going to face much harsher penalties than their white counterparts. Black youths are tried as adults disproportionately to any other race…even Hispanics, though that is where the disparity is the smallest. There isn’t a black family who hasn’t lost a relative to police violence. We’ve always known for that police kill unarmed black men disproportionately to any one else. It’s just being recorded and seen now. Black people across the country have been speaking out for months, years…decades. For generations we’ve been asking for justice.”

I took a deep breath before continuing. People were not going to like what I just said…but it had the advantage of being the truth. “Sam and Noah speak out and it gets far more people into the conversation. I know that the awareness needs to be raised. If staying quiet and letting people see that there are white people who see the need for change can bring one more ally, one more person who realizes that when we say ‘Black Lives Matter’ we are in no way saying that blue lives don’t, one more law enforcement officer who stops and asks a question rather than just opening fire and taking another innocent life, then I will fight every natural instinct I have and keep my mouth closed.”

“Thank you for taking a moment to speak with me. I know that you have evening classes at Juilliard to attend.” The reporter finally said and stepped back.

It was only then that I realized that she wasn’t the only camera there, she was simply the only one in the right spot at the right moment to speak with us. But she hadn’t been the only one to record our answers. I sighed. I could only hope that they would use their film to actually convey the positive messages we’d tried to send.

Thankfully the rest of the day was fairly normal. Our classmates at Juilliard had a million and one questions about the Grammy nominations and what we were planning on wearing and if we were going to perform and everything. We didn’t actually answer many of them…heck, we didn’t have answers yet for most of them. After classes we headed home and showered and changed for the Christmas party. They were easy, each put on a pair of beautifully creased black slacks and a cashmere sweater, green for Sam and red for Noah. It took me a minute, but I finally decided on a simple silver beaded sheath dress that stopped at my knees and had allover beads and sequins in geometric motif and a deeper scoop neckline. I sometimes wondered if I played a little too much with fashion as I paired the two hundred and fifty buck dress with a pair of black, suede knee boots with four and a half inch heels and slightly lighter suede straps with crystal buckle embellishments that cost ten times that. I added some simple, but admittedly large platinum hoop earrings, a silver cuff bracelet and darkened my makeup for the evening. By the time we made it downstairs, everyone else was ready to go.

‘They got home earlier than we did.’ I defended myself mentally as I checked through the big black tote bag to make sure that I had all thirty gift envelopes that I’d meticulously readied for our employees in the city. I’d snuck away and mailed off our two Lima employees their gifts on Tuesday. I figured that would mean they would get them either that same day or the next. We all headed out, and reached Crave Fishbar’s Midtown restaurant about fifteen minutes early. I was really happy to find that they were already prepared for us. The three of us, Bartana, Klaine, Binkie and Junior were shown into the ‘Octo Room’ which had been readied for sixty-five, just in case every one of our employees brought a guest, which we’d encouraged them to do. Bubbie Ruth was the first to arrive after our crew. Jamison and Ryan were babysitting Nikki, EJ and Avery so that the three of us, Bubbie, Ethan and Amanda could enjoy the party without having to worry about the kids. Bubbie had brought Mr. Manoso with her, since he was cool people and she wasn’t really seeing anyone at that point. Plus, he loved checking out the competition around the city and getting ideas for a restaurant of his own. His attendance turned out to be an even better thing, when Darcy arrived accompanied by his cousin Lester. I couldn’t help but wonder when those two crazy kids would accept that they were actually in a relationship. They claimed they were just friends with benefits, but I knew for a fact that whenever Lester had more than a full day off at one time, his ass was in New York, in Darcy’s bedroom. That screamed relationship to me. Daniel and Riker arrived with Grant, his sister Dominique and her wife Chris not long after Darcy, Lester and Hudson rolled in. After that it seemed like everyone else arrived pretty much at the same time. So I couldn’t tell you who arrived before whom. 

But soon enough there were all twenty-eight of our full time NYC employees, including all our band members, Uncle Ethan, Uncle Saulie, Daniel, Haja, Brantley, Darcy, Hudson, Brigid, the new receptionist, Yasmine, the management admin, Cleotha and Grant. Darcy had done something earlier that day for the Fan Response Team and Ethan had handled his interns so it was just us grown folks, though many of us only barely qualified. Sam had been in charge of getting the gifts for the FRT members, so they had each received a hundred-dollar Amazon gift card. I’d actually been a little concerned that it wasn’t more…but then over half of them posted things on Twitter about how we were the best bosses ever. So I decided that Sam was going to be the one to handle it the following year too. I also realized that Darcy had been right and her taking them out to lunch at Blue Ginger on the company dime was a good Christmas party for a bunch of college students getting ready to go into their exams.

Crave’s event planner had been great when I made the original arrangements. And they were just as good about following through on them. Once we were all present and accounted for and all of the accompanying dates and spouses had been introduced around, eight waiters and waitresses entered and set up the appetizers. There were two big salads, each brought out in large bowls with salad plates. A medium sized tureen full of roasted cauliflower soup with several soup bowls was placed on the table next. Prawns, calamari, Italian burrata, Korean pork belly and octopus rounded out the appetizer selection. They took our drink orders and when they brought them to the table they also brought large pitchers of ice water. We laughed and talked all through the first course. Sam, Noah and I waited until after the servers had taken everyone’s entrée orders before we got everybody’s attention.

“This is the first time, we’ve all gathered together like this really since our office opened. We’ve had a few new faces added to us since the office opening party in September.” Sam started giving everyone a happy smile.

“Some of you are literally family. Some of you are our chosen family. Some of you are as good as family and some of you we hope will become as close as family soon enough.” Puck continued. “Some of you we’ve known since February…some we’re still getting to know. But all of you are important to us and to our continued success.”

“We’re really new to this whole bosses thing…and we really want to do right by our employees.” I spoke clearly. “So that being said, You’ll each receive a holiday bonus of two and half to five percent of your yearly salary. It should hit your accounts tonight at midnight. In addition to that, we’ll be out of the city until December twenty-seventh, so none of the office staff have to work until January fifth. Darcy, we do need you to keep track of social media just in case something major happens. But you can do that from anywhere you want to. Hudson, you and our band members are pretty much off until the twenty-seventh. ”

Sam laughed before hitting them with a Scream/Scary Movie reference. “But Wait…there’s more.” I reached into my tote and handed each of my men ten of the envelopes and kept ten to pass out myself. While they each had a name on them, they all basically contained the same things, a thousand dollars in gift cards ranging from a two hundred and fifty-dollar Amazon gift card to a fifty-dollar Starbucks gift card. “These are just small tokens to thank each of you for all you’ve done to help us grow our success. You are all part of KAMA’s support structure and we appreciate everything you do.”

“Damn, Boss Lady, and Boss Dudes. Thank you. These are awesome.” Darcy was the first to say. But she wasn’t the only one who thanked us. They all did. It was really nice of them. They each gave us a nice card that contained a gift card or a small package. Each one contained a very thoughtful gifts like homemade cookies from Yasmine and a coffee subscription and a nifty coffee mug for each of us from Darcy. Then they started exchanging their own gifts. Apparently at some point Haja had created a Secret Santa database and assigned everyone a coworker at random. But as the de facto head honcho of our staff, Haja’d even gotten everyone a gift card to their favorite restaurant, including Patrick and Bautista. Their gifts to each other were thoughtful and sweet though everyone was in love with awesome coffee mug he could write a to do list on that Darcy had gotten for Grant and the coffee mug warmer that Hudson had gotten for Daniel. Heck, I made a mental note to try and get the information to order those for myself from them.

The rest of the dinner flew by. After the entrée was cleared, they brought in the assorted cupcakes I’d ordered from Sweet Revenge as well as coffee and aperitifs. I’d been so very glad that the bakery and wine bar had been willing to deliver the order to the restaurant for me. I’d found them through a Huffington Post article, but one bite of the Dulce de Leche cupcake I’d snagged and I was totally hooked. By the time we wrapped up our dinner, half the crew was planning on going to a club and the other half was heading home to get their grooves on in a horizontal manner. Sam, Noah and I were definitely in that second group. Before we left I paid the check and left our traditional hundred-dollar bill per server bonus tip. Then we all headed out. Unfortunately, we’d been spotted at some point going in, so when we came out there was an entire boatload of autograph seekers waiting on us. Despite Binkie and Junior’s best efforts, we still didn’t get away from the crowd for about twenty minutes. Still we didn’t mind. They hadn’t tried to sneak up stairs or interfere with any of our employees, so we signed the autographs and took selfies with smiles on our faces.

December (Collective Soul)  
Sam PoV

It felt so weird to know that we’d just had an employee Christmas party, because we were bosses. Bosses of like thirty-some people, even though technically Binkie and Junior were Rangeman employees and Bubbie Ruth refused to let us pay her in anything other than shopping sprees. Still we were the head honchos. Probably we wouldn’t have been able to be so generous if we didn’t control all our extra revenue streams ourselves. We were trying to use our music money to fund our business enterprises so that we’d not end up broke if we fell out of favor before we hit our thirties. To that end, on the business side, Brantley was almost completely finished planning our tour for the following summer. We were fully confident in the twenty-five or thirty songs we were set to start recording for our official sophomore album. Our Christmas album was wildly popular and the amounts it had raised for Toys for Tots were being heralded as unprecedented. The KAMA store was going like gang busters. Our swag was featured on more than a few online ‘must have Christmas gifts’ lists. Probably because Darcy had some serious blogger connections, but we were definitely grateful for them. We were set to clear over a million in profit in the last quarter just from the swag sales on our site. That didn’t even cover our cut of the KAMA merch sold in the Warner Brother’s site and store. The fifteen items sold through Warner fulfilled our contractual promotion obligation and still left us with thirty items that were exclusive to our site or drop parties. And Darcy added stuff whenever we did something big, like when hit the festival circuit or we dropped the Christmas album. New stuff hit them and they all sold well. Only we and Darcy made money off that merch. The music side of things was all more than awesome.

On the business side, the apartment complex in Georgia would have its final assessment on the same day the office staff returned to work. The onsite office staff was already hired, the maintenance staff was on its last round of interviews and background checks. If everything checked out with the assessment, which the construction company guaranteed in writing that it would, the staff would start taking applications for renters on January fifteenth. The townhouse complex in Charleston was under contract for purchase. It needed to pass the assessor’s tests before we could take the next step towards closing on that. If everything worked out there, it would be ready for its grand reopening in June. The rental property in California was making more money than we’d originally planned since the second unit had rented for way more than we’d originally assumed it would go. We were hopeful that we’d make enough off of the Atlanta property that we could do something similar in Columbus without over extending ourselves. Having a rental property like we had between Berkley and Stanford would allow Finn, Lauren and Vince to save some money too. The renovations on Nikki’s home would begin after the new year, and we’d start renting it out to a nice family when they were done. But we were putting every dime that was earned off that house into a trust fund for our oldest daughter. The only problem with the non-music business side of our life was that we were gaining rental properties and growing our real estate side of things so fast, we were going to need a staff to handle that business sooner rather than later.

Our education was going pretty well too. After my meltdown the previous Tuesday, I’d finally gotten past the coding error I kept getting while working on my java programming final project. Once I got over that hill it was nothing to finish it up. Unfortunately, that still left me with two other projects or papers and a traditional exam at Columbia and a paper and three performance pieces at Juilliard. Mercy was pretty lucky. She had three papers, the Java project and two exams at Columbia and one oral and one written exam and two performance projects at Julliard. Puck on the other hand…each of his non computer science classes had traditional exams in addition to final papers… and then he had the Java project plus two exams and two performance projects on top of all that. He’d have much preferred one or the other, not both. But we had great grades after our mid-terms. Not one of us had missed a single assignment all semester. Even when we missed a day here or there, or the three days before the campuses closed for Thanksgiving, we’d made sure we got the notes so we were fairly confident going into the last day of classes that Monday after the party.

But before that last day of review, we’d gone home Friday evening after the Christmas party by ourselves. Bubbie had asked us if we wanted Nikki for the weekend so she could go find someone for a little fun and we’d been more than happy to do so. So we picked Nikolette up from Jamie and Ryan’s apartment, arriving about fifteen minutes after Ethan and Amanda had picked up Adam and Avery. She was knocked out when we got there. So we carried her up to her room and Mercy changed her into her favorite pajamas. She woke just long enough to demand a few extra hugs and kisses from all of us before she returned to the land of slumber. With our daughter safely in her bed, we turned on the monitor, she still had nightmares and we wanted to know when they happened…the soundproofing in the brownstone worked really well. We turned on her fairy lights nightlight and made our way to our room.

As soon as we got to our suite we were able to breathe a sigh of relief. We locked our bedroom door behind us, having left the outer door open just in case Nikki came up needing us. To say that Noah and I had the best time peeling Mercedes out of that hot little sheath dress was an understatement of the major variety. When Mercedes Antoinette Jones got dressed up, Puck and I both loved it, not just for how hot she looked when she was all dolled up, but also because taking her out of her clothes, one layer at a time, revealing more and more of her sexy body as we went…that was unbelievably sexy. When we had her down to just her lovely black lace bra with its pretty pink bow between her beautiful titties and the tap pants with garters that matched it, her stockings and those hot like fire boots she’d been unwittingly teasing us with all evening, Noah and I stepped back and got ourselves naked.

“Miz Jones…you have been found guilty of being too sexy for your own good and teasing your men when we were out in public at a professional function.” I said, giving her a wicked grin. Just seeing her standing there looking sexy as hell in those soft looking black boots with their big ass crystal buckles down the outside of each of them…I was hard as a rock. Glancing over at Noah, I couldn’t help but notice that he was every bit as hard as I was.

Mercedes gave us a naughty little smirk of her own. “And who on earth convicted me of that?”

“A jury of your husbands.” Puck shot back without missing a beat. “And you have been sentenced to eight hours hard fucking time.”

She strode over to us, walking like sin on legs as she crossed the short distance between us. Her hot little hands wrapped around our dicks as she leaned into us. “So, I’ve been a bad girl?” her voice was husky and hot and God knew I loved that woman, but in that instant I wanted nothing more than to fuck her until she couldn’t even scream any more. “I’ve been a bad girl and you two big, strong men are going to punish me with your big strong hands, agile hot tongues and long, thick cocks.” She moaned up at us and that was all she wrote. Puck and I had a serious loss of any and all control. The first time we took her that night, we didn’t even make it to the bed. We pushed her to her knees and took turns sliding our dicks in and out of her pretty, naughty little mouth, enjoying the hot, wet sucking and pillowy soft cushion until we erupted all over her face and still bra clad titties.

I didn’t even have to stroke my dick to stay hard. Our woman was the epitome of sexiness kneeling there, her lips swollen, her breasts heaving, her mouth, chin neck and chest splattered with the tangible evidence of how much we loved and desired her. Mercy’s sexy ass then did something designed to make Puck and me her willing slaves, she dragged two prettily manicured finger tips through the mess of cum on her big…fuck, her tits were so big and plump…my eyes were locked on those fingers as they dragged across the silken chocolate expanse, scooping up some of our offering to our goddess. When they entered her mouth and she licked them clean, I went light headed. A loud groan wrenched out of me. I dropped to my knees and fused our mouths together. I kissed her until our bodies demanded oxygen. Only then did I work my way down her beautiful form. I had to skip her chest, our husband had beaten me to those lovelies. Instead I settled between her legs and suckled at the panties hiding her from my prying eyes for a long moment. God, I loved how she tasted.

Soon though, the indirect taste of her wasn’t enough and those panties had to go. I ran into a problem making that one a reality though. The long garter ribbons were a part of the panties. It took me a second to figure out a suitable work around, because the gusset was too wide to just push out of my way. So instead I pulled those bad boys down over her hips and down to the tops of her boots, I sat back, pushed her legs up until I could slide under the panties and get my mouth where I was dying to put it. There was nothing on earth that tasted like Mercedes. She was deliciously tangy and sweet. She tasted of apricots, vanilla and almonds and musk. She was perfection personified. I licked her clean of all the delicious juice that had leaked from her as she got wetter and wetter due to Noah and my attention. Then I used my tongue to toy with the hard little nubbin of her clit. I drew figure eights around it, dipping down to taste her. I slipped one finger into her, pressing upwards just to the right of center and tickling her ‘g spot’.

“FUCK.” She hissed loudly as she flooded my hand and mouth with her delicious passion.

I smiled to myself proud and happy at having pleased my woman. I went back to work, eased in a second finger and raised up enough to take her clit between my lips. I looked up and saw Puck’s ass as he pistoned his cock between Mercy’s big, pretty titties. He must have been plucking and teasing her nipples as he fucked her titties, because she was going wild. I pulled my two fingers from her pussy and worked them into her tight asshole instead. I replaced those fingers with my tongue just in time for it to get squeezed and flooded as she screamed out her orgasm. Oh God, she sounded so fucking hot as she came. Puck’s shout joined hers as he unloaded a second load of cum on her face and breasts. I couldn’t wait for them to catch their breaths. I scrambled to my feet and almost tripped on air trying to get to the closest nightstand to grab a condom. Thankfully, by the time I got it on and got back to them, Puck was on his back panting and Mercy had turned over and was up on her hands and knees to torment him by licking and nipping his nipples. Noah’s nipples were almost as sensitive as Mercy’s right after he came. It was fun to tease them until he pushed us away.

I dropped back to my knees behind Mercy’s swaying hips. My hands may have been a little rough as I grabbed her to still them so I could enter her tight, wet, beautiful heat. We both moaned as she welcomed me home. I loved Mercedes for who she was not what she looked like, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the way my pale tanned hands looked clutching and tightening on the chocolate swells of flesh of her ass. “God, Baby. You’re so fucking good to us…but you’re a naughty little thing aren’t you? Strutting around, wiggling that sexy ass of yours on those stilts you call boots.” I started to fuck Mercy good and hard. Deep, long, penetrating strokes that had both of us more than a little aroused, filling and emptying her over and over. “Fuck. Baby. Your pussy is so got-damn tight. Lo-love being inside you.” I moaned. Our love making was every bit as good to her as it was to me. Every time I bottomed out inside her, she let out a sound of pure pleasure that made my spine twitch in the best possible way.

“Sammy,” she whimpered. ‘So good.” She purred. The pull of her walls tightening and fluttering around me as I thrust and withdrew was driving the both of us to the welcoming edge of absolute bliss. So much so that I completely lost track of Puck. It completely surprised me when I felt his long teasing tongue lapping at me and Mercy where we were joined together.

“Shiet!” I cursed as my hips started working harder, all vestiges of control gone. Soon both Mercy and I were experiencing the white hot, ice cold explosion of fireworks inside our minds as we orgasmed over and over again, locked in a place of pleasure that Puck would not let us leave. He just kept licking and stroking us as we shivered and shook and whine, screamed, begged and writhed. Mercy and I would agree later on that it was therefore his fault when we collapsed on him. It took a few long moments before we could manage to make to our feet and over to the bed. Once there, we helped Mercedes out of her boots and stockings and lingerie then we dragged our asses to the shower. We played in the shower washing each other and maybe licking and sucking Mercy’s titties and finger fucking her pretty little pussy until she came so hard she almost slipped. Satisfied totally and completely, we dried off and put on pajamas, well, bottoms for me and Noah and a pretty little purple nightgown and panties for Mercy. We made sure to unlock the bedroom door in case Nikki came up before we climbed into bed and wrapped ourselves up in each other drifting off to one hell of a restful sleep.

The next morning, we slept until almost eleven. When we made it down to Nikki’s room, she’d already made her bed and was sitting in her arm chair still in her purple fleece butterfly pajamas reading a copy of The Philosophers Stone. Mercedes had made sure that she had a copy of every single one of the beloved children’s series. “Morning Abah, MeDe…morning Papa. You guys slept forever…you totally missed it. Kurt and Blaine made me some French toast with bananas on them. They were so yummy.”

“Kurt and Blaine are good like that.” Puck said with a smile. He dropped into the adult sized arm chair next to her small one. In a smooth move he scooped our little girl and hugged her close. “So, Pumpkin, what do you want to do today?”

Her eyes got bright and shiny. “Can we go to the Children’s Museum? Blaine was saying that he wanted to go since you guys moved here, but he didn’t have a kid to go with. It sounds like a lot of fun…can we go?”

We all exchanged looks. It did sound like fun. I was always down for going to a museum. Art intrigued me. Besides the closer we got to Hanukkah, the more the blues were taking our little girl. We understood and just did whatever we could to make the holiday easier on her. If that meant going to a cool museum…we were good with that. “Sure Li’l Darlin. Why don’t we get dressed and we’ll call Binkie and Junior and see if they are good to go.”

She hopped out of Puck’s lap. “Yeah!” she raced over to her closet. Mercy got up from where she’d taken a seat on the floor and we left them trying to decide between Nikki’s teal and purple cashmere sweaters and denim skirt and leggings with the boots Kurt had gotten her or boot cut jeans and the boots Kurt had gotten her. Lil Darlin’ really liked those boots Kurt had gotten her.

I went next door and knocked. Blaine came to the door with a slightly guilty, but desperately hopeful look on his face. “Y’all get dressed. We’re going to the children’s museum.”

“Yes!” Blaine did a little fist pump. He turned back into the room. “Nikki got them to say yes! We’re finally going to the Children’s Museum, Kurt…hurry up and get dressed.”

I left them to that and went down to the kitchen to throw Mercy, Noah and me some breakfast together. Despite my body issues and how long I’d been trying to eat healthy, I couldn’t do healthy breakfast food…but I could reheat the Broccoli-Turkey Brunch Casserole that Bautista left for us to have for the morning. Klaine liked to do their Saturday morning up big and ignore the healthy choices Bautista was trying to get us all to select. Usually we joined them…but sleeping in had felt so good, I didn’t mind missing the French toast at all. I ran up and managed to shower, moisturize and get dressed in my favorite jeans and boots, a brown crew neck tee and a darker ivory sweater. Puck was already showered by the time I got up to our room. Mercy came in and somehow managed to get herself showered, moisturized and her hair rodded in like fifteen minutes. Then she spent another however long blowing Nikki’s hair dry and braiding it into two French braids and helping our little girl get all dolled up. 

Only when our Lil Darlin’ was ready for the world, did Mercy finally get dressed. And Lord knew she looked good as heaven and hell in a pair of skinny jeggings that made me dream of taking a bite out of ‘Dat Ass’, a pair of brown low heeled walking boots that came all the way up to her knees and laced up the front…complete with shearling wool coming out the top, and a super soft cream colored, cowl neck sweater. A miracle happened. We were all dressed, fed and out the door by one. By the time we crossed town we ended up with about four and a half hours to tour the Museum and allow Nikki to do any of the different ‘projects’ that she wanted. Blaine was right there with her…he was so bad at one point one of the ‘curators’ snarkily asked us if he was a friend or if we had two kids. They both ended up getting a ton of stuff from the gift shop and a great time was had by all.

After we left the Children’s Museum, we went to 5 Napkin Burgers for dinner. When we got home, Nikki was exhausted. Well, we all were. So we showered and checked with Santana, Britts and Artie to see if they wanted to come over and abuse our Netflix account. Nikki was asleep before we got half way through her and Brittany’s pick of ‘Into The Woods’. I got to carry her up and stole an extra cuddle before I tucked her into her bed. Then I went back down to wrap around Mercy and Puck on the loveseat. A few hours later, the three of us raced upstairs when we heard Nikki’s cries. Another nightmare, but fortunately singing to her was enough to put her back to sleep after we talked through her dream and allayed her fears.

We made love again and went to sleep. Arising early enough the next morning to go to church. I was a little surprised when Santana, Britts and Artie chose to join us. As we were heading out, we picked up Jamie and Ryan, who often accompanied us to Sunday morning service at Salem United. It was a nice morning, we followed church with brunch. Then we headed home and Nikki helped us order twenty-five Kindle Fire Kids Editions for each of the major kids’ cancer units in the city, NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, St Jude’s Children's Research Hospital and Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital. Then we decided to send ten of them to three hospitals that treated adult cancer patients. We made the donations in the names of Nikki, Beth, Maea, Mara and Sloane rather than our own. We did make sure to keep the receipts and sent them to Gwen. She got really angry after we gave the three grand to the first responder charity without a receipt or anything. I never want to get lectured by her ever again. So we made the anonymous donations but made sure that Gwen got the receipts and the acknowledgement of the gift; when they came in the mail. We also sent copies to Hudson so she could let the hospitals know to expect the packages or whatever.

We had a really nice dinner of Chinese takeout with Bubbie Ruth and Nikki, then headed home and worked on our papers and projects and performance pieces. Monday was our last day of regular classes, though it was dedicated to review in almost every class. But that was also when we got our exam schedules. Tuesday began our three days of, much appreciated, study time. The year before we’d been able to have some study groups come over for the classes where we had real exams, but after the explosion of our popularity, we decided to meet the study groups in the library on campus instead. We got our papers and projects done edited and emailed to our professors. Once the projects were completed and turned in, then we really focused on studying and practicing. We had lucked out and we had managed to get our exams and performance times all scheduled in the first three days of the exam period.

Unfortunately the day before exams started the Golden Globe Nominations came out. That wasn’t a horrible thing, we found out that our sweet Mercy was up for best supporting actress in a motion picture. And she and Ms. Scott’s duet ‘Who You Are’ was up for the best original song category. That was a huge distraction for Mercy. But Daniel and Darcy were epic, handling everything for her so that she only had to do a few call in and skype interviews so she wouldn’t miss any of her exams. Even though Bubbie and Kurt didn’t have offices, they did have KAMA email addresses and they were listed on the business side of our website as the style team. They got slammed with offers from different designers offering Mercy gowns. Bubbie handled everything. She told Mercedes, all of us really because Puck and I were going to support our woman, to not to even think about it and to just focus on our tests. Thankfully, they had already taken care of the People’s Choice Awards apparel and we didn’t have to perform on that one.

We went into our exams on a serious high. Confident in our prep work and more than happy when we left each one. I was even happy with my performance projects at the end of the day. We’d taken the time to fly to Lima after our exams on Friday so we could be there for Sloane’s first birthday. We got to see the Berry triplets up close and personal. Reba, Channing and Terrance were totally adorable. With all three of them being bi-racial, it was really easy to imagine that they were ours. I wanted to keep them so bad. But I knew better. We weren’t ready. Having Nikki on weekends was enough at that point. Though we were ridiculously excited at the prospect of getting her and Beth for the week of Lima’s spring break. Tessa and Jake were both on board with coming for a visit that week too. Even knowing that they would be entertaining Nikki and Beth during the day.

We had already gotten the package for Shelby and David. Coach Sylvester had managed to convince them to hold off on their honeymoon until summer so they wouldn’t already have anything planned for that week. They were going to Barbados and spending a week in a Deluxe Room at the Mango Bay Resort. It was an all-inclusive resort and from the brochure and the online reviews they should have a blast. Granted, they may never leave their room…when we finally get a honeymoon, we probably won’t. Still we considered it a perfect gift for them and we’d considered it more than worth it for a week with both our girls. Coach Sylvester and Mr. Motta had gotten them vouchers for some time at the spa during their vacation. She swore that us making them not have to figure out what to get Shelby and David for Christmas was the only reason she helped to make sure they would be free that weekend.

After our final performance on Tuesday, we just about passed out. Seriously, we slept from like eight that evening until later Wednesday morning. We woke to the news that some industrious reporter had figured out that the big donations to the hospitals of tablets for their cancer patients had been made in the names of children associated with us. I guess it wasn’t really hard, even if we only used their first names. Nikolette’s name was pretty much a known thing and Mara and Maea don’t have common names. Still, if the reporter lady was so damn smart why couldn’t she figure out that we didn’t want the press of making the donations. Sometimes people annoyed me. Still, it was the first day of Hanukah, so we figured we should just forget about it and move on. Thankfully, Darcy texted us to let us know that a lot of people online recognized that we were trying to do the gifts anonymously and they, for the most part, really seemed to love us more for not wanting accolades for our giving.

We had dinner with Bubbie Ruth, Saul, Mills and Nikki that night and lit the menorah and the blessings were read. We each gave Nikki a small gift. Granted my gift was a pair of earrings that cost over a hundred bucks, so I don’t know if they actually counted as small…but I figured that since that was about ten percent of what Mercedes spent on a pair of diamond stud earrings for herself, it counted. Besides, Puck got her a purple and white polka dot rolling luggage set, primarily for the trip we were starting the next day, but mainly because she deserved her own luggage. In fact, when I thought about how much he’d spent on her for that night…I felt a little skin-flinty…but I consoled myself by remembering what I’d gotten her for Christmas. Since her school was huge into technology, for Christmas I was getting her an iPad mini so she could take it back and forth to school with her. It was wild to me that her third grade teacher had recommended it. But then again she was doing high school level math so I guess I could see the argument for it. Thursday morning, we packed up the Tahoe with all the gifts we’d gotten for the family, except a few that were so big we’d had them delivered either to Jake’s or to Moms D’s houses in Lima. The back was packed. We added in luggage for five. Nikki was already out of school, so she was riding with us to Ann Arbor for the graduation. Bubbie Ruth would meet us there. She was flying in with Saul and Mills early Saturday morning, then on Sunday everyone was driving down to Lima pretty much together.

Not gonna lie, we had a blast on that ten-hour drive. We left pretty early so at first there was just a whole bunch of snoring coming from the ladies in the back. Puck kept me awake until the sun woke the rest of the car. After that, Nikki had her books and Hudson was determined to play all these old fashioned road games like she saw people play on road trips on the movies. She’d never really been out of New York City until she hitched herself to our wagon. Even then, we tended to fly everywhere. So we ended up playing Eye Spy and car tag Bingo and a whole bunch of other things. We talked and we sang and it was a total trip. We let Nikki pick our lunch stop, so we ended up eating at a Denny’s in Brooksville Pennsylvania. That turned out to be something of a pain…literally. We signed autographs until our hands cramped. And took selfies until our faces hurt. But those people were good enough not to ask while we were eating and they didn’t take, or at least they didn’t post, a single picture of Nikki.

We left Brookesville at a little after twelve-thirty and we made it to Ann Arbor in time to check into our hotel, unload everything, light the menorah and say the blessings then we still had time to take the bros and brides to dinner. Devon led us to a restaurant called Pacific Rim by Kana and it was perfect. They even cooked with coconut oil rather than peanut oil…which made it great for Nikki’s allergies. After dinner we drove back to the hotel and we all crashed hard. We were back up early on Friday morning to help Devon and Tonya pack up their condos. Somehow Grandma Mae, Auntie MJ and Essie had managed to convince them to sell their condos furnished and then just use the extra money to buy new furniture when they got to Atlanta since it would cost so much to move everything, when it wouldn’t cost much at all just to move clothes and shoes and a few boxes of personal items. It didn’t hurt that one desperate couple of law students offered Kevon and Patrice ten grand in cash for the furniture and dishes and pots and everything. They loved Tricie’s style and had been getting shafted renting a tiny hole in the wall apartment where they kept getting harassed by some gay bashing dude that lived across the hall from them. The couple was hoping to move in before the spring semester started. Once Devon and Tonya were pretty much packed and their apartment all cleaned, we all had lunch then we headed to Kevon and Tricie’s condo.

We spent the whole morning and afternoon packing and deep cleaning both condos. But working together, we got it all done. Hudson was the most amazingly organized person ever. She had everything organized and it all just went so smoothly. I mean, we offered to let her stay at the hotel, or let us get her a rental car so she could go exploring. But she stuck with us and without her, things wouldn’t have been near as smooth. The Lima contingent of the family got there that evening. The kids had all had school, so they hadn’t left until around four. The Moms were shocked to see that we had gotten the four elder sibs all packed up. Nikki had been so cute. At one point she told Dev that she knew how to do everything because she’d just moved to New York. I think he saw that she needed assurances that no one was dying and they were moving for a positive reason. So he took her aside and told her all about their new jobs and how they were simply growing up. He talked to her about the different stages of life and becoming a real adult. From what I was able to overhear, it made sense to her and calmed her nerves. Dude, he was such a good uncle.

Dinner that night was a huge deal. There were like thirty of us because the only people missing were Bubbie, Saul and Mills. Really there were probably more because a lot of the Jones family and all three of the Harris uncles, plus Amanda and Nadia and some of the cousins came too. We ended up at Gratzi, an Italian place in an old theatre. It was really nice and there were other graduates there celebrating with their families. After dinner, pretty much the whole family ended up at Briarwood Mall. We really needed to stop thinking like everything was exactly the same as it was two years before. We ended up sending Nikki on with Becah because we got trapped in Best Buy signing autographs. When we finally found them again Yetta Becah was going to grandma heaven in Gap Kids. Of course, Momma got her hands on Nikki and Triple S plus Double A&S in Macy’s at their Christmas sale. She got them way too many clothes and still didn’t spend as much as Becah. Sale shopping was always a point of pride for my mother, even before our family’s personal economic down turn. Moms D wasn’t about to get out shopped though. She got Nikki, Triple S, Double A&S, Devon, Kevon, Tonya and Tricie all new things to wear the next day to wear to the graduation. Probably they would have pulled Tessa and Jake into their evil game of motherly shopping one-upmanship, but the two teenagers were with us at Spencer’s checking out all the funny tee shirts at the time. They were taken care of though, just by us at smaller stores.

The next morning came early after all the hubbub at the mall the night before, we kind of downplayed us by having a very light breakfast at the hotel and chilling out in our suite until Bubbie, Saulie and Mills got there. Then the whole family went out to brunch at a restaurant called Afternoon Delight, I couldn’t even make that one up, before everyone came back and got dressed. The graduates had to be there at twelve thirty, so we all went with our proud elder sibs. I was really glad we had gone early. The place got packed really fast and if we hadn’t gotten there early…probably there wouldn’t have been enough seats for all of us all together. Which would have been a travesty, because Mercedes’ Aunts, all three of them, fell in love with Nikki. I was kind of worried that they were going to try and take her with them when they headed home. To be honest though the best part was their running commentary on any and everyone who wasn’t family. It was hilarious and it made the long wait seem not so long. It was long enough though that several different potty breaks had to be taken. Because, of course, none of the kids had to go at the same time.

When the graduates finally entered we got to see Dev, Kev, Tricie and Tonya in their caps and gowns for the first time. Tonya and Dev’s gowns looked funny. I was reading through the program and it explained the differences between the doctoral and other gowns. There was a lot of cool info about why the graduates wore what they wore. The girl who sang the Star Spangled Banner was pretty good. I did think I’d spent too long in music classes, because there were things she did wrong that I would never have noticed before. We made it through all the selections and the boring speeches. The main address by the head of NASA was pretty cool. They did the hooding and conferring of degrees to the doctoral candidates first. They read them off in alphabetical order. I was kind of shocked that Devon and Tonya were the only two Joneses in the whole line. But we screamed our heads off for both of them. I think Tonya’s grandmothers…they were louder than everyone else. It was freaking unbelievable. Then because of the way they read the Masters degrees after the Bachelors for the other departments, we were there for a hell of a long time before Kevon got his MSE in Computer Science and Engineering. Then there was a not quite as long wait until Patrice was conferred her MBA and her MSE in Civil Engineering. Once our people had crossed the stage and we’d happily and enthusiastically cheered for them. We all kind of checked out, but when they offered congratulations to the graduates most of us put our phones away.

There was still a little bit of the program left to sit through, but not a whole lot. We had to stand for the last three things, the alma mater, the victors and the recessional. Nikki was not having standing that long and neither were Double A&S. fortunately there were more than enough of us to hold all the kids. During the victors, Maea sat on Benton’s shoulders and laid her head on his. It was so adorable. I took pictures. The crowd was hella thick trying to get out and since we had MeMaw, Grandma Mae and like twelve other women who qualified as elderly. There were a few men who did to, but I sure wasn’t about to call Uncle Bunny or JoJo elderly. Anyway, we waited out the crowd, texting the elder sibs so they would know that we were still where they left us. Just as we were getting ready to head on out, Mercy and Hudson’s phones rang.

“Oh Em Gee.” Darcy started immediately. “What happened? There is a serious twitter beef starting and people are going in on some chick who said that Mercedes refused to give her an autograph or a selfie.”

Mercy rolled her eyes. “I had my hands full of Mara and Nikki. They had to go to the bathroom. I wasn’t gonna stop to give someone an autograph at a function I would never have had the balls to bother a celebrity at…not even Aretha…when they needed to go. Mara is self-potty training. I wasn’t gonna let her have an accident for anything.”

“Man, and she has the nerve to complain?” Moms D said surprised. “What is she entitled to an autograph just because she asked for one? Please. This wasn’t the place and that sure as hell wasn’t the time.”

Darcy agreed and we heard her typing furiously. “Alright. I just put it out there that ‘I’ meaning Mercedes, was taking my potty training baby sister and my daughter to the bathroom while attending my older siblings’ grad school graduation. I said that I was sorry if the chick was upset that she didn’t get her autograph or pic, but it was more important not to force the toddler to have a setback. Wow…did you guys stop some Denny’s in Pennsylvania the other day? Because there is a whole boatload of people who are going in on this chick pointing out that you three were exceedingly kind to all of them. Now, my tweet has hit. The mommy brigade is joining the Penn people and whoa…remind me never to piss off mommy-ladies.”

“Darcy, send out something reminding people that bullying the chick isn’t a good thing either. This should be a teachable moment, not a time for everyone to make a young lady who will know better in the future feel attacked.” I pointed out.

“Oh, you’re no fun.” Darcy pouted, but she did as I asked.

We went to the celebration dinner at the Fearsome Foursome’s favorite restaurant, Mani Osteria. We’d rented out the entire Italian restaurant as soon as we knew when the elder sibs would be graduating. It still almost wasn’t big enough. Benton, Lester and LoQuita pooled their resources to pay for the actual meal. That was the compromise we reached when we realized that those three were seriously going to try and pay us back for the cost of renting the restaurant for the night. Hudson worked it out so that they got a bill for the cost of the food…literally. So the bill they saw still wasn’t too bad. After dinner, we returned to the hotel room and lit the menorah with all the Jewish members of the family present and accounted for, and lots of us goys there too. It was a great weekend and I was loving having all the time with our family.

That night, Nikki asked to sleep in the kids’ room, which connected to Hell Bent and Moms D’s room with Triple S, Maea, Mara and Sloane. Of course we said yes. She really liked her younger aunts and uncles, and it was good for her to spend time with them. Plus, it was another harmless way to make her happy. Since she wasn’t in the next room, we made love in the lovely, soft hotel bed…rather than the shower. As we were getting ready to go to bed ourselves, there was a knock on the door. Puck opened it to find Daniel in the hallway. “Have you guys been watching any of the news channels?”

We all shook our heads. “No. We’ve had Nikki in here with us until tonight…so we didn’t turn on the TV after she went to the Kiddie Table.”

“Well, Darcy did what you asked, but it didn’t help. Things went from a beef to an all-out war with celebrities, the mommy brigade, trolls and fans all putting in there two cents. It’s so big, it’s made CNN. Good news is that because you guys have such a history of signing whatever people put in front of you…the chick isn’t getting very many supporters on her side. There is someone in New York, an Estrella de Oro, joining in on downing you guys. But for the most part, she is on the branch all alone…at least when it comes to you three. There are a lot of fans who are angry at other stars for refusing their autographs and selfies. So the celebrities are all trying to explain about personal boundaries and the like. It is getting rough. But Darcy and I have it handled so you guys are chill.”

“I should have just signed her program.” Mercy muttered.

“With what hand?” I shot back. “You were carrying Mara and holding Nikki’s hand. You’d have had to let Nikki go. Transfer Mara to your left side and signed one handed. In a strange place, with a hell of a lot of people around. You did the right thing. If the little brat who didn’t get her autograph can’t see that…then the fault is with her.”

Puck nodded. “He speaks the truth. In fact, Daniel, can you pretty that up and put that shit out. Just tell people that I said it because Mercedes was upset by all the angry discourse that has sprung up from her innocent actions.”

Daniel liked that. We could tell because his smile got as evil as Mercy’s did whenever she thought about stuffing those tater tots up Coach Sylvester’s tailpipe. He left to go do his thang, and we made love again before finally drifting off to sleep. I couldn’t wait until the next day. Once we got the Fearsome Foursome’s things all packed into their U-Haul trailer, we were heading to Lima, where we’d finally get to see our new home. Mercy had the idea that we should get the whole crew together and have ourselves a house warming party with all the New Directions, old and new. But it was probably too close to Christmas for us to make that a reality. I just wanted to see our friends again. They had certainly proven the depth and breadth of their friendship to us and I had some stellar ideas on how to return the favor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would say I survived the reunion...but I snagged my and Illy's other buddy and we went and saw Star Trek Beyond.   
> Trust and believe we had a better time than they did.  
> Yeah, I'm officially anti-social.
> 
> Drop me a comment and let me know what you liked or didn't in this chapter.


	18. Lights Come On (Jason Aldean) & Visions (Stevie Wonder)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Return to NYC & the beginning of the 2015 Award Season

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.  
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Born This Way by Kaybee80 (Soon 2 B Finished)

Lights Come On (Jason Aldean)  
Brantley PoV

I may have gotten into a little bit of trouble for working over the holiday. But not much. My bosses had gotten to know me. They knew that I lived to work. It was why I wasn’t really all that pressed to date or whatever. I loved what I did. I didn’t work for the money…though that was nice as hell and I got paid way better with KAMA than I ever had with Royale T. I worked because I loved doing my job. Creating and booking a concert, from the itinerary to the rider…it made me happy. I got to do a little bit of everything from event planning to contract writer to cartography, it was awesome. I wasn’t completely devoted to the job. I did spend Christmas Eve and Christmas with my mom in Yonkers. It was great…I got my moms a Kindle because she loved to read and I got her a pretty Tiffany’s double heart pendant necklace because she loved to show off. She got me a pair of ridiculously expensive Beats by Dre headphones and a pair of waterproof, Bluetooth, Plantronics back beat fit headphones too. We considered it to be a good haul for both of us. 

Moms didn’t cook. She had cooked for me until I was old enough to cook for myself, but she hated cooking. I could cook enough to eat on the daily, but I didn’t really care for cooking my damn self, so we ordered one of those Christmas Dinner with all the trimmings from Boston Market. It was a good day, and I really did relax. But I could relax because I had all my ducks in a row. I had the EPKs, the electronic press kits that were sent out to drum up interest and see who wanted KAMA to visit their venue, ready and out within two weeks after the decision was made to do the tour during the summer of twenty-fifteen. The response was immediate and almost overwhelming. It gave me acres and tons of choice for venues and promotors. With that in place, and the fact that I was endeavoring to work with local and regional promoters rather than the Big Three, AEG, IHEARTRadio and LiveNation, it was easy to find promoters who were willing to acquiesce to my demands. 

I didn’t go crazy. I just wanted them to pay for forty percent of the hair and makeup personnel payroll. I wanted them to handle thirty five percent of the pay for those dancers and background singers who were only employed for the duration of the tour. I got them to agree to give us forty percent of the truck drivers' pay and the backline people like the techs and roadies and even chip in on the pay for the merch sellers. That was an idea I had to make things just a little different for the KAMA tour. There would be the normal merchandise sellers at the venues, we’d provide the merch they would sell for a flat rate and they’d get to keep their markup. However, our tour would have two people, I figured that Mercedes, Sam and Puck probably knew a couple of their friends who could use a little cash. Those two people would travel with us and set up a stand of their own with autographed swag. The swag would be more expensive than the merch and there would be less variety and less availability, making the things rarer. It was still something to run by the bosses, but I liked to plan ahead. 

Of course, the promoters were also putting in on certain things that were more traditional, like the per diems for the band and crew while we were in their city. Of course they were completely on the line for the costs of fulfilling the rider too. But they were getting a real break in that they were only having to provide the local security. KAMA was handling their own backstage security through their contract with Rangeman. The promoters were also getting a break in that my clients weren’t bat crap crazy like a lot of people. Take Royale-T…he used to demand that the rooms have fresh paint and either hard wood floors or brand new carpets. He wanted them to get new furniture just for his use. He wanted brand new Waterford Crystal glasses and stemware. It wasn’t that he was ‘used to’ that crap, it was all shit that he’d heard about or seen on TV. Now, believe it or not requests for new and freshly washed glass drinkware were common. A lot of people didn’t like drinking certain things from plastic. Still it was a lot easier to get a rider signed when it would cost the promoter two grand total including craft and catering, not closer to ten without catering. Okay, so, since KAMA looked out for their whole crew, it was closer to six when you added in the dancers’ rooms and the background singers’ rooms. Part of the rider even outlined what they need to make sure was available for our crew. 

That was actually really awesome of them. All too often people kind of forgot the little folks that make their shows magical. Not Mercedes, Sam and Puck. They always had our backs, so it was imperative that we always had theirs. I had started working on booking the tour on the third Monday of September. By the nineteenth of December I had a sixty-five stop, US tour all set and ready to go. I had an option for ten more dates that would take the tour into Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, making it officially a North American tour. Those dates would literally be weekend trips during the fall term. I tried to make it so that, if they chose to do the ten trips, they would have little breaks in Puerto Rico and Barbados first then a stop or two in Canada, just one in Mexico and more in the other provinces of Canada. I had prepared a list of thirty-five soloists and groups that I was sure Cedes, Puck or Sam would like for opening acts, and I had their specs and videos compiled for the decision makers. Ultimately that list would be whittled down to maybe five to ten and they would be added to the card by region. I had it on my list to see if DJ CA$S was going to be-slash-was an acceptable option for the mid-card DJ spot, since she was going to on the tour anyway. It wasn’t outside the scope of her contract and would give her great exposure. 

I had everything in readiness when I arrived at the office the Monday after the New Year. Mr. Cohen had apprised the KAMA team at Warner about the coming tour, though probably not the reason for the rather accelerated timeline. Usually after a successful festival tour, the next step would be some larger clubs and smaller venues. But KAMA was taking on arena sized venues. I really hoped that it worked out the way Mr. Cohen hoped that it would. I had created portfolios that outlined the dates and venues, the budgets, the promoters we were contracted with, the prospective employee and costume needs. I had included copies of the completed concert rider and the list of acceptable hotels, restaurants for approval and write ups of a few of my ‘make KAMA unique’ ideas. 

Monday morning, I rolled into the office at eight and was surprised to find that Darcy was already there. It was a good thing that I already had my packets all printed, assembled and ready to go. She had quite a few things to print out for the KAMA meeting that was set to happen at nine. Everything was set up and Mercedes, Sam, Puck, and the rest of the crew was assembled around the table. It was easy to tell that there would be a more formal meeting following the Team KAMA meeting because Mercedes was rocking a hot little business appropriate crew neck, swing dress that was black satin from her collar bones to under her breasts and then black and white polka dot from the empire waist to where it stopped under her knees. She topped it with a funky, asymmetrical, tie front, black blazer with three quarter length sleeves. Ever the diva, she had given the look some color with a pair of Via Spiga, purple and wine paisley, Mary Jane pumps with block heels and a big ass, burgundy, Burberry leather tote bag. Her makeup was flawless and her hair was more restrained than usual. It was almost weird to see it pulled back. She was rocking a sleek, professional chignon. 

Whether through Mercedes’ orders or their own ideas of professionalism, Puck and Sam were suited up too. Puck’s looked like a Zenga while Sam’s was probably, if I knew my designers, a Boss. They looked like grown ass men. That was rather novel for me. T liked to have meetings in his ‘kingly robes’ which looked amazingly like a royal purple bathrobe with a leopard print shawl collar. The screen came down and there was a four-way split screen showing Mrs. Abrams with her new assistant, Attorney Berry, Mr. Mayzer and Mr. Zizes. The conference room’s four conference call lines were all lit with the KAMA parents. Around the table sat Ethan Harris and Cleotha, Daniel Harris and Grant, Haja, Hudson, Darcy, myself, Yasmine, our admin, and Ruth Mayzer. It was easy to tell that Mrs. Mayzer was coming from her day job, because she’d stuffed a measuring tape into her tote when Darcy pointed it out to her. However, every single one of us, even Darcy, were dressed in business appropriate apparel. I was seriously wondering who’s suit cost more; Ethan’s navy Brooks Brother, Daniel’s Herringbone or Haja’s Burberry. I was proudly rocking my own Ralph Lauren Black Label suit that I’d gotten with my holiday bonus. We looked like a table of moguls.

“Alright, so what’s up this morning?” Sam asked after everyone had their coffee or tea or one of the scones Brigid had brought in for the meeting. 

“Well, if I may begin, I have three things on the table.” Mrs. Abrams said raising a hand. Since she wanted to go, we all were good with it. “Before I get started, everyone, this is Sunni. She is my Assistant business manager. She will be helping me primarily with Amor Verissima’s property business, and the property side of Amicitiae Amore’s corporate dealings. So on to business. Okay, first of all, Hudson, Commune, I need you to keep an ear out for a message from me later today. The appraisers are in examining the Ainsley Park complex as we speak. We’ve set our target rents at fourteen hundred a month for the three-bedroom townhouse layouts, thirteen hundred dollars for the flat three bedroom apartments, eleven hundred for the two bedrooms and just under a thousand a month for the one bedroom units. However, the assessors will determine if we need to go higher or lower based on the amenities we offer per unit and the going rates per square foot. Thanks to some impressive work by Darcy and Daniel, we’re ready to start advertising the vacancies as soon as we have the go from the assessors. Our target grand opening date is in ten days.” She looked down at her notes. “In the same vein, the Charleston property is now officially yours. Since all the assessors and appraisers agreed that it didn’t need the budgeted updates or repairs, we started getting those rents this month rather than having to wait until June. All goes well, we will make back our entire initial investment in Charleston in two and a half years. The investment in Georgia should be recouped in eighteen and months.” 

Sunni passed her a paper. Damn, that chica was fine as hell. “Oh, Noah, this one is all for you. You know how you wanted me to find an LA property? I found you one. It is perfect. The area is undergoing gentrification. We can get the building for a little under ten million. It is older, built in the nineteen seventies or eighties, so it will need a lot of work. I looked into the costs of making the updates that were needed in the Ainsley Park property with a slightly more LA edge or flair, at least according to Terry, the cost would be significant. But with the way the property values in the area are going up, there is no way that we won’t at least break even at the appraisal and we’d easily recoup our initial our lay of cost, in liquid terms, in five to ten years. It would be sooner, but there are only sixty units in the building.” 

Puck looked thoughtful then evil. “We’ll finance it the legit way. But I want the rents going into paying off the debt. Make that shit an Insta-ho and B to C List celebrity mecca. Then over charge them out their pretentious hipster asses.” He smiled evilly.

Darcy’s chuckle followed Puck’s pronouncement. “Let me know when it’s nearly ready and I will make sure that it is a more desirable location to live than a Texas oil ranch in the eighties.” 

Everyone laughed at that. Mrs. Mayzer teased the pseudo siblings about their desire to bilk the want to be famous before turning things back over to Mrs. Abrams. “Next up, your commissions from the fourth quarter sales of the albums will come in later this week. We’re already set to go on with all the usual distributions. Seventy-five hundred to the family shelter for monthly groceries, utilities and maintenance. Ten thousand for the quarter to Fealgood Foundation. The same to Bread for the World and St. Jude’s. Four thousand per month to ADA UMC, Temple Beth Israel-Shaare Zedek and Christ Episcopal churches. It is time to do the yearly tax return. There should be a pretty significant return considering that we overpaid every quarter last year. Do you want me to roll it back into the taxes for next year, or do you want to take the refund?” 

“If it is huge, then can we roll half and take the other half? If it is just decent, roll it all.” Sam suggested wisely. It was never smart to fuck with Uncle Sam. 

Mrs. Abrams made some notes and nodded then said that was all she had with the ‘usual disbursements in place’. Mr. Mayzer spoke up next. “I guess I’ll take next since I have a ten o’clock meeting. I’m very, very happy with how your portfolio performed last year. Your stocks, mutual funds, ETFs and IPO investments had an average growth yield of anywhere from sixty-six to two hundred and three percent. I’m going to roll your dividends back into your portfolio. I’d love to get you into some green energy futures and start saving so that if you guys are doing a European tour in twenty-eighteen, you can have your own seven-fifty-seven, since little planes scare Cede. That’s all I have for you. Oh, and next Christmas, could you please not buy new cars for each other AND buy out Macy’s jewelry department. I know it isn’t my money, but paying that black card off was literally painful for me.” He teasingly chided. 

Sam was the only one who had the good grace to at least look somewhat abashed. Puck and Mercedes gave total Kanye shrugs and moved on. Mrs. Mayzer took the stage next. “Okay, so this month is jam packed with stylist important details. Wednesday night we have the People’s Choice Awards, the following Sunday is the Golden Globes. No performances on either. Good for events and after parties on both. I’ve got a question for Daniel, but I’ll let him give his report before I ask those. My question for Noah, Mercedes and Sam is the SAG awards. Are you three going to try and make that? It’s a Sunday night and you’ll have classes the next morning. I’ve got it handled if you do…but let me know ASAP, because I’ll need to actually arrange the clothes and have them tailored.”

“We’ll talk it over today after our meeting with the Warner crew and let you know tomorrow at the latest.” Sam assured her. 

“Since, Mrs. Ruth has something she wants to ask me, I’ll go now. You can each see from the KAMA calendar that I’ve been a little busy. Between now and March, I’ve lined up interviews for pretty much every one. Four for KAMA themselves, one for Ain’t Got No Mercy alone. Puck, you have one by yourself, one with Artie and Sam; Sam the same deal. I’ve got solo interviews booked for Cassidy, Erika, Justin, Dave and the dance crew. But I’ll have them in and let them know tomorrow. I’m already scheduled to start working with Brantley and Darcy on the publicity package for the summer tour. That’s all I have for today…” Daniel summarized quickly. He hit a few tabs on his iPad and sent out a list to every one of the scheduled interviews with the names of the photographers and journalists that would be conducting each of them. 

Mrs. Mayzer looked it over. “I think this actually answers my question. The Variety interview won’t have a picture and you’re submitting a picture for Entertainment Weekly to use so I won’t need to do anything for either of those. I get with Kurt and we’ll get together a look book for the others.” 

Attorney Harris spoke up next. “I don’t have much. I’ve got all the venue and promoter contracts for the tour finalized and Brantley got them all signed by the important parties. We’re ready to move forward on the Warner-slash-KAMA contracts when the time comes. There hasn’t been much movement at all on the anti-Faux News defamation suit…but at this stage of the game no one would expect there to be. There is nothing KAMA related on the horizon. I will be working on things for the civil trial for Hudson and Zizes coming up in May.” 

Haja didn’t really have much to add in. His and my presentations were pretty closely linked as was Darcy’s, so I took the lead. “Okay, I’m sending everyone digital copies of the tour prospectus. I will be going over it more in depth in the Warner meeting at ten, for now I’m just going to breeze through a summary and leave you with a few questions I need answered at the soonest.” So, I did just that finishing off by asking, “Would you like me to get the Caribbean, Canadian and Mexican dates finalized?” 

It took less than a few moments before the three of them, as well as their parents, who stressed that they would be going with the music group to the Caribbean dates, to decide that I should add the fall dates. With that out of the way, Haja took over and brought everyone up to date on the state of the budgetary side of things including what he had worked out with Mrs. Abrams as to how to populate the KAMA portion of the tour budget accounts. He and their fathers gave us an update on the state of the tour buses that had been purchased, one from scratch and one retrofitted to be ADA compliant. From there Darcy laid out the new ideas she had for publicizing the tour and how she’d turned around the twitter war that had spawned over the holiday. All in all, it was a great meeting. We broke up soon after Darcy had chimed in. While Brigid, Yaz and Grant reset the room for the next meeting, I asked my bosses about the ideas I presented. 

Mercedes looked at me and smirked. “Brantley, do you think that having the autographed swag booth, utilizing Cass for our tour DJ and the other proposals you’ve put forth will increase our brand and bring about good things for KAMA, DJ Ca$S and the people we employ?” 

“Unequivocally yes.” I said with passion and confidence. 

“Then let’s go for it.” Puck returned. 

I think I must have looked shocked because Sam gave me a smile. “Brantley we hired you because we believed that you knew what you were doing. We believed that you wanted to see us and to help us succeed. You’ve been doing this for a while, longer than us at any rate. None of the suggestions you’ve made so far have been bad. So yeah, let’s put these into place.” 

Mercedes smiled. “Hey, guys, think Tessa and Joe would like the job selling the autographed swag?” 

That sent them off on a tangent as to whether or not they thought the parents would allow the duo to traverse the country with them or not. It was pretty cool watching them laugh and riff off each other. Of course, with them, when they were comfortable with you and considered them to be one of their people…they couldn’t pick on each other in your presence without pulling you into their banter too. Soon we were all shooting the shit back and forth. Soon enough, everything was ready and in strolled Anika, Deborah and Christophe. In a black sweater dress that looked like Wednesday Addams had grown up and gotten more than a little change and a pair of black, super high, pointy toe pumps from the Jimmy Choo fall line, Anika Rawlins was looking finer than fine. But she was too important to my clients for me to try my luck and I was in no ways ready for the long term. 

Deborah looked just as beautiful in a midnight blue, von Furstenberg wrap dress and a pair of neutral heels that were classic and yet on trend. Christophe was decked out in a sharp navy blue Cifonelli, two button suit. I had learned to read apparel when I was first starting out with Tremaine. I’d found that a lot of the time, he was not able connect with the honchos, because no matter how long they had been in the music industry, they expected a certain level of professionalism and decorum. The first way they ascertained if a person had those things was by what they wore. I made sure that I learned to dress and speak as they did. There were a lot of people who felt that the fact that I ‘shucked and jived’ to get ahead, made me a sellout. I wasn’t a sellout, I just knew the game and I played it by their rules. They created the game and as long as they made the rules, it was a necessary evil to learn them. Shit, even Lucious Lyons knew how to play the game. The two guys who followed Christophe into the conference room had the looks of guys who’d learned that lesson too. Kind of like Puck. 

See Sam in a suit, he just about looked like he was one of the gamers. Puck…no matter how expensive the suit, there was something in his eyes, something about him that just said that he was in the suit to get along and he was learning the rules as he went. The two guys that Deborah introduced as prospective tour managers…they looked about like me and like Puck. Bailey Wilson was a six foot five, black guy with a full beard and a charcoal, two for two hundred dollars Men’s Warehouse suit. His competition was only about five foot eleven. He had a goatee with some silver among the black hair and was rocking a suit I had gotten from Neiman Marcus over the holiday. A good, well-tailored Hugo Boss suit that looked like he was wearing it rather than it wearing him. Lamar Byrd was a little bit older, a little bit wiser and you could tell he was a little bit more used to playing the game. 

It was really more of an interview for those two applicants than a simple meet and greet. Deborah let us know their pedigrees. Byrd had been both a production and tour manager for the last twenty years. He had worked with some huge name acts including Kendrick Lamarr, T.I., Diddy Dirty Money and had worked for Akon for three years doing both of his headlining international tours. He had an AA in criminal justice and he was more than proficient in the Gigwell software we used for KAMA’s bookings and productions. It didn’t take me long to realize that Wilson was a bit of a herring. He was there to make it look like they were giving us a choice. But compared to Byrd, he wasn’t hitting on shit. With a decade of experience, he was good on that end, but he’d never worked one on one with building a tour. He’d always worked through AEG or LiveNation or one of the other big promotion firms that to be honest, made the Tour Manager position a hell of a lot easier than it had been for years before. He didn’t know Gigwell, because he’d always worked with the internal software systems the big promotors had in house. It wasn’t to say that he wasn’t a good candidate…he just wasn’t what I was looking for to be my hands and eyes in the field. 

Still Wilson got the same chance as Byrd. He was good about not checking too hard for Mercedes. But after my PowerPoint where I laid out the prospectus in a quickly summarized manner, when the first question he asked was about the fraternization policies rather than something substantive, he lost those points too. It wasn’t just that he asked the question. It was the way he asked the question. “So, the fraternization rules…because you know those nights on the road get really lonely and those dancers…whew…they are really flexible.” 

Puck gave Sam a look, while Mercedes gave old dude the side-eye of death. “Mr. Wilson, as long as the other person is a consenting adult…other than one probable dancer who will only be eighteen and under our personal protection, should you have a relationship while on the tour, that is really none of our business. That being said…” Puck laid a soothing hand on her arm before she could verbally go upside the guy’s head for the really inappropriate query. 

Byrd had a much better question…well series of them. “I see here that your rider encompasses the band, the dancers and the crew… I don’t see any green M&M on here, what would I need to check for as the trigger piece at each point level?” he asked. That showed his knowledge of the trick that had started way back in the seventies. It was a great tool for the road or tour managers to check the quality control of the promotors…make sure they had read the rider thoroughly and followed it. I quickly let him in on the quality control test hidden among the very reasonable demands. It was definitely a ‘detail specific’ item, because it fit well with the rest of the list and wasn’t and obvious set-up. Then he asked about the merch sales, “Would you prefer that I get prepayment for the merchandise or are you looking for a cut at the end of the night?” It was easy to tell that with the three sixty all-inclusive format the big promotors use, Wilson hadn’t encountered either method of merchandize sales before. He was probably more used to the inventory control aspects rather than the accounts payable & receivable parts. 

Darcy answered the question since merch and swag were her babies. “No…no ‘cut at the end of the night’. DTA man, Don’t Trust Anyone. No, they pay our prices up front. I’ve set up page where they can even order their shit in advance, pay online and boom all you’d have to do is make sure the confirmation numbers and quantities match up and you can forget that person ever existed. Once everything is officially official, I will hit the promoters off with the link that they can then give to their booth peeps. Now my boy Brant, he hit us with an awesome new jam…but it won’t be extra work on you, not really. Brantley, tell them about the swag sales.” 

So, I laid it out for them. “We’ll have two people who set up a special merch counter or whatever with higher priced, autographed merch. But there will be limited quantities. I’d say a fifty to seventy-five of each piece. Mercedes, Sam, Puck…you guys will have to do some serious signing over the next few months. But the plan is to have a ten to twenty-five percent markup over the standard merchandise sticker prices. The sellers will both work with KAMA’s team and therefore they will make a set amount over the summer making the swag sales almost total profit.” 

Deborah and Anika exchanged a long look. “That’s sheer genius. Not only could it serve for a greatly expanded revenue…it could, conceivably reduce the number of dumbass kids trying to sneak back stage or crowd the exit just trying for an autograph.” 

I chuckled, “Never underestimate the dumbassery of the average teenager. So, somehow I doubt it will be effective in the latter two avenues…but I do believe that it could certainly be a big boon to the first. Especially since in all the concerts I’ve ever gone to, I’ve never really seen this beyond some pics and CDs. And yeah, we’ll have those, but we’ll also have…” I looked over at Darcy. I had no clue what she had put together for the merch sales. 

She seamlessly interjected, “tank tops and tee-shirts, tote bags and lunch bags, maybe backpacks, if I can find a deal I like on good ones. The vendor for the rest of the tour bookbags told me it would take him until May to amass the number we’ll need. I don’t do sweat shop merch. Ooooh…the planners. The next Hermione Granger-act-a-like needs a Mercedes Jones autographed planner. That must happen.” 

“I must say,” Christophe began with a wicked grin. “I can fully appreciate the added humor of that. Now, shall we get on to the numbers…unfortunately, I have a lunch meeting with some Trap rapper from Kentucky. Marketing is just a word to him…but I’ve been tasked with making him somewhat marketable. Anika, I will buy you three pairs of spring line Louboutins if you will, please for the love of God, help me make that train wreck into a smooth running transit line.”

Anika looked thoughtful. “Throw in a Prada bag and you have a deal.” 

It was kind of cool to note that they had something of a relationship beyond just being colleagues. They actually shook on it. Then I directed them to the prospectus and the budget that Haja and I had worked out. It was very much kind to Warner, passing much of the savings that had been created by having the promoters chip in to the label. That was on purpose. The merch table was projected to be one hell of a revenue stream. We didn’t want the label looking into it exactly how profitable any more than necessary. Even as cool as we were with Anika, Deborah and Christophe…like Darcy had said earlier, DTA. There were a few things that we’d discussed in the KAMA team meeting earlier where I’d explained that the numbers represented in the prospectus were different than the ones I quoted for them. One such area was with the swag sales. We would actually be making arrangements to sell twice the number of each item than I’d alluded to with the Warner reps there. We weren’t trying to cheat them, they were still going to make a very, very nice profit off the tour. But by the same turn, we wanted to be sure that KAMA did as well. 

“If you’ll begin with the one time outlay page. As you can see, with some help from Dr. Jones, Mr. Evans and Mr. Altman, I have managed to find all the buses, trucks, and van needed for this, and future tours for a very comfortable three point six-one-three million. Having compared the cost for purchase to the amount that was paid to rent the buses last summer and the costs associated with the larger numbers needed this summer, it is far more advantageous for all concerned to make the purchases out right. Warner’s responsibility will be two million seventeen thousand two hundred and fifty dollars. KAMA will pay one point five-nine-six-million.” 

Deborah made a note. “Renting four tour buses, for the duration of the tour should have only run about half a million.” She pointed out. 

I just nodded. “Yeah, but when you add that to the three hundred and fifty thousand that was spent last summer renting the buses and start to look at renting the same vehicles for a tour the following summer…”   
Christophe crunched some numbers. “Given that Warner pays at ninety percent for renting the vehicles, we do come out better this way with just the summer tours for the entire length of their current contract. Consider the fact that KAMA is offering to handle a full forty percent of the purchase price, it is a better deal from the Warner perspective.” He said reasonably. “However, once they’ve been purchased, KAMA will be on the hook for their storage and upkeep.” That was easily agreed to. According to Mr. Dr. Jones, plans were already being put in place to do just that. The company that we were purchasing them from had a five-year guarantee of maintenance for their used RVs…the new ones had seven years of care. Ethan made some notes. After the meeting, he would knock out a contract for the tour itself with Warner that would endure everyone’s backsides were covered.

We spent the next half hour going over the other costs of the tour, including the cost of renting three ‘bunkhouse’ buses for the crew. Each of those would sleep twelve and didn’t have all the bells and whistles of the group and band buses. Since they were far less expensive per night for their rental, we’d rent those and be done with that. The biggest chunk of funds was probably the payroll for everyone that wasn’t a regular part of KAMA’s band, background singers and dancers, or staff. That included the hair and makeup people, the temporary backup singers and dancers. It also included Rangeman’s security personnel, the tour manager, stylists and wardrobe people and crew. Last but not least, it included all the drivers. 

That sparked another question from Ms. Jennings about a higher than expected cost. “I see here that you have wages for sixteen drivers. Is that really necessary?” 

Haja nodded. “Yes. We are working a hell of a lot of tour into a very small time period. That meant that there will be a significant amount of road time. With the regulations in place for truckers, it literally meant we’d either do less tour or have more drivers. If you’ll note that the accommodation’s budget is smaller than most tours of this size. Because they won’t be staying at hotels as often as usual.” She nodded, made a note and we continued.

Other costs of touring included the per diems, or the amounts each person on the tour got for food and drink. The bulk of per diem money was directed to the days without shows, because on show days, the promotors had to have craft tables and fill the catering needs laid out in the riders. So, the band and crew ate on the promoters' dimes. However, with KAMA’s contracts with their regular band there was a one meal a day stipulation that Mercedes, Sam and Puck usually treated as a family dinner. The cost for those were carefully budgeted for. There was also the cost of hotel rooms and day rooms. There would be times on the tour when the stops would be long enough for a hotel room rather than everyone having to sleep on the buses. Day rooms were for the drivers who were often at tender hooks when the group, band and crew were in rehearsals or whatever. They would have a room to rest or chill in, if they weren’t somewhere having maintenance done on their vehicles, another item on the budget. 

When it came to transportation, once the tour was fully booked and mapped out, Haja and I had budgeted for every eventuality. We’d looked at the cost of ferries and tolls, parking fees, the costs of baggage for any flights…I had three built in to the summer schedule, Father’s Day weekend was a non-negotiable weekend off as was the Fourth of July. The last major line of the day was the apparel budget. I’d had to call in the big guns for help with that one. It had been one of the best weekends of my life and Ruth Mayzer was a goddess among women. She’d taught me things I never knew I didn’t know I didn’t know, about fashion and stage apparel too. By the time we finished going over the five categories on the second and final page of the budget, KAMA was on the line for just under one million six hundred and ten thousand while Warner was hooked in for just over twice that amount and the promotors in for only a little under KAMA’s contribution. 

Once all the numbers were agreed upon…and that took some discussion because Deborah and Anika felt it necessary to bump the apparel budget up to a full hundred thousand which increased their number by fourteen grand and KAMA’s by twenty-five hundred. Once we’d finally agreed to all that, and the dates that all the moneys had to be in place, Attorney Harris and Cleotha disappeared and we all chatted while they got the contract all together. Deborah came over and settled into the seat next to me that Puck had left empty when he went to talk with Christophe and Lamar Byrd, “Lyor was right about you Brantley.” She said with a smile. “He said that Royale-T’s biggest mistake was not fighting for you. You are every bit as good as he thought you’d be given just half a chance. The cost you’ve set forth are more than offset by the expected return…but I do think you were a bit conservative on that side of things. You created your projected gate revenue profits with each venue at just seventy-five percent capacity. You didn’t even estimate a single sold out show.”

That was true, it still gave Warner a thirteen plus percent return on their investment. “I believe that every show will be sold out. But my job is to plan a tour that gives Warner and KAMA the most earnings at the end. I’d much rather my profit projections be smaller than what we bring in than create a deficit between expectations and realizations.” I returned honestly. 

She gave me a grin that was completely salacious. “Lyor was definitely right about you…and I think he wasn’t the only one. Ruth said that she found your intelligence quite exhilarating.”

Oh, so that’s how those two rolled. I had wondered why Ms. Jennings had given only cursory pushback on the greater than usual expenses. Mrs. Mayzer probably never realized how much her friendship with Deborah Jennings was a good thing for KAMA. “Mrs. Mayzer is an extraordinary lady. She has already taught me so much.”

“Yes, she told me about your very educational weekend. I wonder what you could learn in a weekend with two enthusiastic teachers.” She smiled. 

I looked over at Mrs. Mayzer. I tried not to call her anything but that, even in my own head…at least not at the office. The smile she gave me told me that she knew exactly what Deborah and I were discussing. “I am an avid student of the subject. However, I don’t believe that I’ve ever had two tutors at once.” 

“Is that something you’d be amenable to?” 

I nodded. “As long as it didn’t cause any drama, distractions or discord at work.” 

“It will not.” She assured me much as Mrs. Mayzer had. “Ruth and I will let you know when.” She said with a smile. She stood and shook my hand before heading off to speak with Mercedes. A few minutes later Ethan returned with Cleotha and Brigid and everything was signed, notarized and we were officially official. Deborah left the office with Mrs. Mayzer and a certified copy of the contract for Warner records. Ethan went and handled the filing of our copy. He also faxed both Mrs. Abrams and Saul Mayzer copies as well so they could ready KAMA’s end of the bargain.   
I had officially spent the last three months of my life planning that tour, and even though it felt like an ending, I knew that my work was only just beginning. God, I loved my job. Sam, Mercedes and Puck took the office out to lunch to celebrate. Everyone took a second to thank me for all my hard work. I thanked each of them for the accolades, but made sure to remind each of them how much help they had been to getting everything done. We all played our part. We weren’t just a team…we were a family.

Vision(Stevie Wonder)  
Mercedes PoV

We may have had the single best Christmas break ever, though several of our friends would say the same thing. I was very much happy for each of the couples that had gotten engaged and amused by our single friend’s reactions. Az and Dave both seem bound and determined to at least find their Ms. & Mr. Right Now, respectively. Quinn and James managed to field off the inevitable ‘when are the two of you going to ‘put a ring on it’ questions. Mostly because Gramma Mae and MeMaw find it funny to watch the couple try and avoid them as they are the two most likely to ask those questions. The drive back to New York was pretty cool. It was literally just the three of us. We talked and laughed and dreamed and we had a deep discussion about some of the things they’d learned about in their psych class. We talked about the humanities class we’d share come spring term. It was ten hours that really affirmed that even in the quiet moments…we were a solid force together. I mean, if there were any cracks in the surface of our relationship, that ten-hour drive would sure as hell have shown them. 

Oh, and the actual drive part of the drive was awesome. We took turns driving the precision vehicle that was my Christmas gift. I had to admit, when we stopped for lunch, I checked myself out in the window of the restaurant and I looked amazing in that damn car. I was still trying to think of a name for her. She drove smooth as butter…she looked fly as shit…she showed the world the love my men had for me…she deserved the perfect name. I would find it and then we would christen her properly. When we got back to Harlem, we literally hit the ground running. Around our recording schedule, we had our family commitments. We had Beth, Nikki and our goddaughter in the same city at the same time, so of course we had to find time to enjoy them…and maybe spoil them rotten a little bit. When the brownstone cleared, our focus tightened significantly. 

Which was a very good thing, since we spent that Friday and Saturday in the studio laying down tracks. Then after church and chilling out with our friends, we were back to the grind Monday. We had two, major, meetings in the morning. It was really nice to not feel like we were going to Warner with our hats in our hands. Even if it was technically true, the feeling was there and it usually gave Warner an elevated status from which to negotiate. Thankfully they hadn’t used that to take advantage of us…but having that home field advantage with the tour budget negotiations hadn’t hurt. Brantley Clayton had certainly earned every bit that we’d paid him so far and every bit of the bonus he would earn at the close of the tour. 

That same afternoon we were back in the studio from two to eight. Gwen hit us up around four to let us know that the Ainsley Place assessment had been completed and we’d more than doubled our initial investment upon the completion of the renovations. It was with that good news that we finished the last third of our studio time for the day. We had a ‘to be seen’ dinner. Something Daniel and Darcy both assured us were always good PR moves. All we had to do was dress up nicely and go be seen some place hip and trendy. So, that night we had dinner at GATO, a midtown restaurant that served Spanish inspired Mediterranean cuisine. Everything was very delicious. Puck had the eleven-layer potato, potatoes layered with caramelized shallots and fried sage. It really was great. I think Sam ate as much of it as Noah did. Even though he had his own spiced chicken that came with crispy ham cracklings and a green garlic sauce. It really was just that good…but I had to stop myself, I could not afford to eat that many carbs before two award shows. Instead I ordered and enjoyed the balsamic marinated eggplant with manchego cheese and oregano. That was part of the reason we limited ourselves to two courses. For our entrée, I chose to go semi-vegetarian and order the kale and wild mushroom paella, topped with both crispy artichokes and an egg. Sam just decided to do some extra working out. He happily went with the porterhouse pork chop topped with a tomato pan juices romesco and served with polenta. Puck’s choice was somewhere in the middle. His steamed halibut was served with a sauce containing Sicilian olives, mint, anchovy in a saffron-tomato broth, and all of that over cous cous. 

After a delicious and lovely dinner, we had to head back to our house and get everything packed and ready to go for our trip to LA. We had to be at the airport early on Tuesday morning. Since Santana, Artie and Brittany had to go back to Lima, we took them with us rather than making them have to grab a cab or something. As usual we were traveling with two Rangemen, this time it was Binkie, who I was pretty sure had adopted Sam as his own, and a newer guy who would be one of the eight Rangemen that would go on tour with us over the summer. Ranger wanted us to start getting to know and become comfortable with the three new Rangemen. Junior was a big…big black guy only five years older than Kevon. Despite being so young, he’d served two tour in Afghanistan before he got out of the army and joined Rangeman. His real name was Anthony Stanley Edwards. But he was so tall and broad and muscled that he’d earned a moniker that described him perfectly, ‘Tank’. However, when he joined Rangeman, Tank was already taken by Ranger’s second in command…so he became Tank Junior, which was immediately shortened to just plain Junior. Manny would stay in New York to guard Nikki, and he would travel with our older daughter and Bubbie when they joined us on the road. Of our original Rangemen contingent, Binkie, Chet, Caeser, Bones and Ramon would all go with us as we toured the country. 

Junior would be joined by Woody, a white Texan with a service record that seemed to be seriously traumatic, but that hadn’t ended his ability to throw out a beautiful smile and crack jokes that Sam always had to explain to the rest of us. the last guy, we hadn’t met yet. Sybo Diaz was currently on what Junior called a ‘government assignment’. During the course of our wait for our flight, Junior told us a lot about both Woody and Sybo. His stories were hilarious. Binkie kept giving him total ‘shut up’ looks. But that was kind of to be expected. Binkie was great, he was kind and he took care of us. But he didn’t talk much at all. In fact, he talked to Nikki and Sam more than anyone else…Nikki mainly. Though Bubbie had gotten blushes and smiles out of him on occasion. 

The flight was pretty uneventful. With no KAMA performance to do, there were only six of us flying to Los Angeles. Hudson, had everything under control and she swore that we could almost relax. I wasn’t so sure about that. There was something kind of intimidating about doing this all by ourselves. Since neither Bubbie nor Kurt could go with us; Bubbie had work and NYADA started back the day before and FIT’s classes were back in session on Wednesday; we would be meeting with one of Bubbie’s protégés and his partner who lived and worked in Hollywood. Rob Zangardi and Mariel Haenn worked with artists like Jennifer Lopez and Pharrell and they were really doing us a solid since J.Lo was attending the Golden Globes too. But they didn’t really have to do tons of stuff. Bubbie had us all ready. It was mainly scheduling and emergency assistance that they would be providing for us. 

We met with the two of them, Catrina Moore-Wilson and Albert Westwood and went over everything as soon as we touched down. Ruth had decided that for the People’s Choice, we’d ‘let my curves do the talking’. So, we were going with that plan across the board. Bubbie had already emailed them the ‘look book’ for the next night and the following Sunday. We went over everything and Mariel suggested a change of hair style. She pulled up a picture of a great voluminous elaborate braid that would look formal and work well with the dress. Plus, it was different than my usual style. That was always a bonus in my book. I hated the thought of getting trapped into a rut or have anyone say ‘that’s exactly what you’d expect Mercedes Jones to wear’. Hudson immediately showed the hairstylist she’d found for me the picture and Catrina said it was no problem for her. Mr. Westwood immediately started to re-envision the makeup for that hairstyle, softer colors but stronger lines for the eyes…So, with that change, I was set. 

Puck and Sam were, to be honest, a lot easier. Both were in Armani suits, blacker than black for Sam and almost black for Puck. Sam would be in a pale silver shirt with a silver and black striped silk tie. Noah would be rocking a black dress shirt and a platinum silk tie. They would both be wearing Armani shoes too. Puck’s were a seriously shiny patent leather brogue, while Sam’s were a calf skin derby. I thought having all three of us in black Armani was a bit much, but Bubbie said that if we didn’t get a positive mention in the fashion mags, she’d never try that again, so what could we say. At least I wasn’t in head to toe Armani like the guys. My shoes were a gorgeous pair of Christian Louboutin ‘Very Prive’ ombré patent leather peep-toe pumps. They gave color to the black velvet, Giorgio Armani one-shoulder, A-line gown as did the ruby and diamond jewelry I’d be rocking. My poor husbands, their jewelry wasn’t as much fun. They’d be wearing the Graff watches that Lyor had given them after our AMAs win. They had really hot ruby and diamond cufflinks and tie tacks that would be rented from Harry Winston. They had played rock paper scissors to see who got the ruby set and who got the diamond. But it still flipped every time they discussed things. Their watches had come to LA, with my Graff jewels, in a locking carry on that Junior had had literally cuffed to his wrist the whole time. 

For the after party I’d gone with a dress I found in a retro boutique. It had one shoulder on the same side as the designer number I’d be wearing for the main event. But it was red as sin and twice as tight with just a bit of ruching at the bodice and waist. The dress ended right at my knees, and I’d gotten a pair of black, suede, Jimmy Choo knee boots to rock with the dress. Bubbie had actually gotten my accessories for that look, titanium John Hardy bamboo earrings, matching ring and bracelet and an old-world diamond cuff. We all agreed that the look was fierce, fabulous and unexpected. Best of all it would work with my lingerie from the red-carpet outfit. Puck figured he’d loose his tie and dinner jacket and just roll in his slacks and black dress shirt. Sam was going to do the same, but trade his dress shirt for a green, silk blend Henley. Everyone was down with that and Catrina said she would show me how to pull down the braid in such a way that I kept the curls and waves but didn’t look like all I’d done was undo the braid. 

Once we’d officially finalized everything for the People Choice Awards, right down to my lingerie for the evening and talking Puck out of freeballing in his new Armani suit, we moved onto the Golden Globes. Me, Kurt and Bubbie had had a blast with the dress for that event. It was just shy of Oscars formal. The dress was a teal Monique Lhuillier sleeveless illusion silk taffeta ball gown. The damn thing had a slight bustle effect and a train. I fell in love at first sight. Of course, Bubbie had had to special order it and then tailor the hell out of it to make it fit me perfectly. I was wearing a boatload of diamonds with it and a pair of black Olgana Paris La Délicate bow T-strap sandals that elevated my height almost five full inches. Kurt and Bubbie had found the guys' Golden Globes suits because neither of them really cared what they wore. They trusted Bubbie to make sure they looked good and neither she nor Kurt had failed them yet. 

The KAMA styling team hadn’t done so this time either. Puck was going to be wearing a Ermenegildo Zegna blue micro-check Trofeo suit with a very traditional super light blue shirt and burgundy, navy and silver diagonally striped tie. While Puck was going to the higher side of a traditional suit, Sam was going to be in a full on tux. Bubbie had gotten him a gray flannel Taormina tuxedo from Canali’s spring line. While he was wearing a tux, Sam had talked, easily, talked Kurt and Bubbie into letting him wear a slightly wide, traditional, black tie rather than a bow tie. The after party apparel was greeted with absolute approval all the way around. It was another round of hair style selection and then make up decisions before the meeting finally wrapped up and Sam and Puck acted like they were being released from prison. Though, when I was perfectly honest with myself, I could certainly understand the feeling. 

After the meeting, we had lunch at a place Mariel said was new but amazing called Alimento. She wasn’t wrong, the food was great. I avoided half the menu since I was walking two red carpets that week. But I loved the chopped salad amigliorata that I ordered. When we finally left the restaurant, we headed to the hotel. Hudson had gotten the three of us a Villa suite at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. On Bubbie’s order’s Hudson had also arranged for us to have a Junior Suite at our usual Ritz Carlton near the Nokia Theater for Wednesday and Sunday. We would utilize that room so that Mr. Westwood, Rob, Catrina and the barber, Dani, could come to us to get us ready for the red carpet. Even though we wanted the crew together, Hudson got herself one of the Ritz’s deluxe guest rooms and Junior and Binkie were sharing a larger guest room there. 

If we wanted to go anywhere public, we were supposed to call them and wait on them to come to us if we wanted to go anywhere. But the plus side was that our suite came with a free loaner car for the duration of our stay, so it sure as hell wasn’t all bad. I knew it was expensive before I did more than look around the lobby, we were registered under Joe Kerr. Having the room reserved under Sam’s favorite alias meant that Hudson knew he would hate how much the place cost. Apparently, according to Daniel, and backed up by Darcy, having a room at one of ‘THE’ Beverly Hills hotels was a must for our ‘brand’. They went to the Peninsula with us. Junior followed us to our room, secured the premises, locked the jewelry in the case on his arm in the room’s safe and reset the damn thing with an indecipherable new combination. Then we tipped the bagboy and basked for a second in the quiet and stillness of the room 

As soon as we were alone in our room, Puck pulled me close and kissed the hell out of me. “You have no idea how fucking sexy you are when you are in your element. This shit, this world is your playground. I know that Bubbie and Kurt do a lot of the work, but you know that shit as well as they do.”

Sam came up behind us and agreed. “Noah’s right. You were owning that shit there. You knew exactly why Puck is Zegna and I’m Cavalli.” 

“Canali, Baby.” I corrected with a kiss.

“See this is your world.” He breathed before kissing me deeply. “God you were so fucking beautiful and you’re going to be so fucking beautiful on the red carpet tomorrow.” He smiled. The next thing I knew, I was naked on the gorgeous, soft, bed writhing between the men who loved me and who I loved. Sam made love to me first. There was something special about feeling him of him filling me while our eyes were locked on one another…the feeling of being fully surround by his love for me, him enveloped by my love for him that was just beautiful to me and really made everything even better and stronger and more wonderful. I came three times, screaming my pleasure to God and all, before Sam would finally allow himself to follow me into the most sane insanity ever known to man. 

As we were catching our breath, Noah leaned closer and kissed the hell out of me. “Sammy Boy…I don’t know how you managed to do it. I start warming our girl up and you sneak in and take her first.” He teased Sam as he kissed and nibbled his way down to my breast. 

“Oh, Noah…I’m sorry. I did cut line, didn’t I? How can I make it up to you?” Sam sounded amazingly unapologetic. 

The look Noah laid on the two of us was dirty as hell, I felt my pussy throb in answer to the lust and love and want in that look. “I want you to go and run Cede a bath. We’re supposed to be in the spa at four. She’s not going to want to go down there all cummy.” He said with a smile. “I want some time alone with our beautiful, smart, sexy wife.”

Sam kissed us both and padded naked into the front room of the suite. He brought our carry ons in to the room, the bellhop had hung out garment bags and put our large luggage pieces into the closet. With those put away, he went into my smallest checked bag and found the C.O. Bigelow simpatico white flower vegetable-based bubble bath that I’d discovered and loved with a strange passion. My attention was brought immediately back to Puck as he rolled us so that my thighs were straddling his slender hips. In a smooth, fluid upward thrust, he buried himself deeply inside me. “Ooooohhhh Goooooood Noah.” I moaned out as he filled me so good. 

“That’s it Sexy Mama…just you and me…Sammy Boy’s already had his loving.” He grasped my hips as I started rolling them, riding him. “You feel so fucking good. So slick and hot and tight and wet.” He growled in a delicious way that went right through me. Making love with Sam, just minutes before had been sweet and loving and caring. Making love with Noah was entirely different. It was hot and fierce and athletic. As if in a mental competition with our other lover, Noah made me scream and claw at the bedding four times before he finally yelled out with me. I was wonderfully, happily sore as we laid there panting and our sweaty bodies cooling in the air conditioned room. “I love you Mercedes.” Puck whispered against my ear before kissing my sweet spot. 

“Noah, I know and you know that I love you too.” I sighed a little. “I don’t ever want you to think that I love you any less than I do Sam.” 

“I know that Babygirl.” He chuckled behind me. “Just like Sam and I love you just as much as we love each other. I was just busting his balls. If the situation were the reversed, he’d have done the same thing. It’s just how we tease each other sometimes.” He assured me.

I pulled his hand up and gave it a soft kiss as Sam’s voice called out, “y’all need to come on. Its three o’clock now. And we’re due at the spa before too long, and you know that LA traffic is no joke.” 

“Alright Princess Mercedes, your bath awaits.” Puck said teasingly. Standing, he picked me up and carried me the full distance into the bathroom and passed me to Sam who set me into the tub with a kiss. Despite the fact that I weighed more than most of their previous girlfriends and-slash-or flings, both Noah and Sam loved picking me up and carrying me around. It made them feel manly and proved their point that I wasn’t as heavy as I usually saw myself. Since the tub was certainly not a two-person deal…let alone three…I took my bubble bath alone while Sam and Noah showered together across the bathroom. We moisturized and dressed in some simple, lounging clothes and headed down, grabbed the sexy, silver, Infiniti QX60 that came with our room and drove over to the spa.  
Hudson was a god send. She had arranged everything so it all ended up running smooth as silk. Knowing that once I had gotten used to a spa, I tended to be loyal as hell, she’d booked our treatments at the usual spa, rather than the one at the hotel we were staying in. I’d taken care of the major necessities in Lima and Manhattan over Christmas. Veronica had put me in a brand new head full of Brazilian Virgin tracks and Lamar had given me some gorgeous mahogany highlights. Daddy had brightened my smile, not that it needed much assistance. I looked fucking fabulous. I’d been waxed pretty much from the neck down at Faina’s on New Year’s Eve. But there were still treatments that were a great blessing for all of us. Hudson had even managed to get the spa to convert the couple’s massage suite into a thruple’s massage suite for our ninety-minute customized massage. All three of us received a blend of Swedish and deep tissue massages, augmented with hot stone treatments for Puck and Sam, a foot focus treatment for me and the scalp quench and dry brush treatments for all three of us. when we left the massage suite, we were separated as Sam and Noah went and each received a detox marine algae wrap, while I got a neck down Bright and Tight Body treatment that boasted it would reshape my figure with this slimming, toning and anti-cellulite treatment. One of Natura Bisse’s Mesodose slimming or contouring therapies was massaged into my arms, thighs, legs and around my waist for microcirculation followed by an algotherapy mask for remodeling. I made a mental note to never let Kurt decide which treatments I needed ever again. I shouldn’t have made the mistake in the first place, but when Hudson had called to find out which services to schedule, Noah, Sam and I had been ‘busy’. 

My gay bestie had also gotten all three of us the ninety-minute diamond experience cryo-repairing lifting facial. Which thankfully didn’t involve any actual diamonds…but did include a hand and foot massage, so I was good with that. Our spa evening ended with a mani-pedi for all. I had a gel manicure in a hot, brick red with metallic undertones done despite the fact that I was praying the whole time having two gel manicure in the same week wouldn’t kill my nails. My toes were done in the same color, though not with a gel polish. Sam and Puck, reluctantly got the gentlemen’s mani-pedi, and their earlobes and eyebrows waxed by a ninja waxer lady that Hudson had slipped a bill to go get that shit done while neither of them could move. When we were done with all the treatments, there was still an hour before the spa closed so we rented one of the private hot tub rooms and just vegged out in the bubbling hot water that was fortified with vitamin E, ylang ylang and cypress oils.   
In an effort to get to bed early, when we got back to our room, we ordered room service rather than getting all dressed up and going out. I ordered the Kenter Canyon Farms baby lettuce salad with oven-roasted eggplant, pine nuts and Ras el Hanout vinaigrette, the Skuna Bay salmon which was served with quinoa tabbouleh, smoked tomato coulis and three bottles of water. Sam was as bad as me getting a Mediterranean market salad that contained a multitude of different lettuces, cucumber, tomato, red onion and parsley-preserved lemon vinaigrette, the hotel’s tiger shrimp stir-fry with lo mein noodles he didn’t eat, lemongrass, snow peas, cashews, orange and basil and even more water. He’d caught on to what I was doing, great lean protein, lots of veggies, water to help wash out toxins and, hopefully, cut down on bloating. Puck, he shook his head at us, proclaimed that he was way too awesome to worry and he got the fries that were coated in a French herb blend, and served with a duck fat hollandaise and roasted beef tenderloin with Yukon potato fondant, baby leek and Bordelaise sauce, at least that came with the leeks, or there wouldn’t have been a speck of green on his plate. While we waited for the food to arrive, we each took a final, quick shower. I lotioned with some heavy moisturizing shea butter body cream then slipped on a naughty, sexy, Hauty strappy, lace inset black teddy that I’d found at Nordstrom. It made me feel so very, very sexy…though it also left half my ass hanging out, so I threw on a leopard print silk bathrobe over it. My newly pedicured feet found their way into a pair of fleece ‘flip-flop’ house shoes. Since Sam and Noah had gone first in the bathroom, to make sure one of them could answer the door for room service. 

It had worked too. When I came out, Sam and Puck had had the guy set dinner up in the room’s dining room. Despite the length of the table and the other three empty seats, the bellhop had managed to create an intimate dining experience at one end. The food was good. It was filling but both healthy, and most importantly, it was light and wouldn’t make me uncomfortable as I did what I needed to do to get my excited body and those of my husbands ready to rest. Over dinner, we talked a little about what we should do or say if we won. While we were up for three awards, it was hard for us to fathom that we’d win any when the categories were voted on by the people. We knew that we had our fans, but we also knew that we’d pissed off a hell of a lot of people and those people voted too. So, we decided to be excited and remember who we needed to thank. We’d add that ‘black lives mattered’ and that the second amendment didn’t preclude common sense gun laws, but that was it. Unless we won all three in which case I’d add in a line about body positivity. Once our plates were cleaned, we cleared the table, staking thing neatly on the cart which Sam rolled out of the room with an extra tip hidden for whoever took it away. 

I’d straightened the bedding before my shower, so I had no qualms about shoving the two of them into bed without me while I ran and grabbed the condoms we’d neglected earlier and the lube. I quickly traded the comfy house shoes for a pair of the ‘regular’ black stilettos I’d brought with me just in case. Despite the amazing interlude that afternoon, my hands were almost trembling with eagerness. I came back into the bedroom to find Noah and Sam leisurely making out. God, they were so fucking hot both individually, but most especially together. I hurriedly put the things in my hands on the night stand and crossed to the duo of comfortable chairs across from the bed. As I stood there, highlighted by the moonlight coming in the gap in the window dressings, I untied my robe. When they broke their kiss to turn to me, I allowed the printed silk to slide down my shoulders and off my arms. I felt so beautiful as their eyes devoured me and the tents they were making in their pajama pants grew even more pronounced. I stood in front of them wearing what was basically eight, inch and half wide, black, silk and spandex blend fabric straps and small panels of lace covering my nipples, a third of my breast flesh and my mound of Delta. 

Puck and Sam looked at me for the longest moment. Then in perfect synchronization, they checked their chins for drool and stood up. They were across the large bedroom in barely three strides. As I had hoped, they lost all semblance of control. They did remember the condoms, but if I hadn’t been completely soaking wet, I’d have ended up in pain because they took turns fucking me hard and fast. It felt so good and I loved every thrust, but neither of my men were holding back anything at all. They were so into our love making they kind of forgot about everything else. I literally had to put my fingers down and get them soaked in my pussy juice and shove them into Puck’s mouth to avoid the hickeys he was wont to leave. At one point, I came so hard I was willing to testify in a court of law that I had seen God Himself. Three hours after I’d dropped my robe, Sam, Noah and I collapsed in a spent, sweaty heap of well-loved flesh. We barely moved to straighten ourselves and lose the latex before we were asleep. Thankfully, the next day I found that we had managed to keep all the bruising to areas of my body that wouldn’t be on display. Unfortunately, neither Noah nor Sam were able to say the same thing. But, something told me that they both liked it that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that each of you here in America had a great Thanksgiving...to those of you who don't call America home I hope that you had a wonderful week. 
> 
> Please leave me a comment & let me know what you think. 
> 
> TTFN,   
> Anni


	19. Power 2 the People (John Lennon) Dirty Mind (Prince) & Dirty Laundry (Don Henley/Lisa Marie Presley)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Monster by Rainne (AO3 MCU Fic)
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!

Power to the People (John Lennon)  
Puck PoV

As much as I loved women…I would never, ever want to be one. I mean, even without the whole ‘issue of blood’ thing, there was still the fact that they were expected to ascribe to and achieve a damn near impossible standard of beauty. Yeah, Mercedes Jones was one of the single most beautiful people I’d ever known. She had an amazingly beautiful soul. She was blessed with a great body, her tits were huge and full and sensitive and sexy and her ass…there were no words for how fucking perfect her ass was. But it was expected, and according to her, Bubbie and basically all the women I asked, it was considered necessary that she would spend all day getting ready. I thought they were fucking joking. But nope. 

After a full ass Tuesday that started with a coast to coast flight, we finally got our grove on and went to sleep-totally worn out-around midnight. At eight, Hudson called the room until we were up and about. We showered and Cede dragged us to the fitness room where we spent an hour working out. We weren’t the only ones there. Sam Smith introduced himself to us and he and Cede started chatting as they worked out on the elliptical machines. Tom Hardy was cool as shit. I got to spot for him. That was kind of awesome. I would never admit it to Mercedes…but Charli XCX was not as cool as I thought she would be. Her level of ‘over it all’ came across as kind of bitchy and pretentious. I was kind of shocked that T.I. didn’t have a place in LA. But he, Sam and I had a great time clowning on a few people that were working out a lot harder than we were. We headed back to our room at ten and found room service waiting on us. 

Hudson had ordered each of us an egg white frittata with mushrooms, spinach, roasted tomatoes, bell peppers, basil and a kind of funky but good white cheese. She got me a bagel with cream cheese and lox and Sam and Cede both got an order of sliced melon, pineapple and assorted seasonal berries and all three of us got orders of bacon. By the time we finished that and showered, we got a text from our intrepid PA telling Mercedes to report to the Ritz Carlton suite eight-eleven ASAP to start getting ready, and to bring her shampoo and conditioner and a completely clean face. Hudson had all of our red carpet and Mercedes’ after party clothing and shoes with her. I slipped the bag with the loaned Graff jewels into my back pack and made sure I had that shit on lock. Since we didn’t have to look like we were going anywhere major, we slipped under the radar. 

The traffic was cooperative and soon we were chilling in the comfortable couches while the hair and makeup people worked Cede over. Well, hair went first. I thought that the braid would mean less prep time…but nope. First they dragged her into the bathroom and washed it and reconditioned it…even though it had just had a serious treatment the evening before. Then they brought her back out rodded with her hair on like twenty million rollers of like seven different sizes then they all took hair dryers and dried it that way. Sam asked why they were doing it that way rather than with a hood type hair dryer, and Catrina said it would increase the volume and leave the hair softer. I couldn’t help but think that if it was that serious for a weave, what would that shit be like with her real hair. Thankfully who ever had set up the room had arranged things so that Mercedes and us were all facing the same way and could all watch television. So, while they worked, we started binging the second season of ‘House of Cards’ since the new season started the following month. 

While Sexy Mama’s hair was being done, Rob showed up and he totally pulled a Kurt. He went back over every step and stage of the fashion from the skin out. First, he made sure that everything was good to go on my and Sam’s suits. Hudson had had them pressed, including the shirts and ties, so that was all good. Then he checked the underwear we were wearing to make sure that it would work with the slacks. Kurt had found Sam and I special drawers for award shows and special events. They were briefs that were shaped more like speedo trunks. So, they weren’t long enough to be boxer briefs, but didn’t look like tighty whiteys either. All the ones we owned were a deep charcoal gray, so they worked for any color suit. We had to be careful to check the sizes before we put them on since Sam had more ass than me. Rob gave those the okay, then went to check and make sure that our shoes weren’t slick on the bottom. When he realized that they were still pretty slick, we’d broken them in around the house, not in the streets, he went to his tacklebox and pulled out a three-blade rotary cutter and scoured the bottoms. 

When he was sure that me and Sam were golden then he turned his attention to our beautiful woman. Where he started at the top with us, he did the complete opposite with Sexy Mama’s things. He checked Cede’s red bottoms and Bubbie had made sure that as soon as she got a new pair they immediately had the special red rubber sole added to them. Her lingerie was as black as the dress itself. He made sure the bra, a black strapless number met his approval. He frowned a little bit at the smooth, lacy black panties, but Cede shut him down real quick. “I don’t go without and thongs are only worn with pants around those two.” The last half of the sentence was muttered, but it was the truth. Me and SammyBoy took Sexy Mama in a thong and skirt as a personal challenge to see how quickly we could get the thong off her ass and in one of our pockets. The last thing he did was to check over Cede’s evening gown. Her black Armani dress had been pressed so well, it was pretty much scared to wrinkle. With all things fashion approved, he ran out to go check on another client.

Catrina reached a stopping point and Our Woman was sent to get into her lingerie. Keeping Cede’s amazing rack contained was not an easy job. Especially when she was wearing something that called for a strapless bra. She had found a silky looking black bra from Britain on Harrod’s website that was, like, world renowned for being good for making tig-old-bitties look right and tight without straps. Well, she had brought the black one with her, she’d purchased them in every color they had available. Cede called me and Sam in to help her lotion with her unscented, thick ass lotion. Then she spritzed on the Hermes perfume Uncle Saul had given her, then she sprayed her Dove dry spray deodorant under her breasts and underarms. Finally, she put on her super bra. She paired the slick, silky bra with a black lace tanga panty. Over those she had a new shaper slip that was lace trimmed at the top and bottom had a silky front panel and a faux sheer one in the side. She threw on a robe and some house shoes and went back out. 

The rollers were removed and the curls were plumped up before the complex braid thing happened. Then Catrina showed Mercedes how to unwind it and make it a long, curly style, before she put the braid back in. The whole hair thing, I could kind of follow…the makeup was just beyond me. All I knew was that Mr. Westwood worked for like forty-five minutes and when he was done, her skin looked like it was glowing with some inner light. Sexy Mama’s eyes were ridiculously sexy looking with stark eyeliner lines and platinum and gold shimmer. Her lips…oh my Yeshiva…her lips. They’d been coated in a dark, burgundy red that looked shiny and made her lips look soft and big and plump and juicy. She looked flawless. 

Then came the part I hated. Our hair was actually done fairly quickly. Sam had gotten his hair colored and cut while we were in Lima. I still had a really low cut, so I was easy too. We’d been informed by Kurt that real men wore makeup on the red carpet. He said that they had been letting us get used to the other parts of the whole thing before forcing us to do so…but they were done with being nice. For us it was mainly just a HD foundation that was blended down to about an inch below our collar line. Though Mr. Westwood started with a mattifying skin perfecting pore minimizing moisturizer first. Then after the foundation was blended and everything, he did something with our eyebrows. He did a ‘cheek stain’ on me and Sam, and used it to blend out Sam’s pink ass lips. 

We headed into the bathroom, sprayed on some extra deodorant and spritz on our special occasion colognes Uncle Saul had given us. They made us smell good as hell and it was kinds a good luck charm for us. When we came out, Rob was back and he, Catrina and Dani were helping Cede into her dress. By the time Rob got her straight, Hudson had helped me and Sam with our cufflinks, so the stylist just made sure our ties were good and our pocket squares had interesting and impressive folds. He helped us into our shoes and we made sure that we had our licenses and money clips, with both money and credit cards and blotting paper for our faces. I looked over and Catrina and Mr. Westwood had helped Babygirl with the fortune of ruby and diamond jewelry she was rocking. The cuff and earrings came from Graff had come with us and the Harry Winston necklace and big ass cocktail ring had been delivered earlier that day. Usually they came with their own guards, but our Rangemen qualified so it would just be Junior and Binkie with us.

Hudson put our cells in her navy-blue purse with hers and the one Darcy had sent with her to get the best pics. She was already dressed, though I don’t know when she managed that. Her dress was simple and navy blue with a boat neck and a bunch of straps that went over her shoulders to the mid-back top of the back of the dress. She had on simple navy blue, mid height heeled pumps. Her only jewelry were the blue and green diamond earrings ‘Santa’ had given her for Christmas and her formal watch. Hudson had already put together Cede’s ruby red ‘faceted’ clutch. From past experience, I knew that it held the lipstick and gloss for the night, blotting paper, her license, some cash and her black card. Because she had a purse, she got to keep her phone. 

Junior and Binkie showed up in black on black on black suits and let us know that it was time to go. When we got down to the lobby, a limo was waiting. Rob rode with the six of us and he ran a lint roller over all three of us and twitched Mercedes’ gown until he was perfectly happy with the way it fell. Then he sent us down the carpet. The red carpet is actually two different hallways with walls of shouting. We did the whole media gauntlet. Since we were all in Armani, it was really easy to remember who we were wearing. Giuliana Rancic gave Mercedes a big hug and told her that Melissa had been very touched by the kindness we showed the Rivers family during Mrs. Joan’s hospitalization and the time immediately after her death. She asked us about how we felt about being back in the studio and the coming start of our next semester of college. It was a good interview, one of the more involved ones. 

Then we ran into Nancy O’Dell and Kevin Frazier. They were awesome. Kevin offered condolences for my back to back losses. Since he seemed like he’d appreciate the honesty I was real with him. “I feel the loss of Ms. Shirling far more than I feel the loss of Paul. I mourned him long ago when I realized that he was not and could never be an actual father to me. When your father, through his own choices, is never present in your life…they just don’t mean the same thing to you as other people’s dads mean to them.” I said honestly. “Hey, wanna see a picture of our girls?” He of course said yes, as did Mrs. O’Dell. I huddled us so the picture wasn’t visible by the camera and showed him a picture on Cede’s phone of her, Nikki and Beth from Boxing Day. 

“Oh, Puck, your wife and daughters are beautiful.” Nancy said with a smile. 

“You and Sam are certainly lucky young men.” Kevin cosigned. We chatted again for half a second. But then we were ushered along. After we moved on from them, we smiled and played nice with all the right media people, the big media people, like the style people for the Today Show and Good Morning America, and Shaun Robinson from Access Hollywood. Then there were the print media people. Me and Elliot D’Maurio bro hugged and Vickie Costa made sure she got quotes from me and Sam since we’d not had the chance to talk to her when she interviewed Cede. The New York Times page six people were pretty awesome to us. I guess there was some solidarity because NYC was our home base. 

Next we came to the fan gauntlet. Okay, that one was really pretty cool. With the fans, we could just be us. They were there with their magazines, picture, merch and Sharpies or whatever hoping for autographs. We signed what we could before we were ushered up the way. There were a few fashion bloggers who had won a contest and that allowed them to get close enough for a picture. They were shocked when Sam waved them closer and told them conspiratorially ‘our stylists names are Ruth Mayzur, Kurt Hummel and Rob Zangardi’. He even spelled Zangardi for them. I don’t think we’d ever fully realize how much that small act of acknowledgement and kindness helped to build our brand and fan base even further. Those three bloggers wouldn’t be small time bloggers forever, and yet, they would forever be KAMAeleons. Then when we got closer to the stars that were already heading into the theater, a couple of fans shouted out for an autograph. After we signed it and took a selfie with them, Cede gave them her phone and Hudson appeared like magic with Darcy’s and we asked them if they would please take a few pics of us with our phones. They were really nice about it so we thanked them profusely before we had to go. Their tweets would make Darcy’s ‘Wall of Fame’ that evening. They thought that we were the kindest celebrities there that night. 

Then we started running into other stars as they posed for the fashion mags and such in front of the logo wall. It was cool because both Tom Hardy and T.I. remembered us from that morning and T.I. introduced us to Bow Wow, who in turn introduced us to Vin Diesel and Tyrese. It was very easy to see that they all still missed their brother. All I could do was to tell them that I was sorry for their loss. They said the same thing. I wasn’t sure if they were talking about my dead Paul or Ms. Shirling. But I told myself it was my former teacher and baby momma so I could be gracious about it. 

We finished the gauntlet and on the way in Rob, popped up, hit us again with the roller and he had his own blotting cloths and some unscented dry antiperspirant. Soon we were looking camera ready again. All around us, other people were getting back into fighting form. The thing people never guess was that even in January, the red carpet was pretty hot. Hudson took some pics for Darcy, though I hadn’t realized that she’d been grabbing pictures of us with the different celebrities we’d met or talked to on the carpet. Because we were still the new kids on the block and we lived in Manhattan, there were a lot of people we hadn’t met. Cede got a great selfie of her and Ciara and another of all three of us with Pharrell and P!nk. Though those two were kinda old friends. She took pics of me and Sam with the Fast and Furious guys. 

There was an interesting moment where we met The Band Perry, Sam was happy. He enjoyed their music. However, Cede wasn’t all that happy with the way Kimberly Perry was, subtly, kind of pushing up on our boy. You’d have to have known her to tell though. Cede’s Hollywood face was pretty epic. Sam had his own bout of jealousy when we met Hunter Hayes. That dude was crushing hard on our girl…too bad for him she was A) taken and B) oblivious. Still Cede took a selfie with him because he was cool people. I mean, yeah the crush was easy to see, but he didn’t flirt or ogle so we were cool. 

I took a picture of Sexy Mama and Jennifer Hudson. That was awesome. Jill Scott brought over a few people and introduced us to them, like Lyfe Jennings and Ludacris. We hadn’t been among the first to arrive so we didn’t have a super long time to wait. But since we weren’t super huge stars yet, we weren’t near the later side of the arrival times either. I’d originally thought those thing were random, but Hudson told me later that one of the first things Daniel had done was to learn who he had to talk to and then he worked them like a pro getting us a good arrival time. She’d known it and kept us to our schedule with no fuss and little muss. Hudson was good like that. we had enough time to each guzzle a bottle of water from the lobby bar and touch up our looks. Hudson had a shit ton of product in her bag and between she and Mercedes they actually knew how to use it all. Soon, we were herded into the theater proper and shown to our seats. 

I guess because we were nominated three times, we had pretty good seats. It was really interesting because when the cameras were rolling it was all very staid and normal. But the second there was a break for a commercial, everyone was up and out their seats trying to meet their favorites. Chris Hemsworth came over with Tom Hiddleston to talk to us and that was really cool. I noticed that he was being really charming to Cede, which I found cooler than I thought I would after me and Sam had king of freaked out after his interview that one time. This show was very different for us because we didn’t have to perform. We could just sit back and watch. I thought the chicks from ‘Mom’ were pretty funny…even if I always though Anna Faris looked kind of weird with blond hair. The whole night was pretty interesting. They did everything in sections. Awards for movies were done first, and dude, Robert Downey, Jr. was so freaking boss. We met him during one of the commercial breaks and he was totally flirting with Sexy Mama. Not like gross flirting, but appreciative of a woman with curves flirting. He, Loki and Thor introduced us to a couple of other people from the Marvel movies. Not just actors though, we met the director and producers too. There was interest in having one of our more rockin’ songs playing in Tony’s lab or suit in one of the future movies in the franchise. Of course, we had to get pictures of Sam and Chris Evans and me and Sebastian Stan together. That was a total no brainer. 

Blaine texted Mercedes to let us know that Cooper was there so we found him and introduced him to every behind the scenes people we met. He and Channing Tatum started talking about dancing though and we got sent on our way. We just watched the awards for Movie and TV just like we would have at home, crossing our fingers and chanting the names of the people we’d hope would win. Then dude, when Chris Evans escorted Betty White up on the stage for the TV Icon award, that was so sweet, Cede laugh-cried. During the next commercial break, Sexy Mama, dragged us over to congratulate the freshly returned Orange is the New Black cast. After making sure we got a picture of Mercedes and Danielle Brooks, we all took a selfie with Laverne Cox and sent it to Unique. We didn’t want to send it without her permission which meant we had to tell her why we were sending it and she was completely awesome about it. She asked us a ton of questions about where U was in her transition. The me I used to be would have been bothered by the fact that I could answer all of them. The kicker was when I proudly proclaimed, “yeah, Wade’s schlong is long enough that they shouldn’t have to do any of the skin graft shit.” Laverne just laughed and said that she’d been lucky too. Then she had us record a message for Unique and send it to her. From the things she said that I understood, I was sure that it would be something that would help U whenever she started to get a little down during her recovery. We gave her, most of the cast really, our contact information. Cede was going to need real chicks as friends as we climbed higher and higher and that whole cast seemed like real good people. 

We finally got to our section and so we had to sit up and pay attention. Our first nomination was in the third category presented. When they called our names as the winners of the ‘Favorite Breakout Artist’ category, we were happy as hell. I was on the aisle, so I stood and gave Mercedes my hand. We let Sam out and the followed him up the aisle to the stairs where he offered our woman his hand and helped her ascend the steps. When we got the crystal and metal flame statue, Cede spoke first. She took the easy part thanking our fan, family and friends. Then Sam thanked our Warner team, Bubbie and Kurt and I finished it off by quickly thanking our KAMA team. There was no time after that to say anything controversial. So, I slipped that shit in during the after interviews in the back. 

There were six more categories before we were up for the what I considered to be the biggest award of the night. Ed Sheeran beat us out for ‘Favorite Album’, but that was a fucking awesome album, so I was good with it. That loss was immediately followed by a win in the ‘Favorite Song’ category for ColorBlind. Not gonna admit that I loved winning that one since we’d snatched that bitch from the cold, skinny clutches of Tay-Tay. That chick kind of irritated me. It probably wasn’t her fault. Sarah had gone through a hard core Swift phase back in the day. After a full three hours of ‘You Belong with Me’ on repeat…I’d hated that broad ever since. On the way up, Sam legit stopped and hugged Ellen DeGeneres who, he swears, told him she wanted us on her show soon. For our acceptance speech that time, we just thanked the fans and each other and our deities and peaced out. The show was running long so the played us off fast.

Just like we’d been herded in, we were herded out pretty soon after the show wrapped up. Once we were back in the lobby, we had a chance to talk to maybe three people before Hudson and Rob were getting us back to the Limo. It was weird how unobtrusive Junior and Binkie were. We never really saw them. But later when we saw event pictures places they always had our backs. That was some cool shit. We left the theater and headed back to the Ritz. It was back up to eight-eleven to piss and freshen up and change. Fuck, that red dress was looking right on Sexy Mama. She changed her mind and kept on the million-dollar jewelry. “If someone has a problem with it, they can kiss my ass.” She said when Rob asked her yet again if she was sure. 

When she was ready, we were taken to Congo and attended the after party with about six-hundred ‘very close friends’. It wasn’t too bad. We danced and had two drinks each and drank our weight in water. The food wasn’t horrible. We didn’t make it back to our hotel room until almost four in the morning. To be honest we were kind of surprised to find Hudson bunking on the couch for the night. “The rep from Harry Winston will be here at eight. I will sleep here, handle the return of the Winston jewels and confirm the delivery of the ones for Sunday…then I will lock you guys in and head back to my room to crash.” She explained. 

I guess it all went down like she said. I had no idea. We showered and were out so fast I don’t even think the last drop of water had hit the tile before we were asleep. We were so tired, we didn’t even check out the gift bags until after we woke up. It was one hell of a night. We had had won two out of the three awards we’d been up for. We’d danced and partied and we’d had fun. Finally got to talk to Idris Elba face to face and it was great that he looked at Sexy Mama like she was a beautiful and well-liked niece. He and his producer had gotten the beat Cassidy had created for his verse for the remix for ‘Rescue Me’ and while he was in LA he was going to get his track laid down. The remix would be a bonus track on the next album. All in all, it had been one hell of a night and despite the exhaustion that followed, we wouldn’t trade what we did for anything in the world.

Dirty Mind (Prince)  
Sam PoV

It had felt kind of awesome to sleep until noon the morning after the People’s Choice Awards. We were late teens, early twenties aged college students and we almost never got to sleep late. Once we were up, we went and worked out for an hour, came back and showered. We ordered a late ‘brunch’ from room service and tried to figure out what we were going to do for the day. “Hudson has us back at the spa for massages at seven.” Puck said with a roll of his eyes. “According to Bubbie, stars get them every day the week before an award show.” 

“That still gives us five hours to fill.” Cede pointed out. 

I had a great idea. “Why don’t we go and check out the house?” I suggested. It was a plan we could all agree on. So, we got up and got dressed. We’d kind of been laying around in bits and pieces since our shower. Even though we didn’t really plan on going anywhere public, Mercy still made us dress well, casual but well. I threw on a pair of my favorite jeans, a graphic tee that had the nineties Batman logo on a charcoal gray shirt and my black Chucks. Puck’s outfit was no more interesting. In fact, other than the black tech boots and the fact that his tee shirt was a vintage Guns N Roses tee, there was little difference between us. Since the weather was calling for a high of almost eighty, our beautiful wife decided to wear a cute little blue sundress with a deep V showing off her amazing cleavage, though she was wearing a white tube top under it so it didn’t show off as much as Puck or I may have wished. It was funny that she dressed the pleated skirt, high low hem dress down by rocking the distressed brown Ariat heritage roper cowboy boots MeMaw had gotten her for her birthday the year before. She grabbed a brown purse and stuck her stuff into it and Puck grabbed her his brown leather bomber jacket in case she got cold. 

Before we left our room, I called down and had them ready the car we were using. I didn’t even want to know how much the hotel charged for our type of suite if it came with a damn rental car, but I did understand that part of what we’d chosen to do meant that we had to set forth a certain image. Besides, Artie’s mother said that since we were only in LA for the awards shows she should be able to count the flights and at least part of the hotel as business travel expenses…so that was something. Puck grabbed the keys to drive…which was fine with us because his rather hyper-aggressive driving was a necessity in LA. As soon as we were in the car, Mercy got the GPS to take us first to the best coffee shop nearby which turned out to be a place called Aharon Coffee and Roasting Co. The coffee was really, really good and Mercy got a bag of beans and a grinder to last us the rest of our time in LA. Of course, we also left the café with three big cups of their incredible espresso based coffee drinks. Mine was a combination of two shots of espresso, a cup of regular black coffee and hazelnut cream…it was really, really good. 

The drive to the house only took us about thirty-five to forty-five minutes. Come to find out it was only about eight miles from the hotel to our Mar Vista house. Puck handled the four-oh-five a hell of a lot better than I would have. I’d have probably been like Dionne from ‘Clueless’. But he had no such trouble. By the time, we got there, Mercy had spoken with our LA decorator and she was cool with us stopping by. While Ms. Mann wasn’t on site, her contractor, Mr. Becks, was. He took us on a tour, showing us all the progress that had been made on the home. The kitchen had been fully demoed and the custom chocolate finished bamboo cabinets had been installed. “The Kashmir white countertops, it’s a gray granite with wisps of black veining and chocolate brown speckling that Ms. Jones picked, they will be installed this Friday. Once the counters are in we will put in the Hirsch decadence glass tile back splash and the brushed nickel bar cabinet and drawer pulls will go in after that.” 

We all nodded. “Which of the sinks did you guys finally decide on?” I asked Mercy. She and Ms. Mann had been torn between two different finishes of a forty by twenty-two inch farmhouse or apron front sink that had one really big side and a smaller side too. The sink came in hammered antique copper and in the same brushed nickel of the other finishes. One matched and one would be a feature. 

“I just don’t know.” Mercedes groaned. “I love the way the copper pops and makes the sink a highlight of the kitchen…but I think it would look dated pretty soon. Where the brushed nickel would probably hold the value better.”

“So, go for the copper, and if we eventually decide to sell, we take out the copper sink and sell it off. Copper goes for some serious change. Couple of times, I may…or may not…have totally stripped the copper wires out of some of the wiring in a few of Russell Fabray’s empty sites when we needed the money back in the day.” Puck said with a wicked grin. 

Mercy checked with Becks as to the feasibility of that plan. When he agreed that it could be done, our woman gave him the go ahead to get the statement piece of a sink. “Now the floors in here are the same, blush ivory, sealed marble from the entrance hall, powder room and the hall that leads back here. I know that Kendra probably told you how much fun we had tracking it down. Thankfully the company was still in operation. The wood flooring in the living, dining and family room was a natural finished bamboo flooring that really looks amazing arching off the marble. Now once we finish with the second floor, we’ll paint everything. The last thing that will happen in the kitchen will be the installation of all the appliances. We’ve roughed in the area for the refrigerator, freezer and wine fridge. As well as the ones for the double ovens and the separate Combi-steam and Combi-microwave ovens.” 

Mercedes nodded. She was really the only one of us who knew what he was talking about. Puck and I had helped with the master suite decisions, but Mercy hadn’t even asked our opinions about the kitchen before that day. “All the energy efficient Gaggenau four-hundred line? Were you able to work in the coffee maker?”

Bill nodded. “Yes, and the warming drawer.” He assured her. “All the appliances are built in, the brushed nickel, rather than stainless steel, finishes.” Mercy’s smile showed more than approval. “Now, since we have you here you can make a decision about whether or not you would like to finish off the basement and what all that could be.” 

Noah, Mercedes, and I all exchanged looks. “We didn’t know the place had a basement.” She finally said. 

Bill laughed. “To be honest neither did we. There was an additional eighteen hundred square feet of ‘flex space’ listed on the listing but, I guess, when they decided not to finish the basement, they blocked off the entrance from the first floor. When we were working on the mechanical room round back, we realized that there was a small door into a possible crawl space. When I went in to check the duct work, I found that it was a full basement…just needing finishing.” 

“So, what would be the cost for finishing the basement…and what would the timeline look like?” Noah beat me to the question. 

“It would depend on what you want for the space. Given your needs, I’d actually suggest that you extend the whole ‘showplace’ theme down there. You could create a nice large space for parties, that would walk out into the back yard with the pool. That would give you a lot of flexibility in entertaining. It would also lessen the timeline a little because we’d just extend things like the hard wood floors and the like down there. You could add in a media room, it could even open up right onto the area where we’re putting in Puck’s hot tub.” He suggested. With a grin, he went and found a flat wide piece of wood and roughed out a sketch of what he meant. “We’ll leave the mechanical room as is and just give you a real entrance into the main part of the basement. Put in a nice bar, order another of the wine fridges to go down there…maybe a mini fridge to hold things like olives or other garnishments and ice and the like. Maybe have a billiard’s table down there. So many of the execs out here love to pretend they can play.” We nodded at that bit of information and he continued. “We’ll put in a powder room near the main stairs and a full bathroom off the media room with an entrance out to the backyard too…people can use it to change and shower off the pool water. We put a small closet or something off the media room too so that you can store swim wear for your guest use. Over off the music area, we put a screened in porch. Between it and the covered porch, you should have a few choices for places to work out. I think Mercedes is into yoga, right?” he asked but continued on immediately. “There will have to be some support columns but we can make them clean and contemporary. Even if you decide not to finish off the basement, I’d suggest adding two more beams under the kitchen and living room area running the entire width of the house to add support for the new, heavier kitchen and flooring. As far as the budget…I’d say forty to fifty thousand, with the two bathrooms.”

We thought things threw for a second. Giving the very nature of the reason for the house, having the increased space for entertaining just made a lot of sense. With the decision made there were just a few things we needed to do to get the ball rolling. I started texting back and forth with Dad, while Mercy hit up Gwen and Noah hit up Saul. I sent dad a pic of the drawing Bill had made and added his suggestions about the beams. It took Gwen and Saul about half an hour to free up the money and it took Dad only a little more than twice that time to have the blueprints ready and sent to Bill’s office. I knew he was bored at work, but I never thought it was that bad. Granted, it was shaped just like the first floor and Bill had all the measurements he needed, so that did help him out a lot. While that was all happening elsewhere, Bill took us up to the second floor. It had been completely gutted and redone from the ground up. The floors were in place, honey colored, natural finish bamboo, though it was all covered with butcher paper. The ceilings had been lifted two feet, which gave the rooms more height and looked awesome. They had the studs up for all the walls and the pipes and stuff in place where the bathrooms would go. When the floors had been up, Bill and his crew had added more beams to support the second floor and to augment the, already great, earthquake stability measures. Bill pointed out that they would probably do the same thing in the basement before they started the finishing process.

All of the exterior walls had been drywalled and were waiting on paint as the interior walls were being constructed. When we were in the almost fully completed suite with the sitting area in the rotunda, Noah and I couldn’t help but get hard as hell when Mercy leaned down to look out the window. Then, as if our lecherous thoughts had been validated and blessed by God…Bill got called away. “My assistant printed out the blueprints Mr. Evans sent. I’m going to run and get them so you can sign off on the changes. I should be back in thirty-forty minutes at the outside. Do you guys mind waiting?” 

“Naw, man…go. We don’t have to leave here until five-thirty or so.” Noah told him with a grin. 

“I’m sure we can find something to amuse ourselves with ‘round here ‘til you get back.” I agreed. 

We let him leave, even gave him time to get good and gone. I even took a few moments to go and double check that the workers were all occupied elsewhere. I came back in and found that Puck had already started getting our Baby hot and bothered enough to ignore all the construction sounds coming from the other side of the house. Would we have liked to finesse our beautiful wife with lots of foreplay? Of course, we would have. If we could have, we’d have loved to give Mercy at least two or three orgasms before making love to her. But we just didn’t have time for that. So instead, we sandwiched her between us and the outer wall of the room and kissed and caressed her until she started making the beautiful little mews that meant she was getting nice and wet. Once we had the signal that she was ready, I rolled on a condom. We pushed her forward and I entered her tight, wet, hot, sweet pussy from behind and Puck quickly stifled her moans and cries with his cock even as we both reached to play with her big pretties. But we didn’t have that kind of time. We did take the time to make sure that she beat us two to one on the orgasm ratio before we righted our clothes and I removed the condom, tied it off and wrapped it in a tissue. I had just enough time to shove it into Mercy’s purse and get all zipped up before Bill came striding into the room with the blue prints. 

There weren’t any changes needed, so we signed off on the new floor and got the hell out of dodge before Bill realized what we’d been up to in his absence. Out house was only minutes from the spa, so we stopped had dinner at a nice Mexican restaurant, Bill recommended. The food was great, authentic and plentiful. We made it to the spa in time to take a nice hot shower before our massages. We all had the ninety minute Zensory massage that started with an exfoliating full body dry brush to increase detoxification, circulation and soften skin, preparing the body for massage. Then rather in addition to the sandalwood and vanilla oils, the masseuses used the warm Quiromassage Cream is applied to sore muscles to increase circulation, reduce inflammation and comfort aches and pains. Mercy swore that the foot massage was even better with the special cream. 

After the relaxing massage, we returned to the Peninsula and showered off the massage cream. Noah and I changed into pajama pants and tanks while Mercy wrapped her weave up and pulled on a pretty nightgown and robe. We ordered up some snacks and popcorn and vegged out on the couch in the suite’s living room until we remembered about the gift bags we’d received the night before. Puck went and grabbed them from the closet. We looked through them and there was a little over seventeen thousand bucks’ worth of swag represented in each one. We set aside the three Whirlpool bathtub fifteen-hundred-dollar gift cards aside to give to Ms. Mann. That would work to replace the tub in the master bath and she could use the other one to get tubs for at least two, maybe three of the other bathrooms in the house. We kept the Grevil watches but we quickly decided to give the Hudson bags to Xena as a birthday gift, and to Bubbie and Mills because they’d like them best. We definitely kept the really cool wireless headphones for ourselves, but we set aside the Blackberry cellphones to give to the parents for Stacey and Stevie. They were the only ones of our younger siblings who were old enough to have them and yet didn’t have one yet. They wouldn’t be ‘cool phones’ but their ability to email and text was without parallel so there was that. the tanning studio gift cards would be good gifts for Ms. Mann and Maddie. 

Mercedes’ took the luggage gift card as a sign that she should find some time to do some shopping while we were there. Noah and I just laughed and showed her all the other cool things that were in the bags. Then I scooped her up into my arms, and we took her into the bedroom of the suite and made love to her until we were too exhausted to get hard again. It had been an amazing day. The next day would bring a couple of huge surprises for me and my loves, one planned to bring us joy and one planned to do the exact opposite.

 

Dirty Laundry (Don Henley/Lisa Marie Presley)  
Ambient PoV

A tall black man with light skin, short cropped hair and a goatee started chortling as he sat at his computer screen. “Shit. Oh shit, this is too good.” He grabbed his cell phone and sent a message to his friend a man who was technically his supervisor. 

The man who joined him was another black man with shoulder length thin, locs and a ready grin. “What’s so good I had to come see it immediately, man?” 

“So, you know when I moved out to LA, I actually started working construction to make ends meet, right? I have a hell of a lot of contacts among some of the guys who work higher end and luxury construction projects. You’ve heard that KAMA bought a house here and is having it renovated? Well they were on-site today making some decisions and I guess it hit that time…ya know…nookie o’clock. My boy got it down and sent it to me and…Damn, Mercedes Jones' whole body is real as shit. And old girl can deep throat a cock like nobody’s business.” The sounds of very energetic, very enthusiastic, very pleasurable love making streamed from his computer’s speakers. 

The two men watched the video for a long moment. Each of them getting more and more aroused and, honestly, more and more jealous of the love being made even if it wasn’t what most people would consider to be love making. “Fuck, her tits really are mammoth.” The man with the locs said in an almost reverent whisper. “Evans and Puckerman both have huge hands, she’s overflowing them both.” 

The taller man nodded. “And this definitely proves they are real…the fake ones don’t move and flow like that. Forget the size of their hands…Check out the size of those dicks, man…that’s bout unreal.”

“We can’t move on something like this without Harvey’s okay.” Locs said quickly. 

Tall shook his head. “Why? Harvey would love us for this. Man, this isn’t even all of it. He sent me one minute, he says the recording is twenty minutes long. You know if we don’t buy it he’ll just sell it to Vivid or New Frontier or Larry Flynt.” 

“Look, I get the temptation. But you also know that we’re getting ready to settle a lawsuit from that camp.” Locs advised with a sigh. 

“Wait, what? We don’t ever settle.”

Locs shook his head. “We don’t usually have to settle. Harvey was a lawyer, he knew that there were ways to keep lawsuits tied up in courts until it became cost prohibitive for the plaintiff to continue to pursue remedy. Well, according to KAMA’s website their lawyer is Mercedes Jones’ uncle. It’s his sister’s eldest daughter. He wasn’t going to quit for anything. Harvey and the legal team decided to settle when adding the broad we got the original video from didn’t get them to stop it, even though she was supposedly their friend. Harris wasn’t stopping for anything as long as his favorite niece was unhappy.”

“Naw, he wouldn’t would he.” The taller guy said. 

They discussed it a little while longer, neither of them noticing that one of the junior staff photographers was nearby and listening to every word they were saying. He’d been drawn over when he heard a very familiar voice saying a very familiar name. He listened carefully and knew deep inside what he needed to do. Not that he particularly wanted to do it. He was only three years out of high school and he was on the fast track to having his dream job. If he did what he knew was right…he wouldn’t have his current job anymore and would probably get blackballed from the industry. But by the same turn, he wasn’t an idiot. He knew Puck well enough to know that if he didn’t do anything and Commune learned that he could have…he would definitely get killed. His only hope would be that it was Evans not Jones or Puckerman who did the killing. 

Jacob Ben Israel was a coward, always had been, probably always would be. He realized that if he got fired, he was young enough to go on to college and get a life sucking, mind numbing, nine-to-five job. That would at least take forty to fifty years to suck the life out of him. With that decision reached, he headed back to his computer. He didn’t know how to contact their people, and he was way too scared to call the Doctors Jones at work. JBI hated dentists. It was a true phobia that outstripped even his usual level of cowardice and his sense of self-preservation. He found the KAMA site and with a little concentrated effort he got the name of the Harris uncle that was the music group’s attorney. From there it was pretty much a matter of using the yellow pages to find his commercial phone listing. It wasn’t until he got the voicemail saying, “You have reached the office of Ethan Harris, Attorney at Law. It is currently after office hours. Please leave your name, a call back number and the nature of your legal problem and someone will return your call within two business days”, that Jacob realized that it was seven where he lived, which meant it was ten at night on the east coast. 

“Mr. Harris, um…you don’t know me and I don’t really have a legal problem. My name is Jacob Ben Israel, I, um, I went to school with the illicitly curvy, and yet absurdly easy to annoy to the point of creative violence, Mercedes Jones, and my fellow Jewish American, Puck and well, Sam too. I graduated the year before them actually. Anyway…I work at TMZ now and apparently, someone filmed them while they were visiting their LA house. Probably without their permission because, well Mercedes wouldn’t even use the bathroom with other people in there. So, yeah, I’m pretty sure that TMZ is going to pass on it because Harvey Leven is scared of you and if you’re anything like your niece, that is perfectly reasonable. But just because we don’t buy it, that doesn’t mean someone else won’t. I guess, I just wanted to warn you so you could warn them…because the only other person I could think to call was my old dentist and he scares me more than his daughter and Puck. So, um…yeah. Bye.” 

Little did Jacob know that things were very quickly spiraling out of control. Harvey Leven did, in fact, pass on buying the video. However, Richard Macardo was not going to be denied. Richard was forty-three years old. He’d moved to LA from Holland, Ohio when he was twenty-one years old, fresh out of college. He’d had a fresh English literature degree and he was sure that he was going to be the next Larry David or Neil Simon or Woody Allen, without the incest and overall grossness. Sixteen months later he’d been completely out of money and less than a month away from choosing between homelessness and going back to Holland with his tail tucked between his legs. He took a job in the only thing he knew other than writing. His father had been a plumber and Richard had worked with him every summer since he turned sixteen. Getting a job as a plumber’s assistant had been surprisingly easy with all his experience. 

Richard had never planned on being a plumber long term. He’d spent the first ten years shopping studios trying to get his scripts into the right hands. Whenever he met anyone new, he’d introduced himself first as a screenwriter and a plumber only when forced to do so. Then he’d spent years sending manuscripts to publishing houses, thinking that being the next Stephen King or James Patterson or Tom Clancy wouldn’t be so bad. But nothing had ever materialized. Richard had eventually soured on his dreams as they got further and further from being a possibility. As he’d watched more and more ‘talentless hacks’ get fame when he couldn’t…he’d developed a hatred of those he felt were less talented than he was but who had achieved all that he dreamed of achieving. It didn’t matter that they weren’t in the same field. It reached a point that it didn’t even matter if they were just as, if not more, talented than Richard himself was…he grew to hate anyone who had what he didn’t. 

When a friend couldn’t go to a huge remodel of a house that was bought, and being updated by the new ‘stars of the moment’ and he’d offered the job to the best plumber he knew, Richard had jumped on it. Not just for the money which was more than twice what he would usually make for a job of that type, but for the opportunity to find something on one of those braggadocios, talentless, defective, famous for no reason, plebeians. His old friend worked for TMZ, when they’d talked not long after the former drywaller had changed careers, he had offered Richard the opportunity to sell him any dirt he got on any of the ‘Hollywood set’. Richard had been on the job for months and hadn’t even seen the members of KAMA…the pop fusion, music maulers that he technically worked for. Richard didn’t voluntarily listen to any music recorded after he graduated college. He had no real clue what his bosses did, he was just sure that they didn’t deserve the money, fame and accolades because he didn’t have them. Then one day out of the blue, Becks, the contractor they all worked under, sent the word around the crew that KAMA would be on site that day. 

Richard had kept and eye and an ear out as he worked in the master bathroom. When making plans to update the fixtures in the bathroom, it had been discovered that the shower pipes had been corroded to the point of no return. The decision to replace them had been easy, especially since the shower that was going in would need far more water than the previous one ever had. Ms. Mann had also decided that since they were opening the walls, an in wall, tankless, point of service, water heater should go into the master bathroom as well. Richard listened as Beck told them about finding a full, if unfinished, basement rather than a crawl space just two days before. He’d heard them so quickly find the extra money to make the design changes and when he heard Becks come back down stairs alone and hurriedly leave, Richard had seen his chance. He was kind of shocked that in the short amount of time between when Becks ran out and when he found the musical trio in the suite with the round sitting area, they were already going at it. He grabbed his Galaxy X5 and started filming. As he filmed the blond and brunette guys were kissing the hell out of the black chick and the brunette started baring her huge rack as they slobbed her down. He continued recording as the blond’s huge hand pulled her leg up on his hip as he slid his hand up her dress. He managed to get their fucking recorded on his phone all the way to completion and get back down to his job before Becks got back to their bosses. 

For two reasons, Richard didn’t risk sending the video from his phone. He didn’t want it to be that easily traceable and he didn’t want to send the whole thing to anyone who hadn’t paid for it. Instead he waited until he got home, uploaded and saved it to his hard drive before he sent just a minute of the beginning of it to his contact. He was kind of pissed when the dude said that TMZ was passing on it. It should have been tabloid gold. But Richard hadn’t put all his eggs in one basket. Richard had spent years shopping scripts and manuscripts, so he decided to shop the tape. He pulled innocuous stills and sent those with the same minute he’d sent to TMZ. While he was waiting on the decision from the other tabloids, he researched how to sell a sex tape. After coming across and article on the circumstance behind the Pam and Tommy Lee sex tape and the reasons it hadn’t been sold to a real distributor, Richard made a quick plan to avoid that problem. He literally googled ‘KAMA Autograph pics’ and was able to get good enough versions of their signatures to copy and paste them on a statement saying that he’d had permission to film them and had done so with their knowledge. With that he’d found it ridiculously easy to get Playboy, New Frontier Media, Larry Flynt publishing company and VIVID entertainment into a bidding war. Ultimately, he sold the rights to the video for two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The contract he’d agreed to even stipulated that his name would never and ‘could never’ be released by the distribution house. While the largest tabloid television show passed on the story and video, the National Inquirer did not. They purchased the rights to stills and the first several minutes of the video. The picture on the cover showed Mercedes in her pretty blue dress, one bared breast being shielded from the camera only by Puck’s left hand. Sam was in front of her but off to her right just a little, his mouth fastened to her lips, Puck was behind her running his teeth down the bared column of her neck. The picture looked sexy and loving. The editor had been very careful to find the best picture that was salacious and yet not so lewd that it would draw the censors’ ire. He’d had his writers working overtime to create an article that made the four minute video seem to be the hardest core of all porn, and made it available only to those who had a subscription to the site. They did it all in under forty-eight hours and made an article that seemed to be both tongue-in-cheek and yet positively lecherous at the same time. The banner headline of their web issue for the Saturday after the People’s Choice Awards read, ‘KAMA’s Public Performance They Didn’t Want the World to See’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Du Dun Dunnnnnn!
> 
> Comments are not only desired...they are needed more than ice cream!
> 
> Take a moment 2 let me know what you think. Mercy-Cede, Sam & Puck want to know too.
> 
> How do you think our intrepid trio should react?  
> How do you think the parents will react?  
> How would YOU react?
> 
> Tune in next week for the next chapter in our Saga.
> 
> TTFN,
> 
> Anni


	20. Rumors (Club Nouveau)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The National Enquirer Article hits...here are the reactions of the KAMA Universe,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> The Lake House by silentnights626
> 
> AUTHOR NOTE: Pejorative Language is used to reflect the feelings of one reaction. This language is not & never will be acceptable. Had to google it to find out what it meant after seeing it used on a friend’s twitter feed.

Rumors (Club Nouveau)  
Ambient PoV

When the story of the KAMA sex tape broke, the reactions were many, varied and mixed. There were, of course, those who felt that their feelings of disdain and judgement against the musical group had been validated. There were those who, based on the source material, dismissed the rumors altogether. The group’s fans were divided more along age groups. There were those who felt as if it didn’t really matter, lots of very famous people had sex tapes. After all, Puck, Sam and Mercedes didn’t make it a secret that they were very much in love and that they expressed that love physically…in the biblical sense. Among their older fans, there were those who, automatically assumed that their beloved KAMA had been victimized much in the same way several other stars had been over the years. But even among that set there were different theories. Some believed that either the group's personal computers or cell phone were hacked and the video released without their knowledge or consent. Others thought that it was more of a situation where they’d made the tape and it was physically stolen and releases. Still others got very close to the truth of the situation. 

***

@GretaVonSwirl: Don’t get all the drama, people in a relationship had sex…big whoop! #LetLoveBe

@GuardianUS: Music Group @KAMA caught unaware by photographer. Photos & video bringing up new conversations about celebrity right to privacy.

@WhiteisRight: that fat black whore & the yid aren’t worthy of @SamIAMEvans. He needs to get with a good white women. Stick With Your Own!

@RobynThyde: 2 all calling @MercedesJones a ho for sexing her men, that’s why ur ass ain’t got 1 or the 1 u think u got don’t come home @ nite #LetLoveBe

@HalloweenBabe: theory-@KAMA’s phones got hacked like @JudeLaw & @ScarJo. People gotta stop stealing other folks private isht.

@GetYaFreakOn: Only the puritanical Americans can see this as anything other than a beautiful expression of polyamorous love. #LetLoveBe

@Illiandyandra: @KAMA vid was sexy but it don’t look like they knew that camera was there @ all. #LetLoveBe

@JustinNoir: @KAMA=Good Music & apparently really good sex #LetLoveBe

@PriorityOne: I just don’t see what @PuckU & @SamIAMEvans c in @MercedesJones but I guess if hos will let U do whateves U want they look good 2 U

@realDonaldDrumf: Very hot video @KAMA can’t wait to see more. But @MercedesJones very disappointing. She is definitely not a 10.

@EstrelladeOro: Not a @KAMA fan & this why. @MercedesJones not a good singer & a ho. @SamIAMEvans & @PuckU just very closeted. All = sick.

@HollyweirdLover: This just doesn’t fit my KAMA. I bet $ somebody did this w/o them knowing just trying to get a come up. That’s funked up. #LetLoveBe

@JewFro2012: True dat @HollyweirdLover folks be trippin. @KAMA r good people #LetLoveBe

@DivMomof2LOH: They R amazing people. If not for @KAMA & @DrsJonesDDSLOH I wouldn’t have been able to give my kids but 1 gift each 4 Christmas. #LetLoveBe

@AfroLatinaDRNYC: Jealousy is real. @MercedesJones is fire & don’t B mad cuz she only B feelin @SamIAMEvans & @PuckU Love could B seen N the pics #LetLoveBe

@IWillTazeU: @KAMA didn’t put out a sex tape they got funked over by some asshat wanting to get paid by glomming onto some1 else’s fame #LetLoveBe

***

Lima, Ohio provided a microcosm of the nation, the world, at large. The reactions were as varied as they could have been. Benton Jones had met Sander, George, Will Anderson and Antwan Berry for eighteen holes of golf. The five men were in the clubhouse when the news broke. Benton thanked every star in heaven that his brother-in-law had warned him what was coming. That was probably the only thing that saved the life of Karssen Wilde. The father of mean girl, cheerleader and somewhat reluctant New Direction, Kitty, was not a pleasant person. He was bigoted…not based on anything as tangible as the color of someone’s skin or even the amount of money they had. His bigotry was based solely on their occupation. To the ridiculous asshole, anyone…no matter how affluent or educated…who held a job in ‘public service’ was beneath business men. Wilde owned several car lots in Findlay, Ottawa and Van Wert. To him, doctors, lawyers, dentists, even politicians had their usefulness, but they weren’t ‘the right kind of people’. Karssen held himself as important as Russell Fabray or William Anderson…though both men were far more wealthy. 

“So, Jones…I’ve gotta say…your daughter is definitely a hot little piece of ass.” The five foot ten blond haired, blue eyed trumped up car salesman said as he walked up to the table. “Putting out a sex tape though…makes them look kind of trashy, don’t you think?” 

Benton stood to his full six foot five inches and looked down on the clearly lesser man. “Wilde, I’m going to do you a favor. Rather than ensuring that you spend the next week shitting out your teeth…I’m going to ask you a very simple question. What would you do to a man who spoke about your daughter like that?”

The moron had the nerve to shrug. “Ahh, Kitt’s a different story. She’s the kind of girl a guy takes home to his mother. Yours is the kind you bang a few times before you marry a girl like Kitty.” 

Antwan Berry had known Benton for a very long time. He knew if he got his hands on the idiot in front of them, they’d have to kill the bigger man to keep the moron alive. He grabbed Benton before the dentist could come across the table at the asshole speaking to them. He wasn’t alone, Sander and Will were quick to hold Benton back as well. However, much like when Antwan’s daughter was the target of vast amounts of well-deserved anger, they really should have remembered that there was more than one person there who had a temper that once riled was a thing to be feared. Karssen got a large, calloused fist to his face courtesy of a pissed off George Altman. George wasn’t any more satisfied with one punch than Santana had been that fateful day two years before. By the time, Sander and Will managed to get the architect turned contractor away from the idiotic Mr. Wilde, the downed man would need even more work done than Rachel had needed over the course of the summer before her senior year. 

Security came bustling over. In a move that easily demonstrated that the club didn’t share Mr. Wilde’s prejudices…they expelled him from the club, forcing him to await the requested ambulance in the club’s antechamber. While Karssen Wilde saw ‘public servants’, one of the security guards saw the dentist who had worked out a payment plan that had allowed his wife to have the root canals and four crowns she’d very desperately needed without sending them to the poor house a few years before. The other saw the contractor who’d remodeled the kitchen of his mother’s house, his childhood home, at just above cost after a shoddy job had been done by another repair man who’d charged so much his mother had almost wiped out her entire savings. The club manager supported their decision because he knew that William Anderson and his family were the wealthiest of their entire membership, and that the man’s grandfather had, in fact, been a founding member of the country club.

Danica Jones had been a mother since she was ten years old and her own had passed away leaving her to fill that role for her brand-new baby brother. Her body had started undergoing the maturations of womanhood soon thereafter. While Danica hadn’t been quite as blessed by the puberty fairy, she’d been blessed enough to have had grown men catcalling at her by the time she entered her teens. It had been with those memories in mind that she’d taught her eldest daughter modesty and at the same time taught her that she couldn’t control anyone’s actions or choices but her own. Since her brother had called to warn her and her husband of the trouble brewing for her kids, Danica had been vacillating between anger and hurt for hours. She wanted to rage and she wanted to hide. She could only imagine how violated MeDe and her husbands must have been feeling. She knew without having to be told that the kids were probably needing to hear from them…but every time she tried to call, she froze…choking on the tears she knew she couldn’t let them hear. When she tried to call in the midst of her anger, she knew that hearing what she hoped would happen to whoever had made the film wasn’t helpful for anyone. So rather than doing even more harm, she cleaned.

Gabby Evans had had completely different life experiences than Danica Jones. Despite that fact, the two women were as close as they could be. But where Danica was angry and feeling helpless, Gabby was feeling angry and had been born to a family with more illicit connections than anyone could ever really understand. Somewhere in the City of Angels, a demon had earned her wrath and that of the entire Puckett family. As soon as Sander had left for the club, Gabby had grabbed her cell phone and called a cousin of hers who worked in LA as a construction manager. Ethan was sure that it had to have been one of the people working on the kids’ house who filmed them and it was the only theory that made any sense. Gabby was sure that her cousin would be able to find out who had hurt her boy and his wife and husband. Then when she had a name, well…Maggie had an in with a guy who worked as muscle for a few less than completely legal club owners down there. Somehow the blonde mother of four doubted anyone like the demon who’d hurt her Sammy would be missed. 

Elsewhere in Lima, Rebecah Altman was hoping and praying that her son hadn’t wrecked the hotel room when he’d heard the news. She herself wasn’t exactly sure what she was feeling. Her thoughts were running too fast for her to catch them. Part of the problem was that she wondered if maybe the scandal couldn’t prove to be a blessing in disguise. Not that it would propel them forward, she did fear it would have the opposite effect, but that it would force them to be a little more guarded. The industry they were a part of was a hard world to live in and Rebecah loved how open and honest her son and his loves were, but as a mother she wanted them to protect themselves just a little bit more. Within her own mind, Becah knew that had they been just a little more guarded, the recording wouldn’t exist. Because the trio believed that most people were like them…basically good…they didn’t think things through quite as much as they would going forward. Becah talked with her mother and made sure that Ruth would let all three of the kids know that their parents loved them and would come out if they needed or wanted. Unfortunately, Becah was pretty sure that she would say exactly the wrong thing to Noah if she called them. She always had whenever he got into trouble. Still, she loved her son and knew he would hate it if they had to fork out a whole lot of money to make repairs to a hotel room on top of everything else. 

While Becah was having trouble understanding her feelings and was trying to look on the brighter side of things, George was basically a seething cauldron of rage. He was pissed off that someone had hurt his sons and daughter. He was angry that someone had violated the sanctity of their relationship by putting their intimacy out there for the world to see. He was trying to make sure that his wife and his daughters and son at home were handling the situation okay, but deep inside he wanted nothing more than to drive to L.A., find out whoever had done such a horrifically violating thing to his kids and beat the ever-living shit out of them. He was given a focus for his rage on Saturday morning and he enjoyed the feeling of his fists hitting the face of the crass, misogynistic prick who’d said such degrading things about not only Mercedes but about the same man’s own daughter. After that bit of violence, George felt so much better that he was easily able to text Puck and let him know that the family had their back. George, himself, was very lucky that others had his back as well. Karssen Wilde tried to press assault charges against George, only to find that the Allen County DA wouldn’t try the case. He’d been present in the country club dining room and was sure that he’d have done the same in George’s place.

No one could believe how calm Sander was handling everything. Sander was calm for a very good reason. He truly believed that it wasn’t as huge a deal as everyone was sure it was going to be. The simple truth was that Ethan Harris and Antwan Berry would make sure that the National Enquirer and whoever else tried to benefit from the criminal action of recording the kids in their private time would not just be stopped, but they would pay out their asses. Sam, Mercedes and Noah would take the lesson and move forward having learned that while they’d been blessed in Lyor Cohen and the bulk of the industry people they had met so far, most people would look at them and only see young, increasingly rich kids to be taken advantage of. Even more than the lesson for Sam, Mercedes and Noah, it would be a great way to show the young adults of America that not everyone thinks sex tapes are a good way to achieve fame and fortune. Too many people in the fifteen to twenty-five age bracket took the old advertising caveat ‘sex sells’ way too literally and they’d forgotten that hard work and talent were what made fame and fortune last. So, no Sander wasn’t concerned, he was hopeful.

In the back room of a sex store in Columbus Ohio, a newly minted store inventory manager made an immediate decision that no matter who the distributor happened to be, that store would not, and would never stock that particular video, or any compilation DVD that contained it. Because, despite having met the musical group one time, years before, Brandon had gotten to know them very, very well through their friends. He was sure that whatever the circumstances behind the recording of the intimate moment, there was no way in hell that any of the three people shown in it had given their permission to have the video sold to the highest bidder or anyone at all. A few miles away, his roommate was sitting up in her room, typing furiously on her recently received refurbished laptop. She was defending her brother’s friends with everything she had in her. She spat out taunts to cyber trolls as to her relationship with the group…making them believe she was as close to them as Vince without ever saying as much. She then used her ‘source close to the group’ status to make sure everyone understood how violated they must have been feeling. How horrible an invasion they were subjected to…by the time she finally had to get off to get dressed for work, she was feeling like she had done something to help Mercedes and her guys who had all shown her such kindness. 

Elsewhere in Ohio’s capital city, a young man who had recently transferred to OSU was having a discussion with the roommate he’d been assigned by the school. “Look, I get it…you’re a loud and proud flamer, who has a serious Hollywood obsession and therefore you think you have some kind of superior knowledge about the habits and thought processes of the stars. But I went to school with Mercedes Jones and Noah Puckerman for-freaking-ever and Sam Evans for three years. I was on the football team with Sam and Puck. So please believe me when I say you might be the authority on all things ‘superstar’…but I am the authority in this room on those three. They didn’t do this shit on purpose. Mercedes once beat the hell out of JBI for spying on chicks when he was in the girls’ bathroom.”

“Wait, why was a hetero-normative guy in the girls’ bathroom, and you just say it as if it was normal?” LaKeith asked his fione ass football playing roommate. If LaKeith wasn’t pretty sure Dave would have kicked his ass up and down the stairs, he’d have climbed that white boy like a freaking tree.

“Some of the smaller dudes would use the ladies’ rooms to lessen their chances of us dunking them in the toilets and shit. I didn’t used to be a good person, okay. I mean…there was a time when I’d have beat your ass for being all flaiming and shit…but that was mainly because I wasn’t able to ‘ya know, admit I was just as gay as you…just without channeling Liza or whoever.”

LaKeith literally could not believe the words that had come out of his new roommate’s mouth. “You’re gay?” he finally managed to squeak. 

Dave gave him a weird look. “Yeah, I mean, I thought you knew that. It's why we’re roommates right?”

“I thought we were just roommates because I technically hadn’t paid to have a double for a single, and it was the only place they could put you and you still be in the athletic dorm.” The tall, lean black sophomore swimmer blurted out. 

Dave chuckled. “Oh…well that could have been it too. I thought they just stuck the gays together.”

LaKeith shook his head. “No…pretty sure that they are actually more likely to stick a lesbian and a gay boi together than they are to put two gays together just because they are both homos. Gay male sex kind of scares a lot of hetero-normative men.”

A blush suffused Dave’s golden tan cheeks. “Oh…I guess that makes sense.”

There was a question on the tip of LaKeith Georges’ tongue that he was battling to keep behind his teeth. He lost. “So, if you’re gay…am I just not your type or what? Because you’ve been here for like a week and haven’t checked me out like at all.” A little of LaKeith’s mother’s Bahamian accent was creeping into his voice as it always did when his emotions ran high.

“Dude, you must be blind without your goggles, because I’m pretty sure that I’m well on the way to developing x-ray vision, I’ve been trying to see through your clothes so hard.” Dave confessed, “Which is kind of weird, because the last dude I got that hot for wasn’t just allowed to use the ladies’ in school, he was considered pretty much one of them.”

LaKeith smirked. He stood quickly and wiped his sweater and tee-shirt over his head. He shucked off his socks and jeans as he headed over to make sure that the door was locked. “Don’t strain your eyes, all you had to do was ask.” 

Dave licked his lips and soon his clothes had joined LaKeith’s on the floor. They didn’t talk about any Hollywood happenings for the rest of the afternoon. 

A few streets away, Lauren Zizes was mad as hell. “What the hell was your boy thinking, Finn? I know Puck and Sam love the hell out of Mercedes, and I even get the whole exhibitionism can be hot thing. But what the hell was Puck thinking getting down where someone could peep on them?”

Finn shrugged. “Come on Lauren, they love each other. I’m sure that none of them ever wanted something like this to happen. Puck hates it when dudes stare at Cedes’ boobs too long. This has gotta be killing him.” 

“Well maybe he should have thought of that before he decided to ‘bone’ where people could see it.” Lauren shot back.

A new voice entered the discussion. “Why are you so sure it was Puck? Could have been Sam, or even Mercedes herself. They love to get it in, whenever they can. Netta said there were a few times she thought they were going to forget they were public at that club on New Year’s Eve.”

That actually drew Lauren’s rant up short. “Mercedes or Sam would have had to really, really think they were alone. I mean, yeah…they made out hot and heavy at Provocateur, but Cedes pulled them up before things got out of hand.” She said thoughtfully. 

“Yeah, that’s true, but if they thought no one was around and it was someplace they felt comfortable…” Finn pointed out. 

Vince went in for the coup de grace, “just saying, the only person to blame is whoever saw what was going down and got out his phone rather than walking on by.” 

That thought made Lauren’s anger return full force. “Yeah, well, that motherfucker has no idea how much I’m going to fuck his shit up…I just need to get with Artie and a few computer science majors…I’m betting we can get that asshole’s digital imprint from the video they put up on the Enquirer’s site. It may take some doing, but you better believe that I’m damn sure gonna protect my client’s interest.” The three roommates spent the next hour going through different ways they could help their friends. Then broke to do so. Finn took the campus rumor mill. Just a few discussions with people he knew around OSU had the information out that there was no way the recording was from KAMA themselves and the person who had filmed it was in for a hell of a lot of trouble. Vince made some calls to do the same with guys he’d played high school ball with. They were spread all over the country and able to get the message out and around to a very diverse group of people. 

In Manhattan, the morning entertainment news shows were on in the training room. However as soon as the Enquirer’s article was mentioned the anchor’s voices were drowned out by high volume Spanglish yelling. Santana Lopez was loud enough in her anger to roust the other two occupants of the floor despite the sound proofing in the walls. Kurt convinced Blaine to wait on reinforcements and they got dressed while waiting on Brittany to join them. The three of them managed to get the angry Latina down to the family room, but it took both of her lovers and their other two roommates to get her calm enough to help them understand what had set her off. After sharing the news, Santana’s swearing was followed by curse words from a surprising source. “What the absolute fuck?” Kurt Hummel shouted. “I knew I should have gone with them. They need someone to watch their backs. You know Puck and Sam never paid attention to Hollywood news…and Cedes really believes that her God will protect her from any and everything.” He turned to Blaine who, though agnostic, did share more of Mercedes’ beliefs than his fiancé’s. “I know, but I do think if there is a God, He would expect her to do her part and only make Him protect her from life and death situations.” 

Blaine actually couldn’t argue that point. “Alright, what do we need to do?” He said instead. 

Santana looked thoughtful. “Brits, call the Dancers, get them over here. Artie, the rest of the band…Kurt, you have Dominique’s cell right. I know that Daniel flew out to Cali this morning…can you get Dom, Chris, Riker and Grant over here. Blaine, go and get the tenants…Ben should head over to the offices, if he hasn’t already, I’m sure that Mercedes’ lawyer uncle is all over this. Oh, and get some food in here. I’m gonna get Bautista and Fitzpatrick on the line…they are part of this. We’re gonna hash out a statement from all of CAMP KAMA and get that shit all over social media. And I’m gonna make sure that whatever pendejo did this, because we all know it wasn’t any of them…Trouty and Puck would be like Master Pae Mei and pluck the eyes out of the heads of any guy who saw their woman like that and don’t even get me started on how horrified Aretha must be.” 

Across town, the Warner PR team had been called in by Anika even as she flew out to join their artists. They had about an hour head start on the news. In that time, they had crafted a masterpiece of a press release. By the time the news had hit, the release had been approved by both Deborah Jergens and Lyor Cohen. It had been proliferated among all the news outlets, including the smaller online ones.

***

For Immediate Release

WARNER BROS. RECORDS STANDS BEHIND ITS ARTIST KAMA AS THEY FIGHT AGAINST THE PERSON OR PERSONS UNKNOWN WHO VIOLATED THEIR PRIVACY.

January 10, 2015 — New York, NY — Warner Bros. Records (WBR)

At midnight, a video was released by the National Enquirer that shows that the notorious publication does not simply practice trash journalism, it practices no journalism at all. Furthermore, it has shown that it supports and sustains itself through aiding and abetting those who undertake illegal actions. The video was taken without the permission or even the knowledge of any member of KAMA while on private property owned by Ms. Jones, Mr. Evans and Mr. Puckerman. In California that is an offense punishable by up to one year in prison. 

WBR would also like to extend its gratitude on the numerous other outlets to whom the video was offered but who, rightly, chose not to purchase it due to the facts stated above. To any other companies or persons who have purchased said video, please note that KAMA has not, will not, and in fact will never give consent for the reproduction, or distribution of this material. In the event that said material is distributed, a lawsuit will immediately be filed. 

We here at Warner Brother Records ask that all KAMA’s KAMAleons continue to show their own support through social media and through their cards and letters. It is, as always, greatly appreciated.

***

The entertainment news outlets loved it. Even those who’d had no knowledge of the illicit recording prior to the National Enquirer article were soon issuing statements that they’d rejected the recording, trying to curry favor with not just KAMA but Warner Brother Records on the whole. The major news outlets loved it because scandal made good television and even the news was subject to ratings and the demands of advertisers. They were all anxiously awaiting the response from the music group themselves. They wouldn’t have to wait very long after the group’s public relations manager touched down in LA. 

It was later Saturday afternoon when KAMA finally released a press release on the issue. As per their usual tendency, Daniel had simply told the truth that the film had been recorded without their knowledge or consent during an intimate moment when they had believed themselves to be alone. He also pointed out that the lawyers that the music group kept on retainer were already beginning to handle the matter. He was not wrong. That Monday saw the filing of the biggest lawsuit the publication had been hit with since nineteen-eighty-one when actress Ann Margaret won a judgment against the Enquirer after it claimed she had been seen drunk in public at a restaurant with Henry Kissinger in attendance. The fact that both of her parents suffered from alcoholism made this a particularly sensitive issue to Margaret. The very next day they were hit with a warrant demanding the original email they received offering them the recording and all subsequent communications with the seller. The publication chose to fight the warrant, stating that they had to protect their sources lest their well of information dry up. However, one plucky young photographer, who wanted to get the hell out of tabloid journalism and into a real magazine, managed to get into his boss’ computer and forward the original email chain to his mentor at Blush. Elliot DiMauro made sure that it was forwarded to his contact in the LAPD. Ricardo Morales then made sure it got into the proper hands in the LASD in Marina Del Ray. 

Though the route may have been circular, and added two weeks to the time before the email got where it needed to be, it still took less time than the court case to get the information without subterfuge would have taken. It would be in admissible until the court case was settled, and only become admissible if the court found in their favor…but it did give the department’s forensic techs a hell of a lot of information about the original sender. Including his IP address. They still had a lot to do to get the warrant, they would need to confirm his identity from there, but it was a step in the right direction and the Mayor was all over them to make sure that celebrities felt safe in their own homes in HIS LA. But the truth was that the three officers who’d taken KAMA’s statements had made it known that while the kids spoke out often about excessive force and impossible to justify police shootings, they had been respectful and even kind during the interviews. There wasn’t a cop in LA who’d had dealings with the younger celebrity set who wasn’t impressed by that fact. 

All of these reactions where happening in a world where the four principals in the scandal that precipitated the reactions were having very different days. Mercedes Jones, spent the morning trying on dresses to replace the one the laws of fashion dictated she shouldn’t wear and then the afternoon shopping for the accoutrements to go with it. All the while, she was performing as much as an actress in a play. She needed the whole world to see that she was unflappable. But inside she was quailing in the fear that she was being watched in a way that she couldn’t sense. The smile on her lips was only convincing because she knew that there was very little chance her husbands were even awake to be forced to deal with the scandal that was rocking their world. Unfortunately, things were not all well with them either. As Mercedes put her best face forward, Puck was dealing with nightmares. Dreams where Mercedes blamed him and Sam for putting her through the violation of the scandal and the hits to her reputation and left them. Dreams where George and his mother were so disappointed in him that they refused to allow him to see his younger siblings. Dreams where Bubbie and Shelby agreed that he was too bad an influence to be trusted with either of his daughters. Then there were the less coherent ones where the three of them were in a limo being chased by paparazzo and end up becoming the next Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed. Sam was dealing with feelings of guilt. He knew, no matter what anyone said that it was all his fault. He’d seduced his wife and husband into christening their uncompleted home. It was his fault and he would apologize until the burden lightened. No matter what it took, Sam was determined to make it up to those he loved. 

Richard Macardo was enjoying his Saturday far more than he’d expected to at the beginning of the week. As soon as the banks opened, he was there, moving money from the checking account the National Enquirer and VIVID had deposited his ill gotten gains into two newly opened savings account and a second checking account. Once he had them all down to the hundred thousand that the FDIC would insure, he headed off to do a little shopping of his own. His first stop was a Porsche dealership. He drove off the lot in a candy apple red 911 Turbo daydreaming about what he should have put on his vanity plates. From there he went to the Beverly Center and shopped to his heart’s content. Never mind that he didn’t really know how to put together the looks he wanted, they had personal shoppers for that. By the time, he left the famous mall, he’d blown twenty-five grand just on clothes and shoes. Sunday saw him sitting on his computer trying to play stock broker as he invested fifty thousand dollars in stocks he’d seen mentioned favorably on the news. He put half of it into Theranos because he’d seen Gayle King and Charlie Rose interviewing Elizabeth Holmes and he thought that she reminded him of himself. Smarter than all those around him and yet forced to play by their rules until they both broke free to make themselves a fortune. Macardo was sure that he would be a millionaire within a matter of months. He was also sure that there was no way he would be caught.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here are the reactions of many of the people of the KAMA universe...What are yours?
> 
> Review & Comment.
> 
> I love to know what you are thinking.
> 
> Happy B-Day to Isis! Bless and protect you. I hope that you had a great 2016 and that you have an even better 2017!
> 
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	21. Stealing Cinderella (Chuck Wicks) & Meanwhile Back at Mama's (Tim McGraw)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Revelations by TBloves2read
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!! This Chapter is all for you, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!

Stealing Cinderella (Chuck Wicks)  
Hal PoV

There were some things in life that any male who wanted to call himself a man just had to do. I had fully intended to go see Mr. Pillsbury before I asked Emma to marry me. But then again, I’d also intended to ask her over Christmas not Thanksgiving. I’d taken to carrying the ring I had brought for her as something of a good luck talisman since I’d forced Stephanie to go with me to Tiffany’s to pick it out. When Emma had made it clear that she was finally ready to make love, I couldn’t…I just knew that it was the right moment to make sure she knew that I was as deeply in love with her as she was with me. It was perfect and so was the lovemaking that followed. But even though it was already done, I needed to make things right in my own mind. So when Emma dropped me off at the airport that Sunday, I changed my flight back to Trenton, rented a car and drove the short hour trip to her parents’ home in Cincinnati. 

I had met Emma’s parents when I visited her in September. They were certainly some interesting people. Her father wasn’t very impressed with me. In his eyes I had three strikes against me from the word jump. I wasn’t a ginger. I wasn’t an intellectual. While I would definitely protect Emma with every fiber of my being, I didn’t have the same need to cater to her OCD that they did and to him that made me an unacceptable candidate for her. Her mother was slightly kinder to me. She was almost as bigoted as her husband on the hair color issue, but she knew far more about what Will Schuester had put their daughter through than Rusty ever would. She knew that that man hadn’t been worth killing, never mind being worthy of a woman like Emma Pillsbury. Rose Pillsbury had told Emma that, while she wasn’t exactly happy with the fact that I was former military and therefore hardened not the smart sensitive soul she’d envisioned for her younger daughter. She believed that at least I was honorable and she truly believed that I loved Emma and wanted to world for her. For that alone she was willing to give me a chance. 

I arrived shortly before dinnertime. Rose answered the door, and to be honest that set my teeth on edge. In a city like Cincinnati, even in the relatively safe area they lived in, it was best if the man of the house answered the door. “Oh, Harold…this is such a surprise. Won’t you come in?” she was very polite even in her confusion. “Rusty, Emma’s Harold has come to see us.”

“Hello, Mrs. Pillsbury. I’m sorry for dropping in unannounced.” I said as she ushered me into the almost obsessively neat living room. Emma may have felt her OCD came from the accident she was in as a child, but every time I was around her mother, I was pretty sure that she came by it genetically. 

Rusty Pillsbury came into the room and he did at least shake my hand that time. “Hal, nice to see you…is there something wrong with Emma?”

“No sir, she is fine. She texted me when she got home a little while ago. I was wondering if I could take you and Mrs. Rose out to dinner…there is something that I would like to talk to you about.” I said honestly. Then I decided to sweeten the pot. “I was able to get us a table at ‘The Precinct’.”

They exchanged a short glance and Rusty spoke up with a grin. “Sure, we were just going to reheat some leftovers.” I knew that he believed that he was scamming me out of a meal. 

“Oh my…just let me go freshen up and grab my purse.” Mrs. Rose said with a smile. I kind of expected her to take forever, but she came back in thirty minutes looking ready for the white tablecloth restaurant. Rusty just grabbed a black blazer from the hall closet. When we got back out to the sedan I’d rented, I took a moment to grab my sport coat. But I could certainly understand why Mrs. Rose had felt the need to change her clothes. 

As soon as we arrived at the restaurant, we were shown to a nice table. I held out one seat for my prospective mother-in-law, Rusty took the seat immediately to her left and I settled myself into the seat across from her. A seat which gave me a view of the entrance, the kitchen and the emergency exit. The fourth chair remained empty until Mrs. Rose filled it with her small purse. “Well, this is a nice place and a nice change. Hal, since you’re driving, hope you won’t mind if I order a wee dram.”

“Please, order whatever you like.” I suggested with a small grin. I wasn’t Ranger level rich, but I had done more than alright and the work I did as a part of Rangeman paid dividends every single quarter. “I invited you.”

He nodded and when our waiter appeared, he ordered a glass of eighteen-year-old Jameson Irish whiskey. Mrs. Rose politely asked for a glass of a French chardonnay. I went for a walk on the wild side and went with a ginger ale and a glass of water. I rarely drank much other than water or coffee. As we waited for our drinks I asked about their Thanksgiving. Emma’s brother George had visited with his wife Rosalyn and their daughter Betty. Neither Rosalyn nor Betty were redheads which always made me wonder if Rusty treated them differently than he did Emma’s sister Jane’s husband Sean and her twin sons Conor and Ciaran who weren’t just gingers…Sean was Irish as they came so he and his boys were positively Gaelic. However, as Rusty went on to wax poetic over how smart Betty was and the grades she’d received, I decided that, as often happened, his bigotry only applied to those without his blood running through their veins. 

Our waiter, who had introduced himself as Carlton, brought out the drinks, as well as a clear glass carafe of ice water. He took our appetizer orders starting with Mrs. Rose. She ordered the Freddie Salad which was a simple salad of hearts of romaine, Roma tomatoes and topped with diced Applewood smoked bacon and house-made ranch dressing. I deferred to Rusty and smirked to myself when he ordered the Oysters Rockefeller which was one of the most expensive appetizers on the menu. For myself, I was happy to eat well, but I had a physical and reqs testing in two weeks, I wasn’t going to go crazy. So, I ordered their Greek salad. I liked the description…hearts of romaine, shaved red onion, roma tomatoes and Kalamata olives, I had them put the feta cheese, and classic Greek dressing on the side. Carlton was a smart guy, he could read the tension between Rusty and myself. Before he left the table he calmly asked, “Would you like to go ahead and order your entrees?” 

Rusty got a slightly wicked gleam in his eyes. “You know that is a great idea Carlton. I’ll have the Steak Eifert, medium rare crowned with sautéed mushrooms and onions with the hashbrowns and creamed spinach.” 

Mrs. Rose gave a very polite smile and, yet, I was pretty sure that she’d just kicked her husband for ordering the seventy-three dollar steak. Her own medium-well Petite Lily was about half the cost. She paired it with roasted sweet potatoes and would share the cider-glazed brussels sprouts that I ordered. I went with the restaurant’s Brennaman cut and had them prepare it to full medium. I didn’t bother with a starch at all, instead for my other side I ordered the roasted asparagus which was drizzled with a hazelnut vinaigrette. The sides all came to the table in sizes meant to be shared, so it was no problem to share the brussels sprouts. When Carlton walked away from the table, Mrs. Rose asked me about how Emma and my family had gotten along. So I shared with her a few of the really funny moments from our visit to Indiana. Including mentioning how well Emma and my sister-in-law Cheryl had gotten along. “Emma was even able to handle the fact that Cheryl was dealing with morning sickness.” I said proudly.

“Oh, congratulation. And Emma, she didn’t experience any…setbacks?” Rose’s eyes searched my face in worry for her daughter.

But Emma was made of sterner stuff than they gave her credit for. “No ma’am. We stayed in a brand new hotel and she was able to enjoy time with my family and then we’d retreat to a nice quiet place.” I said honestly. Just because I didn’t allow Emma to dwell in her OCD that didn’t mean I didn’t make sure she had everything she needed to be comfortable and therefore happy. 

“Oh well, that’s just wonderful.” Mrs. Rose said with a big grin. “Isn’t that just wonderful, Rusty?”

Rusty nodded. “Yes. It is. I’m glad that you understand the unique needs Emma’s condition creates.”

I nodded. “Well, she never minds when I have to call her late at night just to hear her voice so I can rest knowing that she is safe. So why would I mind allowing her the things she needs to be comfortable.”

“That’s a very good way to look at things. I know that Emma said that you served in the Middle East. Do you suffer from PTSD, Harold?” Mrs. Rose asked quietly.

I thought about how to answer that without revealing anything that may have seemed negative given what I needed to ask-slash-tell them. “I have several symptoms on that spectrum. But one of the best things about my job is that Ranger, our boss…the man who owns the company, he served himself. He makes sure that we have a psychiatrist available to help us when we need the assistance.” 

“It’s good that you have a boss who understands.” Rusty said quietly. “My father served in Korea…he had shell shock, but they didn’t really know how to treat that back then. He had a boss that was an asshole. Guy had been in the sweet spot, too young to serve in World War II, too old to serve in Korea. Thankfully, the owner of the company had served in World War I so Dad could tell he understood.” 

We chatted for a while until Carlton brought out our appetizers. I decided that I had done enough dithering. It was time to man-up. “Mr. Pillsbury, Mrs. Rose, I had every intention of asking you this question before I asked Emma…but someone up there decided to give us an absolutely perfect moment for me to ask her.” I was sure that Mrs. Rose was easily understanding my babble as she started to smile very happily. “She said yes, but it wouldn’t be right for me to let the two of you be blindsided when she tells you.”

Rusty gave me a long measured look. “Why couldn’t you be a ginger? I mean, you’re miles ahead of that last dolt she dated and the dentist she married and don’t even get me started on that football coach.” I knew about Emma’s marriage and annulment as well as her engagement to that Tanaka guy Puck had dragged over the coals at their record release party. If he thought that would be a spanner in the works, he didn’t know his daughter as well as he thought he did. “I just, how strong are your genetics? You said your sister-in-law was expecting…do they have any other kids? Did they get her hair color or your brother’s?”

All the training in the world couldn’t keep the smirk off my lips. “This is their first and since the baby will be biracial, I can almost guarantee that he or she won’t be blond.”

He just chuckled. “Maybe not but you won’t be able to beat those curls.” 

Mrs. Rose was about done with her husband’s silliness. “Rusty, Harold is a perfect partner for our daughter. He takes care of her without infantilizing her. He relies on her to take care of him when he needs it. He is honorable and both tall and attractive. That Tanaka man looked like a troll and his idea of helping Emma with her malady was to give her messes to clean. He almost drove her ‘round the twist. Carl the dentist was impatient and impolite. That Schuester character…he cheated on her and I’d say he stole from her but he finally started paying her back what he owed. The man lacked all honor. Harold reminds me a lot of your father…minus the over reactions to loud sounds.”

“I know. But I want the best for my daughter. Is that so wrong?” he huffed. 

I could understand that and said as much, “but you start getting into trouble when you try to make that determination.”

Rusty gave me another measuring look. “I’ll just be honest with you on that one and you might not be able to understand it, or maybe you will. I’ve let Emma make the determinations of who is best for her for ten years. She brought us the troll, the narcissist and the cheat. That troll hated every single thing she enjoyed and tried to force her to change everything about herself. Are you going to do that?”

I shook my head. “No sir. For the last couple, I just watched someone who is as close to me as a sister deal with a man who swore he loved her, but who actively hated things about her that were fundamental to who she was as a person. She finally got out and found a man who could not love her more, just the way she is…So, no I could never and would never do that to Emma. She’s absolutely perfect exactly as she is.” 

He nodded. “Alright. That’s certainly a point in your favor.” By unspoken agreement, the conversation was paused while Carlton removed our appetizer plates. He told us he would be back momentarily with our entrée. Rusty continued as if there had been no interruption at all. “So then what about, well, you know. My Emma has problems in that area, because it tends to be a messy proposition. That dentist asshole couldn’t be bothered to care for her until she was comfortable enough to consummate their marriage”

I sighed. That was not something I ever wanted to have to talk about with my fiancée’s father. “That is not a problem between us.” He didn’t understand what I was saying. In fact, he looked like he wanted to argue the point. “That is all I’m going to say on the subject, sir.” 

I guess that got my point across, because he turned as red as I was sure I was and nodded. “Well, that’s then.” There was another pause while Carlton brought out our sides and steaks. “So that’s another point in your favor. I can tell that you’d never take her money…and my dad was a Marine. He and my mother were married for sixty one years. He wouldn’t sleep with another woman…not even in death. So I suppose my only objections to you seems kind of silly in comparison to the other punks she’s contemplated marrying.”

“If it make you feel any better…my grandmother had red hair.” I told him with an innocent smile. It was true…if you counted strawberry blonde as red. 

Rusty scoffed, then moaned as he took his first bite of steak. When he finished chewing, he smirked at me. “I feel like you are humoring me.” 

“Maybe just a little. She was a strawberry blonde.” 

That made both Rusty and Mrs. Rose chuckle. “I know that Rusty’s approval will probably mean a bit more to you than mine…men are silly like that. But you do have mine. Emma has grown in leaps and bounds since you and she met in March.” 

“They met in March and it is only November.” Rusty pointed out. 

“My mother and father met each other three months before they got together and they were together for fifty-four years.” Mrs. Rose shot down his desperation play. 

He was quiet for a while. I wasn’t sure if he was contemplating his next move or if we’d just lost him to the meal. The food really was incredible, so that was certainly a possibility. Finally, he laid down his fork and knife and looked at me. “I want your word. I want your word as a man and as a service member. I want to know that you won’t hurt my little girl. You look at Emma, and see a grown woman. I look at Emma, and I still remember the day I got that call at work and had to rush to the hospital, thinking the whole way that I was going to have to put my baby girl in a box. Jane and George always thought I was more protective of Emma because she was the youngest…but that was never why. I was over protective because but for the grace of God, we’d have lost her when she was only five years old. So, I want your word that you will take care of my Little Mermaid…make her happy and don’t hurt her.”

I couldn’t fault him for that. I knew how traumatic Emma’s childhood accident had been for her, I guess I never thought about how it would have affected her parents. Probably part of why they had catered to her OCD so very much, was rooted in their fear. “I will never willingly hurt Emma. She’s been my angel since the night we met. Stephanie, my coworker and mental sister, she could tell you that we knew each other for three years, I’ve literally taken a bullet for her and she would do the same thing for me. But until Emma and I started talking, she’d have told you I couldn’t string together more than eight to ten words at a time. Cheryl, my sister-in-law, would have told you the same. Emma made it okay for me to come back out of the shell I’d retreated into when I got home.” 

He finally seemed to accept my statement for the truth it was. “Fine then, you have my blessing. But I want you to know, I can and will hire someone in the Irish mafia to kill you if I have to.”

“Understood, Sir.” I acknowledged. 

We talked of other things as we finished our entrees. When Carlton returned he asked if we’d like dessert. I would have said no, but Mrs. Rose beat me to the punch. “One of the women at work got had her anniversary here and she raved about your macadamia nut ice cream pie, I would love to try that.” 

“Very well, it pairs wonderfully with our cappuccino.” He offered and she accepted. 

Rusty hopped all over the idea of dessert. “I’ll have the spiced flourless chocolate torte with a cup of the Frank Sumatra coffee.”

“I’ll just have a cup of coffee.” I said with a sigh. 

Over the course of the dessert and getting the left overs packaged to go home with the Pillsburys, we discussed the everything from where Mrs. Rose hoped that Emma would hold the wedding, to her trying to get me to show her a picture of the ring. But I knew Emma would hate that…that was something she would want to share with her mother herself. I took them home feeling lighter than I had when I arrived. I took the red eye back to Newark and made my way back to Trenton. Of course, I should have realized that with Steph in the building, there was no way that she wasn’t going to have an alert out for my arrival. But I was still surprised that she made it down to four and was waiting outside my apartment. “She said yes. I know she said yes, didn’t she?”

I laughed. “How did you even know that I asked her? My plan was to wait until Christmas.” I pointed out. 

She just rolled her eyes. And stared at me. I think sleeping with Ranger full time was giving her super powers. Her eyebrows went up. “Oh, you finally figured out how to do the one eyebrow thing?” I lied hoping to deflect enough to be able to slip past her. 

“I did it?” She squeaked happily, but rather than moving to go check her reflection in the elevator doors like I’d expected, she just felt her eyebrows. “Oh, you lied to get me to move. You were going to slip into your rooms without telling me anything. I’m hurt Hal, I thought you were my brother who was lucky enough to have another mother.” 

I sighed. She really did look like I’d hurt her feelings. I couldn’t stand to see that look on her face, let alone be the one who had put it there. “I asked her our first night. She did say yes. She loved the ring and it fit perfectly. I’d have been home a few hours ago, but I went and had dinner with her parents to get her dad’s blessing. It took until dessert but he finally gave it. No clue about any of the other things you want to know. Emma will make all the choices and tell me which ones she wants my input on. But she said that she won’t be making any decisions for at least a couple of weeks, maybe a month. She said that she wants to bask.” 

“That’s all I wanted to know.” She said happily. “I’m so happy for you Hal. I really like Emma…and Ranger said that he would love to get her on board here. He thinks that by matching the men to the clients, we’ll have more repeat business. Just having the Rangemen with KAMA has seen the bodyguard division here in Trenton increase its income by forty-five percent. And that’s just the new clients that we gained from working with them. Miami’s business has grown even more” 

“Wow. That would be amazing.” I said thoughtfully. “But Emma loves her kids…”

Stephanie laughed. “Don’t worry, if you guys decided to live out in the heartland, Ranger has a plan for that. You know how for the KAMA’s Chicago and Lima homes, they had to get the Comcast security system and Hector had to work his way in to monitor it?” I nodded. “Well, if Emma wants to keep her current job, and let’s be honest she cannot work in the schools here, even I know they are disgusting. Anyway, if she did, then you would become the head of Rangeman Security, Midwest Branch servicing Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and probably Kentucky. The Midwest headquarters would be in Columbus with field offices in the major cities of those five states.” 

I was more than a little surprised. A voice behind me would have made me jump, if I hadn’t been trained as much and as well I was. “I’ve been thinking about increasing our home and business security services nationwide for a while. We would still only have our bond enforcement divisions here, Boston, New York and Miami…but if there were enough interest, I might be willing to look into including Chicago or Cleveland later on.” Ranger said quietly. “I’m also looking into trying to find a counselor who could provide Rangeman the service Emma has over the last few months.” 

I smiled. “I’m going to guess that you’re having trouble with that. The only other person I know who can read people like Emma can from a few pieces of paper is Steph and she uses her ability in a different way.” 

Ranger smirked. “Maybe Stephanie will believe that coming from you. I tell her how good she is at what she does and she thinks I’m just trying to be nice.” 

We shared a chuckle and I was finally able to go home and email Emma to let her know that’s I’d spoken with her parents. Of course, by the time I got on shift that afternoon, everyone knew that Emma had said yes. Lester popped by my desk to swear he was going to plan me the biggest, best bachelor party anyone had ever seen. I ignored him and poured myself into my work. The next few months flew by and before I knew it, I was in Lima to celebrate the New Year with the woman I loved. When she picked me up from the airport, she let me in on her plans for when and even where. “I would love to get married at Christ Church Cathedral, that’s the church that I grew up in. But I haven’t been back very much since I graduated from high school so, that might not be feasible. When we get back to school next week, I’m going to ask Shannon to be my maid of honor. And I’ve been looking online at dresses. I always thought that I wanted a princess dress, but when I asked him for suggestions for a some new wardrobe pieces when I visited you over the summer, Kurt swore that I was far older than I used to be and I just know that he would say that I should have a dress that made me look like a grown woman, not a little girl when I marry you.” 

“I have to agree with that thought.” I smiled. “I’m marrying a beautiful women, not the adorable little girl she used to be. Besides, Stephanie said that your too petite for too big a dress. By the way, I think she may be even more excited about us getting married than we are.” 

“Well then she must be really, very excited.” 

“Oh, you have no idea.” I returned. “Emma, I know how much you love your job. So, I was wondering…have you given any thought as to where you want us to live after we’re married?”

She took a single, deep breath the way she did whenever she was collecting her thoughts. “I know that change is often very hard for me. But for you, I want to try. I already have friends in Trenton. I mean, I’m planning on asking Stephanie if she would like to be a bridesmaid…granted, that’s because she emailed me and told me that she would love to be a bridesmaid…but it is still a relevant point. Your Rangeman brothers are all there. I think my condo should sell well, we’d need to buy a house after all. Hopefully we can find a newer build.” She worried her lower lip. 

I thought quickly. “If you let me know exactly what you want in your home and are willing to pick fixtures and such over emails and online…I would be able to have a home built for us.” I offered. “I’d rather have a brand new house myself.” It would be significantly easier to secure a house that way.

“Besides, Sue seems to think that I would have an easier time finding a job than you would.” She said with a hint of a smile in her voice. 

I mainly knew Sue Sylvester through the background check Rangeman had run on those invited to the VIP pre-party at the KAMA record release party and through hearing Emma talk about her. But even just that rudimentary knowledge was enough to let me know that she’d probably said that in a much less kind way. “If you want to stay in Lima, Ranger has already thought of a way to make that happen. I mean, I’m pretty sure that he would ask that you consult on the bodyguard cases more formally…which includes allowing him to pay you.” That was a point of contention between Ranger and Emma. Ranger was a firm believer in paying people what he felt they were worth. Emma was a firm believer that she was just helping a friend who had asked her to look at a file and give her opinion. So I laid out the five year plan Ranger had shared with me. “There are a lot of Vets who could use jobs with bosses who really understand what they have been through. People love to give lip service to ‘thanking or honoring Vets’ but their follow through leaves much to be desired.” 

I could almost hear the wheels turning in Emma’s head. “How many people would be put to work if Ranger put that plan in place?” 

I thought things through, based on the way things were done in Trenton, Boston, Miami and Atlanta there would be a staff of up to a hundred at the regional headquarters and then anywhere from fifty to eighty five men in field security positons. Ranger had recently piloted a program in Miami where those vets who couldn’t do the physical parts of the job, the amputees and that crew, they handled the monitors. It was working so well Ranger was thinking about bringing it online across the board. Each field office would run monitors twenty-four hours a day which would three shifts of eight to ten dispatchers with three shift administrators. I laid that all out for Emma, including that Ranger was looking to have fifteen field offices in the region. “Conceivably that could mean anywhere from twelve hundred to fourteen hundred jobs. Not all of them will be combat vets…but a good portion of them will be. Ranger also likes to give guys like Hector another chance.”

“Oh, Hector’s a sweetie. When we were working on Edna’s apartment, he taught me how to pronounce a lot of words, William had taught me to say incorrectly.” She laughed. “What on earth could he have needed ‘another chance’ for?” 

“Not my place to tell Em, but only three people on the face of this earth think Hector is sweet. You, Ella and Steph.” I joked. 

“Hal, which would you like to do? I mean, I do love my job here. Either way one of us would be leaving friends behind. One of us would need to find a new job and we’d need to find a house.” She said quietly. 

I sighed…or as close to it as I was willing to come. “I love Trenton, not the city, but the people. But the chance to help expand the company and help so many of my fellow vets. Give jobs to so many people…plus I’d only be a few hours from Ma. And a few of the guys like Ram and some of the other Midwesterners would love to stay with the company and live closer to their blood families. So moving to live in Lima and work in Columbus wouldn’t be a bad thing to me. If we wanted to we could even stay in your condo until we build exactly what we wanted and needed in a house.”

It was Emma’s turn to sigh. “I know that my parents and your mother would like having us only a few hours away, especially once we start having children. Betty and the twins live rather far away. Mom and Daddy only see them at major holidays.”

“Yeah, Ma said she was really glad that Ronald and Cheryl lived right in Indianapolis.” I agreed. “So did we make a decision?”

“I would like a chance to sleep on it…just to make sure.” Emma said quietly. 

I chuckled. “And by sleep on it you mean talk with Vivien, Shelby, Sue and Shannon and see what their advice is.” I teased. 

“Oh like you haven’t run both scenarios past Stephanie, Tank, and Ranger.” She shot back, proving how well she knew me. “How long would Ranger need to get his balls rolling?” she asked to figure out how long she would have to think things through. 

“I fly back on the fourth and if we are going to live here then he would like to get himself, Tank and me back out here in February if possible to look at prospective properties in Columbus. Ideally, Columbus would be up and running by the end of the summer, with Cleveland coming online by the end of the year. Six months to eight months between office openings to have the entire Midwest region online by the end of twenty-twenty.” I explained a little further. “Also, Ranger said that he would bring me on as a partner by that time too. Bobby, Lester and Tank each own ten percent of the company. Currently Ranger has fifty-one percent, but he would give me a portion of his to equal what the other regional managers hold. Since he, Bobby, Lester and Tank almost always vote as a block, the control would still be in their hands. The regional managers share fifteen percent and the last four percent is owned by the employees.” 

“That definitely improves the retention rate among his staff.” She said wisely. 

I didn’t tell her that the policy was even more effective considering that if someone left Rangeman, their ‘ownership’ portion reverted back to the company unless they died while on the clock then their shares were held in trust for their heirs. “So what do you have planned for New Year’s Eve?” I asked changing the subject after I agreed with her statement. 

“Well, we have a couple of choices. We’ve been invited to a party at the country club which is semi-formal or cocktail apparel. If we don’t want to do that, we can go down to Mom and Daddy’s and have dinner then go to the fireworks. Our last option is to lay around my condo and kiss at midnight.” She said with a smile. 

I’d give her credit. She had tried to keep her tone light and even but I could tell that she really wanted to go to the party at the country club. Given the fact that her parents were good, middle classers and she worked in the schools, she was probably excited about having been invited to a fancy country club party. I know that the first time I’d been on shift to work a party like that, I’d been super excited. Until I realized how handsy those rich folks could be. She seemed agreeable with the final option, but not too keen on the middle choice. “I have my suit and I have my birthday suit, so the choice of what we do that night is completely up to you.” I said with a grin. 

She laughed as we pulled into her driveway. “Well, I have a pretty teal, beaded cocktail dress that I’ve never worn and I have my birthday suit too. Granted, I’ve never worn it because Shelby bought it for me because Sue swore that she could never get me to wear it…so there is that. But it does look incredible on me.” She rambled as I grabbed my bags and we headed into her home. 

Ultimately, we did go to the party at the country club. I was surprised by how many faces I recognized. But that was probably to have been expected since Lima wasn’t a huge town and all the people I recognized were either very good friends with Emma or had been at the party where she and I had met, or both. We had a good time, but we did leave not very long after our midnight kiss and went home to ring in the new year with our own bang. As we lay there in our afterglow, Emma asked me a weird question. “Do you thing that Stephanie and Ranger would visit us if we stay here? I liked them. There is something so soothingly quiet about Ranger…and yet there is nothing at all quiet about Stephanie.” 

“Well, I know that Ranger will be coming out every quarter until at least twenty-twenty and then twice a week after that. So probably.” I told her. 

I felt her nod. “I think, I’d like to stay here. I don’t think I’ll find another school like McKinley and I don’t think that I can live in Trenton full time for very long. I was willing if it was the only way to be your wife…but Hal, it’s just so dirty.” 

I chuckled a little. I knew that would have been hell on her. That was why I was so grateful for all Ranger was doing to make sure that it would never have to happen. “Well, I am very glad that my moving here and being your husband will be good for the two of us and for Rangeman.”

Emma’s arms tightened around me and I truly, completely understood the meaning of the word peace. Unfortunately, just a few days later, one of my favorite clients and her former students would blow that peace out of the water. 

Meanwhile Back at Mama’s (Tim McGraw)  
Coach Beiste PoV

Life has a funny way of being a billion different things to a million different people all at the same time. While some were experiencing the highest of all highs, others were going through the hardest, toughest things they’d ever know. Or it could show two people the same thing and yet they see two entirely different perspectives on it. Or, as I was experiencing; one person can experience the same thing, at two different times in their lives…in my case a romantic relationship, and yet it be completely different. However as complex and yet simple as life was, a lot of the time, the human brain just couldn’t keep up. I was happy. I was happier than I’d been since I was eight years and realized that even though I looked like a boy, wasn’t one and didn’t even feel like one or anything but by the same turn I felt like a girl, but I sure as h-e-double hockey stick didn’t look like any of the ones I knew either. I was in love with a man. I was in a relationship with a man. But my joy was being clouded by the fear that was living in the shadows of my heart and festering in the pain that had been caused the last time I’d felt that way. 

I knew it wasn’t Marc’s fault. He was a good man. Hell, we’d been together two years which was, officially, twice as long as Cooter and I had been together. That included all the time we were dating, engaged, married and getting divorced. In those two years, we’d had every kind of fight from a little dust up to a full on, no holds barred verbal brawl. Never had he raised his hand to me in anger. Never had he forced me to do anything I didn’t want. Never had he treated me as less than a grown damn woman. But by the same turn, we share any household chores, because he doesn’t expect to be catered to like some Lord of the Dance. With him I experienced things I’d only read about in magazines I read in the waiting room at my lady parts doctor office. In those two years, we’d shared highs and we’d shared lows. In fact, we shared almost everything. He had become such an integral part of the conditioning program for the Titans, Sue had hired him on as my assistant coach. I’d worried that that would be a disaster in the making, but the transition had been seamless and it was as easy as a slice of warm apple pie working with someone who shared my values and dreams for the boys and who could read me easier than a Dr. Seuss book. 

Marc swore that he’d never expected to actually use his physical education minor and had only gotten it because he’d only had to take three extra classes outside his second major of athletic training to fulfill the requirements. But he also said that it was the most fulfilling thing he’d done since the Olympics. With Sue mandating that all the non-part time coaches had to teach a class, he and I split the PE classes down gender lines. He took the boys, including one freshman who identified as a boy. And I took the girls, including Unique. It turned out to be a great choice. The older kids and football players don’t care so much but the regular freshmen and sophomores…the boys in those grades are no longer as nervous as a long tailed cat in a maple syrup factory around me. And the little ladies have gotten comfortable enough with me to come to me with questions about things I hope they always knew I know but I guess they didn’t want to ask around the guys. 

We spent every day together. We spent most evenings together. We even spent a heck of a lot of nights together. Over the two years of our relationship, Marc and I had created our own holiday traditions. Memorial Day was spent with my sister and her husband, usually we had a nice day at Cedar Park, though we were talking about taking a road trip to Six Flags Great America and spending the whole weekend at the park that coming May. Fourth of July, we went to the Jones Family’s barbeque, same on Labor Day. Halloween, we stayed in, hanging out in one of our living rooms and watching horror movies while handing out candy. Our Thanksgiving was divided easily. Wednesday, we had dinner at the nursing home with his mother and her friends there. Rosemary Fisher was a nice lady. The more time I spent with her the more I liked her…the more I found myself wondering how different my life could have been if my Maman had been more like her. There were times I went and visited her by myself she and I got along so well. Two years after her stroke, she was really doing a lot better. But her doctors said that she would never again be able to live on her own. That wouldn’t have been as much of a problem, but unfortunately, her home was too small for both her and Marc. So she lived at the senior care center, while Mark had an apartment in the complex, where Will and Shelby had both lived. 

After spending Wednesday evening with Rosemary, Thanksgiving Day, we had dinner with the Jones, partially because they made the best food of anyone we knew and partially because…that’s where My Team was. I mean, don’t get me wrong all the Titans were my team…but Hudson, Puckerman, Evans and those boys who were both Titans and New Directions…plus their girls who were willing to take to the field to keep us from having to forfeit…those guys did and always would hold a special place in my heart as ‘My Team’. We spent one day during the week of Christmas with his mother and one day with my sister and her perfect family…which, come to find out, might not have been as perfect as I’d always thought. 

In getting closer to the parents of My Team, I didn’t just develop some of the best friendships of my life, I’d learned more about my sister and her husband than I ever wanted to know. According to Maribel Lopez, Denise was really close to being a full out lesbian…not that there is anything wrong with that. And her husband Sheldon was just as close to being gay. They were best friends who found sex with each other to be somewhat pleasant…enough that they were able to live the life they thought of as being the ‘right kind of life’. But in order to fulfill the physical needs they actually had, my sister and her husband had joined the same swinger’s crew as the Lopezes. That was all well and good. I ran the SS Kickass…not the SS JudgyBitch. I just wish they didn’t feel the need to hide who they were. Or look down on me for just being me. But I guess I got it. Denise had always been the ‘right’ kind of female in our mother’s eyes. She probably couldn’t even think the thought that she was gay without feeling like she was betraying Maman’s memory. Still, it was wrong how funny I found that little bit of gossip. Maribel said she’d not have told me, except I’d mentioned that Denise had a way of making me feel like she was looking down on me even though I was a full foot taller. She figured that it was only fair I knew the truth so if I ever needed to, I could hit Dee right in her ‘moral superiority’. Maybe it was wrong of her to tell tales out of class, but I sure did appreciate it.

I had been wrestling with all the crazy crapstorm of emotions that I was feeling all through Christmas break. I knew what I wanted to happen next. I knew that Marc was letting me set the pace for our relationship. Our first Valentine’s Day, he’d told me as much in his sweet, caring way. “Shan, you’ve been hurt. I know that it was bad…from what you haven’t said, it was probably worse than I ever thought. I say that to say that I’m willing to move this relationship as quickly or as slowly as you need it to go. I truly think that you and I are going to be great together. Hell, just the fact that neither one of us has to worry about breaking the other is a blessing.” He joked. “But I think we’ll be great together whether we stay boyfriend and girlfriend until the end of time, or we get married in three or five or twenty-five years. So, you let me know when you’re ready for each of the relationship steps.”

I needed to talk to someone about all I was going through all the thoughts and fears and emotions that were dancing a gig in my head. Unfortunately, as much as I was hip deep and waist high in women friends for the first time in my life; I wasn’t sure who to ask about all of that. It was kind of limited because once I made the decision to go to someone for advice, I wanted that hurdle out of my way quick, fast and in a hurry. That meant that I needed to do it over my lunch break. Since there wasn’t enough time to leave campus, I was cut down to four choices. Shelby and Dave were awesome. But Shelby was Marc’s friend first and foremost. That was fine…but I really needed somebody that was on my side more than his. David and I got along like a house on fire…but everything he knew Shelby knew soon thereafter, so he was out. Sue wouldn’t work…she and I confused and annoyed each other without Emma to translate. And she wasn’t the most sensitive soul. Which left me with Emma…not that that was a bad thing…in fact that wasn’t a bad thing at all. 

With that thought in mind, I got up and hitched my getty-up towards her office to see what she was doing for lunch. We met half way between the gym and the guidance offices, as she was coming to ask me the same thing. I texted Marc to let him know that Emma wanted to talk to me over lunch and he went ahead to meet up with Shelby and David. Emma and I met up to have lunch together at a table in the lesser used teacher’s lounge. Sue had opened up the whole school again so there was more room for all not just for the students. As soon as we sat down, Emma pulled out her compartmentalized lunch box and I reheated my large salmon fillet and tossed my even larger spinach, kale, beet and walnut salad with its simple seasoned olive oil dressing. Marc was all about nutrition and he’d even taught this old Panther a few new tricks. 

Emma smiled at my improved lunch before she gave me a long searching look. “So, Shannon, something tells me that you need to go first.” She finally said in that gentle, quiet way of hers.

I nodded then finished chewing and swallowed before I started sharing my problem. “I think I am ready to move things along with Marc…move in together…maybe even putting a ring on it and all. But then, I’m also scared shitless at the thought of going catawampus trying to get it all straight in my noggin. My heart is talking, by my head is scared to death of listenin’.” I finally finished. 

“I understand completely. After Will cheated on me, which still had to have been less painfilled and soul crushing than what you went through with Cooter, I had a lot of trouble allowing myself to trust Hal.” She commiserated. 

“So how did you do it?” I almost begged for advice. 

She smiled. “I got some really good advice from my therapist’s wife. She told me that ‘good men, truly good men were rare and worth more than diamonds’. She said that I owed it to myself to see where the relationship could go. She gave me permission to accept the happiness that Hal offered. Marc is a truly good man. You deserve the happiness that you two can have together…and so does he.”

I struggled to fight back my tears. I didn’t like to cry. It made me blotchy and that wasn’t a good look on anybody. I had enough esteem issues without adding to them. “So, what would you suggest?” 

She shrugged. “You and Marc are in love. You share more than enough similarities to make cohabitation an easy step to take. Shelby was talking about how much you love Marc’s mother and she even suggested that when you two were ready to take that step, you would probably look for a place big enough to allow Marc’s mom to live with you.”

I smiled. I would really love that and so would Rosemary and Marc. I said as much to Emma. “But…it feels crooked as a barrel of fish hooks to move in together without a real commitment.” 

A thoughtful look crossed her pixie face. “If you are really ready for that level of commitment, you should let Marc know that you are. I do not feel that it is breaking a confidence to let you know that Shelby and Sue are pretty convinced that he’s just looking for a sign that you want him to put a ring on your finger. One sign from you and he’d do it so fast your head would spin. Then, if you feel the need, you two could have a longish engagement. Maybe have a small little wedding in the spring or fall of twenty sixteen.”

“That’s a great idea. It would show Marc that I’m serious about him in a way I never felt about Cooter.” I nodded. “But Emma, how did you know you were you sure?”

“Are you sure that you love Marc?” 

I couldn’t hold back my smile. “I am. In the convoluted mess I’m making of all of this that is one think I am always sure of. I love him. The fear I feel isn’t the fear of being alone, like it was with Cooter. It’s the fear of seeing more love in him for me than there really is…but I know that I love him and that I love him for the right reason.” 

“Then it sounds like you are sure. That man loves you at least as much as you love him…maybe even more. I bet you that your fears are more from Cooter and that last piece of emotional manipulation he left you with than it is from Shannon Marie Beiste.” She pointed out. 

It was like a bolt hit me of lightening outta the blue. She really put the hallelujah in the county with that one. “Holy horse shit. I’m still letting that bastard steal my joy.” I grumbled. “Well, that shit stops today.” I was resolute. I was determined. I was done being dumb as a duck that flew north for winter. I had a great thing with Marc. I loved him and I knew sure as shootin’ that he loved me. It was time to let go of old fears and move into the future that I’d wanted all along. Time was getting short and Emma had been a great friend, I wanted and needed to return the favor. “You were coming to ask me to lunch too…what did you want to talk about?” 

She asked me three times if I was sure before she finally got her point across. “Hal asked me to marry him over Thanksgiving.” 

I smiled. “I knew that already, Pillsbury. Sylvester figured it out the first day back. We were just waiting on you to tell us. I figured that you wanted to hold it close to your heart for a while before you shared the news.” 

She chuckled. “I should have known that you guys would figure it out. I didn’t exactly hide the ring.” 

“Not that you could.” I shot back. It was a rock of a diamond and she had tiny hands. 

We shared a smile. “Shannon, we’ve been friends since you moved here, and I’m not sure if you know this, but I’m not very good at making friends…but you’ve been a good and true friend for the last three years and I can see you staying one of my best friends no matter where life may lead us.” I knew that to be true. I wasn’t letting her go anywhere if she didn’t want to. “I don’t have a date set yet, I need to get with Mercedes, Sam and Noah to find out if they will be home over a weekend during the summer and that will be when it is because I want them to be able to be there. After all, if it weren’t for the three of them, Hal and I never would have met. But I would…I want you to me my maid of honor.”

Yeah, blotchy or not, you couldn’t just sit there all dry eyed when your best friend asked you to be her maid of honor. I guess some people might be mean enough to manage the feat, but you’d bout have to be tough as a nickel steak to manage it. “I’d be honored.” I told her honestly. For Emma, I’d even wear whatever fairytale princess dress she decided to stick me in. Of course, Emma wanted to hug out the happiness. I never minded hugging, but Emma was so tiny…I always worried that I would hurt her if I hugged her too hard. Thankfully, her germaphobia meant that her hugs were always short and sweet. We cleaned up our lunches and our table and headed back to our offices. 

That night, I was faced with a conundrum. I wasn’t sure how to broach the subject of moving to our relationship to the next stage of the game. Fortunately, as we were having dinner, Marc, inadvertently brought it up…sort of. “So, what did you and Emma talk about over lunch? She finally tell you about her and Hal’s engagement?”

“She sure did. In fact, she asked me to be her maid of honor when she and Hal tie the knot sometime this coming summer.” I said happily. 

Marc’s smile lit up his whole face. “That’s awesome, ChouChou. I know that it must mean so much to you to know that she holds you in such high regard.” 

I could see the wistfulness in his eyes and I could not have stopped the words that tumbled out of my mouth next if I’d have tried. “I owe you an apology. I’ve been able to say I love you for over a year. Been able to make love with you for a little bit longer than that. But I haven’t been able to show you that I’m ready for a complete commitment. But I am. I love you. I don’t want to go home to two different, three really because I want us to get someplace where Rosemary can get out of that nursing home and come live with us. I mean…I’d like it if we could live together.” 

He smiled happily, but then got a serious look on his face. “I would love to live with you. I’d love to be able to get Mom out of that home…but, Shannon, you’ve watched enough HGTV with me to know how I feel about people who aren’t at least engaged buying real estate together.”

“Didn’t I say that?” I asked before I rethought through what I’d just word vomited all over the place. “I didn’t. Sorry, I meant to say that I loved you and I would love to become engaged to you. I want to have a real wedding and everything…show the whole world that our love is real and will stand the test of time.” I blurted out. Not that elopements were a bad thing…but I’d had one of those already and it hadn’t been or felt good at all. Not that all weddings meant forever…I shut down those thoughts before I could sink into the crazy they would lead me to. 

The hopeful and joyous look that I saw in Marc’s eyes settled any tiny tinge of remaining doubt or fear in the hollows of my tummy. He and Emma had to be related somewhere down the line. He too asked me exactly three times if I was really sure I was ready before he jumped up and pulled me into his arms. It was a good thing we’d finished our dinner before he did, because that table didn’t get cleared until the next morning. I walked into the school walking funny and had bruises on my neck and chest, but every single one of them had been made in joy and love and passion, not in anger or domination or spite. I kind of felt a little bad that I’d missed Puckerman, Evans and Jones winning two out of the three bright and shinies they were up for the night before…but something told me all three of them would’ve understood. That Saturday, Marc dragged me to Columbus and we spent some time at the Diamond Cellar, picking me out an engagement ring. I tried to talk him out of it. My hands just weren’t made for an engagement ring. Cooter had fully agreed. But Marc…he knew me better than I knew myself. 

“ChouChou…I need you to trust me. I know you want a wedding to show that you hold me higher than you ever did that barnacle on the asshole of life, Cooter Menkins. I need to get you an engagement ring so that you will have something tangible to remind you every single day that I am not him. That I love you more than he ever did or could. That I value you more than he, or anyone else, ever did or could.” Well, I sure as hell couldn’t argue with that. 

It took us some time to find just the right ring. Okay, it took us so long that the sales person finally took over. “Ms. Beiste, Mr. Fisher…would mind if I make a few suggestions?” the tall, dapper gentleman offered. 

Marc chuckled. “Yeah, please. I’m too traditional and a solitaire just isn’t right for Shannon. She has never really worn much beyond a watch and some earrings on special occasions, so this is way outside any comfort level she ever had.” 

“Do not worry. I’m going to take care of you. Dr. Jones called us and told us that you were personal friends, and we’ve never had so much business as we’ve had since she mentioned us on the American Music Awards red carpet.” He gushed happily. 

I looked at Marc. He just shrugged. “I didn’t know where to go, so I asked around. Shelby told me to call Danica and this is where she suggested. I didn’t think she’d call ahead or whatever.” 

I laughed. He didn’t know Mercedes as well as I did. I’d have told him her busybody-like helpfulness came straight from the horse’s mouth. “I could have told you she would have. She takes care of her people.” I told him with a laugh. 

Before he could retort, Andrew, the salesman came back with a selection of rings. “Now, given your hand size and occupation, I thought some of the wider, broader bands with the recessed, inset stones would work better. You have very warm tones to your skin. So, I think you would look amazing in rose gold. But I did bring the same styles in some other metals. Now, your last name is French and I noticed that Mr. Fisher calls you ChouChou…which is a very French term of endearment, so…I thought that I would show you something very untraditional, but that seemed like you may like it.” He held out a ring and showed us a rosey, pale, slightly purplish stone. “This is called Rose de France. It’s an amethyst...not a diamond…but if you chose this ring.” He picked up a specific ring, “this is the Vivianna. You can see that it has all these small diamonds around the center stone.” 

He had me try it on and it looked good, but too busy for me really. It had probably four or five rows of diamonds that went to and around the center Rose de France stone, which I really did love. Then he showed me the ‘Amelia’ which was less fussy with three separated rows of diamonds going to and a round the center stone…still it was too much. The ‘Mackenzie’ was very similar, except there were no spaces between the rows of diamonds. “I don’t think I need the diamonds. I love the Rose de France stone…but I don’t need all the rest of that flippery-gigget.” 

Marc sighed. “You are not getting a cheap ring, Shannon Marie Beiste.” He chided gently but with understood strength and authority. 

I just leaned over and kissed him. Andrew disappeared while I shut my love up for a minute and returned with a tray with one ring in three metals on it. “This is the ‘Primrose’. It has the center Rose de France stone with a halo of white sapphires and five channel set diamonds on either side of the band. I have it here in eighteen carat rose gold, platinum and palladium.” As soon as I put the rose gold on my finger…I knew it was my ring. Andrew had only brought out rings in my size so it was perfectly perfect. Marc wouldn’t even allow Andrew to box it. He sent me across the store to check out earrings while he and Andrew settled up the bill. 

We left the store hand in hand and went to grab dinner at the nearby Cheesecake Factory. Marc and I were both shocked by something that came on Entertainment Tonight while we were enjoying our dessert. I looked over at him and shook my head. “No way would any sex tape with them on it have been made with their permission. Jones wouldn’t even change in front of the other girls in the locker room…she’d even stay late to shower so she would be alone.” 

He chuckled. “And I was thinking that they couldn’t have known about the camera because you know that Sam nor Puck would be willing to share their woman like that.” He had a definite point. With an unspoken agreement, we both grabbed out phones and gave the kids some support and spoke out against those thinking that any of the three of them would ever do such a thing on purpose. We finished our meal and paid our bill and wrapped ourselves back in our happy cocoon. As we drove home we talked about the next big step. “While I was talking to Danica, she gave me the name of a good real estate agent. I thought that since your lease is up in March, we should probably start looking sooner rather than later.” He said with a small smile. 

I thought it over. “I…I…Marc. I want to see if we can figure out how to have ourselves a baby.” I blurted out. “Not super soon…maybe we get married next fall, like a Thanksgiving or even a Christmas wedding…so we can have a baby next year if…if we can.” 

He blinked quickly and swallowed hard. “I would love to be your husband and the father of your children.” He whispered. He picked up my hand and kissed the engagement ring we’d just picked out. 

“I guess that means we need more than three bedrooms.” I said happily. 

His smile returned with a vengeance. “Oh…I’m thinking four or five at least. And that’s not even counting our bedroom.” 

I laughed. “We’ll have to work so many jobs to keep up the mortgage that we’ll never have time to make any babies, let alone three or four.” 

“ChouChou…I just sold a very, very lucrative gym and the five franchises I’d opened in the boroughs. That doesn’t even count the money that I saved up from endorsements and appearances over the last eighteen years.” He said reasonably. 

I shook my head. I knew he had some money, but that wasn’t mine. I couldn’t see benefiting from it. “Marc, that is your money. I can’t live off you.” 

He shook his head. “No…once we are married…it will be our money and even before then it will be our home. I’m not saying that we spend everything I’ve saved up. But I do think that I can and will use some for a down payment so that our mortgage won’t be outside what we can reasonably afford.” 

“I have some money saved too. Only about twenty-five thousand…but I was saving up to buy a small house for myself.” I pointed out. 

He nodded. “We can either add that in to get a lower monthly payment, or we can use it for furniture. This house will be our home. We can and will both put in on it. The way I see it, we should live off our monthly paychecks for the most part. The rest will just be a nest egg that can allow us to be able to do things like make big car repairs if they are needed…maybe take vacations every year or two, college for four or five kids won’t be cheap.” 

“I guess that’s not too bad.” I finally said. “I suppose we can see what is available and then make our decisions.” I didn’t want to give all the way in. Having that inequality in our relationship stuck in my craw.

But in the end I had little choice. Life decided to take the wheel and that big rig was careening out of control. We met with Elaine Sanko the following weekend, just to see what was available. She showed us three homes that had enough bedrooms and at least three bathrooms and we fell in love. The third house was in our school cluster, close to St. Rita’s and within running distance from McKinley. It was only ten years old and had only had one previous owner. It had a finished basement with a walk out that could easily be renovated with mobility and independence in mind. With a little bit of work done, it would be a great in-law suite for Rosemary. The house had a main floor master that includes a master ensuite with an oversized walk in closet, a gentlemen's walk in & own gas fireplace. I loved that master suite it was perfect; more than big enough for us to get a bed fit for a six foot tall woman and her six foot eight husband. There was even space for some workout equipment as long as we didn’t go crazy. The other four bedrooms were all good sized and they shared the two other bathrooms on that floor. There was a half bath on the first floor. The eat-in kitchen was great…not as intimidating as a lot of ‘gourmet’ kitchens we saw in the remodels on television…but really functional and homey. Thankfully, Marc and I had met with Antwan Berry to go over what we needed to have all together just in case. He had convinced us to do the preapproval process at the credit union that all the teachers could utilize for any of our loans. The list price was four hundred and ninety-nine thousand, but Elaine said that it had been on the market for almost two months. So, we put in an offer for four hundred and fifty-five thousand. The owners accepted our offer without dithering. 

Marc had pulled three hundred thousand dollars out of his CDs to have for the down payment, which meant our mortgage would be just about what we paid in rent combined each month. But it would also only be a fifteen year mortgage. We agreed that I’d use my savings for the furniture. When we went and talked to Rosemary, she insisted that we sell her house and use the money from it to remodel the basement since that would be her home once it was completed. Marc and I told her we would, but neither of us meant it. Instead we decided to use some of Marc’s other money to do that work. If we sold her house, rather than renting it like we were considering, we’d use that money to pay for a home care nurse to come in during the day to be there with her in case she needed help while we were at work. Hopefully, everything would work out and by the time my lease was up, we’d be able to move into forty-seventy-five Cypress Drive…then we’d have a wedding to plan. I wondered if I could convince Marc that it would be a good idea for me to go off my birth control once we were settled in the house rather than waiting until after the wedding. I knew given my age, it was just a thought…a pipedream really. But it was very happy thought. I was happy. I was in love with a man who was fully and completely in love with me in return. I was in a positive, healthy committed relationship with that man and he was going to be my husband and the father of my children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are as necessary to Fiction Writers as food or water.
> 
> Feed our need.
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> No, seriously...give me feedback.  
> Please & Thank You.
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> TTFN,  
> Anni


	22. California Dreaming (The Mamas and The Papas) & Gold (Prince)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to LA & the drama happening there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> When Your Life Was Low by LadiJ
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!!

California Dreaming (The Mamas and The Papas)  
Sam PoV

Friday Morning, we were awakened when Hudson called our room at nine. She told us that we had an hour to get dressed for a day of Cali fun. Apparently, it was our pre-scheduled date night and I had, to be totally honest, completely forgotten all about it in the all the excitement. Hudson, not only remembered, she had decided that we should make a day of it. She emailed us the itinerary and we grabbed some clothes that seemed suitable. Well, Puck and I did…it took Mercedes a minute. Which was fine, as it gave Puck and I time to go and pee before she took her shower. For the most part, we tried to always let her have the first shower, since she did take longer to get dressed. We showered in such rapid progression that when I got my turn, the bathroom smelled like a blend of her Dove almond cream with hibiscus nourishing and Noah’s Mahogany Woods body washes. I probably tipped it from pleasant to way too much by adding the smell of my L’Occitane men’s body wash, John Freida, purple bottled Sheer Blonde shampoo and Dove Advanced Color Therapy conditioner. There were times I thought about going back to my natural color so I could do like Puck and just use an all in one, but I never actually followed through with it. 

By the time, I finished showering, shaving, brushing my teeth and all the other, make myself presentable things, Mercedes had completely moisturized her soft, beautiful skin and was walking around in her cross, a pretty, purple, sporty bra and some black, silky, yoga pants that followed her curves in a way that never failed to make my mouth water. Her tennis shoes were waiting by the dresser, but her feet were already covered in cute little purple and teal ankle socks. I looked over and noticed that she had laid out a charcoal gray sporty tank top and a long teal cotton, tunic top on the bed. The outfit would look cute and fun…like she’d thrown it on real quick just to go and have some fun in. I knew that she had spent far longer picking her outfit than I had my own. I watched for a moment as she went over to the mirror and bent over to brush and twist her long weave into a cute little top knot.

When she stated doing her makeup, I realized that if I didn’t hurry she would beat me dressed and that just was not allowed to happen. I threw on a white ribbed tank and a pair of bright white boxer briefs with a thick band of black as the waistband. I donned my socks before sliding into my Levi’s. I pulled on a long sleeved dark gray shirt that had the eight Batsuits that made up the generations of Batman from the comic books to the Christian Bale. I pushed it up to bare my forearms. I could always shove them back down if it was cooler than I thought it would be. I grabbed a pair of black Chuck Taylors from the shelf in the closet where we’d put our shoes when we finally got around to unpacking. Mercy loved my newest Chucks because they had a cute little red heart with big eyes that was peeping up from the bottom rubber part on the outer side of the shoes. I ran a comb through my hair, took my Fitbit off its charger and slid it into a dark gray band which went around my wrist. After I put on my crucifix, I made sure that I had cherry chapstick, my wallet and my cellphone in my pockets and boom, I was finished before Mercy finished her ‘don’t look like I’m wearing any makeup’ makeup look. 

I headed out to the living room of the suite and found Puck. He’d been finished first. He was wearing a simple gray, waffle knit Henley, with his forearms bared, some ‘realistically distressed’ jeans and some black suede Nike skater-banger shoes. Like me, he was wearing his religious talisman necklace and his Fitbit, though he had his in a black band. He looked laid back and cool. Before I could tell him that though, there was a knock at the door. I wasn’t surprised that it was Junior and Binkie, just about an hour had passed since Hudson called. I was just saying that our beautiful wife would be just a minute, when she came out stuffing things into a smaller purse. “I’m ready…really…I’m ready.” She gave us all a wicked grin. “I’m also starving so I kind of hope this day of fun starts with breakfast.” 

It did. Since it was ten in the morning, there wasn’t a whole lot of traffic. Without traffic, the eighteen minutes, the GPS said it would take actually only took twenty minutes. Blue Daisy Café was supposed to have a great brunch menu and it definitely didn’t disappoint. I’d gotten the waffles with strawberries, whipped cream and Applewood smoked bacon. It was almost as good as Mercy’s French toast that she got topped with whipped cream, syrup and powdered sugar…and a side of breakfast sausage. But Puck’s swore that his smoked salmon crepe that he had them make like a bagel with cream cheese and such, and came with a side of scrambled eggs and prosciutto, was the very best of all of our selections. I didn’t quite agree…but he was happy so so was I. Given that Junior had told us as soon as we got in the car that we were going to the Santa Monica Pier, I was glad that we’d all worn our fit bits. Mercedes took a weird amount of pleasure in hitting ten thousand steps, and if we could manage it before noon her celebration was pretty epic. I was also glad we’d have the opportunity to walk off the delicious breakfast. Something told me that Binkie and Junior were glad too. 

We spent the next four hours playing carnival games, going on the rides…I think Noah dragged us on the Ferris Wheel about ten time. There were quite a few times some of our fellow tourists stopped us for autographs. We always gave them…well after we finally got a pen. But even before that we made sure we took selfies with everyone who had the courage to ask. The bumper cars were a blast and a little kid who was there with his mom, who was so pregnant there was no way she could get in one of the toy cars, asked if he could ride with me. Of course, I told him yes…he kind of reminded me of what Stevie had looked like at his age…or maybe what Sloane would look like in a few years. We had so much fun running into Puck and the three of us managed to trap Mercy in a corner for a hot minute until Junior crashed into us creating a gap she managed to escape through. When our turn was up, I returned little Matthew to his mother. The three of us took pictures with both of them, and invited them to join us for a trip to the aquarium, where we were heading next. 

I’m fairly certain that his mom was going to say no, but Matty begged and pleaded until she gave in. As we were walking I heard her sharing with Mercedes why it was just the two of them. Her husband was serving in the Middle East. He’d been home for three month in the fall but then had to go back for another tour of duty. That really sucked for her. He hadn’t even been home when she’d realized that she was pregnant again. It was actually Matty’s birthday that weekend, so she’d brought him to the pier, not realizing that she wouldn’t be able to let him do his favorite thing, the bumper cars. When she recognized us, she remembered reading that we had two young daughters and younger siblings, so she’d said a prayer and asked…and she was very grateful for our kindness. We were happy to help out. So much so that we filmed a vid of the three of us singing Chris Daughtry’s ‘I’m Going Home’ for her on her phone that she was able to send to her husband. Then we paid for her and Matthew to get into the aquarium, though after we’d gone through the place, viewing each of the hundred and ten aquatic species the place housed, they had to head home…because Matty boy was worn out. 

We continued our day by having a late lunch at Rusty’s Surf Ranch. Then it was back to the heart of the Pier where we played more games and went on all the rides a couple more times. We left the pier at six, and it took the better part of an hour to get back to our hotel. We immediately had to shower and change because Hudson had gotten us tickets for Wicked at the Pantages Theater for eight and we followed that with a late dinner at Spago. The musical was great, but I didn’t know who any of the actors were. I knew that Willa was better than their Glinda and Jamison could have sung circles around their Elphaba…but it was still really good. At the end, during the curtain call, the cast thanked us for coming to see their show. Junior and Binkie explained that meant that we had to go backstage and schmooze. So, we did that, selfies for the whole cast…it was kind of fun. 

Mercy was looking amazing in a pair of wide legged, silk dress pants, a white draped top of the same material, though slightly sheer with a deep V neckline. Her breasts made that shirt look like the prettiest thing in the world. Diamonds glinted at her ears and platinum at her wrist and she’d put back on her cross necklace. Her hair was down around her pretty shoulders and her makeup looked beautiful, all in all we were probably a little under dressed for SPAGO, but she looked so amazing, no one would ever think to say it. We were pretty much starving by the time we made it to our table, so we ordered the California Tasting Menu for the table, which boasted that it featured nine-courses of fresh California cuisine. I was kind of surprised that I enjoyed the Santa Barbara sea urchin layered with homemade tofu, topped with black truffles and the Dungeness Crab Salad with marbled kelp chips, citrus-mustard dressing, chili caviar and cilantro. All in all, there were nine courses and everything was delicious. Wolfgang Puck came out and we spoke with him for a few minutes. That was really cool. 

Unfortunately, our evening didn’t end on that positive note. When we got back into the limo that Hudson had arranged for the night, Mercy’s cell started ringing off the hook. As soon as she answered, she was pulled into a conference call with Bubbie Ruth, Darcy, Daniel, Rob and Anika. Anika started the call with a very ominous, we’ve got two problems on the horizon. Rob, go ahead and hit them with the easily fixed issue.”

“We’ve gotta scrap your dress for Sunday night. Felicity Jones is wearing something very, very similar. Same color, same materials, both ball gowns…there are some differences, but not near enough.” Rob explained. Wow, he sounded so much like Kurt it wasn’t funny. 

“If we can make the change…and it gets out…and it always gets out…the PR will be a beautiful thing.” Anika 

Mercy sighed. She understood what the problem was and why it even was a problem. Puck and I were just as clueless as the other. “Well, there goes my Saturday.” 

“Mine too.” Bubbie, Daniel and Anika both said at the same time. 

“We’ll be flying out tomorrow morning at ten our time. We should get there around noon your time.” Daniel informed us. 

I was really confused. “Why? I mean, I get it, this is some kind of major fashion emergency, but I don’t get why it becomes an all hands on deck kind of emergency.”

Bubbie Ruth and Anika explained why it was a big deal. In detail, and I still didn’t get it. But I let it go so they would stop talking. Then Daniel explained why Anika had said that the fashion emergency was the easier handled issue and not at all the reason he was coming. “Ethan got a voicemail from someone claiming to be a former classmate of yours. It was very rambly and Ethan wasn’t sure if there was a threat or what. The caller said that there was something that TMZ had passed on but it wasn’t said what. We both think it would be better if I were close at hand, just in case.”

Noah was definitely smarter than me, he got that without having to mentally repeat it to himself. Before I’d quite caught up, he was asking, “Do we need to get you guys rooms?” 

“Warner has already handled mine.” Anika said with a smile in her voice. 

Bubbie was covered. She had a friend she was going to stay with and Daniel would be bunking in the same hotel with Hudson, Junior and Binkie. They had gotten everything worked out while our phones had been off. Mercy and the phone crew talked colors and silhouettes and whether they would have to start over from the skin out. Mercy banned purple, red, black and white. She wanted to stick with a ballgown. She wanted to avoid Zac Posen, Carolina Herrera, and Armani, but she was open beyond that. Rob promised that he would have everything ready for her at ten the next morning. When we made it back to our room, it took some doing, but after a nice long, hot bath and a serious three rounds of love making, we were finally able to get our woman to sleep without worrying. 

The next morning, Mercy had us up at seven to get in a work out. When we came back, Hudson was waiting on us with room service breakfast. She and Junior would accompany Mercy to Rob and Mariel’s studio where Mercy would try dresses until she found one she liked. Then, since they were all sample sizes, two dresses would be combined to fit our Baby’s bountiful curves. Mercedes showered and put on the bra and cincher she’d bought to wear with the gorgeous teal dress. She kissed Puck and I both good bye and went to ‘work’ shopping for a new look. Noah and I showered and got back in bed. When we woke for good, it was almost one. Mercedes had had Hudson call the room so we would know to check our phones so we could help her with a final decision. The first picture she sent us was labeled, ‘Rubin Singer Strapless Graffiti-Print Ball Gown, Black/Multi’. The dress was a woven tea-length gown with a colorful graffiti print on a field of blue black. It had a strapless sweetheart neckline, fitted bodice and full skirt. According to Hudson’s notes it also had all-around tacked pleats and a bubble hem. The second dress was completely different. The title of that picture was ‘Naeem Khan Strapless Embellished Degrade Ball Gown, Fuchsia’. It was easy to tell that the dress was made of silk, even though it was just a picture. It was strapless, straight-across neckline and had a floral-embellished fitted bodice. The full skirt was very traditional with all-around box pleats and the hem hit the floor. The dress started out fuchsia at the bodice but degraded to a silvery white at the floor. 

Puck and I had the same thought. So, we sent it back to them. “If the fuchsia dress’s neckline can have a dip in so it is a deeper, more sweetheart kind of deal, go with that one.”

“Why the change to the neckline?” was Bubbie’s response. 

We thought for a minute then just told the truth. “She looks great in sweetheart necklines.” 

The only reply we got was that they wanted us to meet them at the Grill on the Alley for an early dinner before we had to go over to the spa for the night before a big event treatments. “Dress well, but not formally. This is a to be seen dinner. Check out the news or twitter…but make sure you look like you haven’t a care in the world when you get to the restaurant.”

The second I grabbed my iPad, I knew what the hell they were talking about and it sure as hell wasn’t good. “Son of a bitch.”

The National Inquirer broke the story on their website first. They weren’t releasing the name of the person they bought the pictures from but they specifically stated that they were taken with permission. Which was sure as hell a damn lie. Neither Puck nor I and certainly not Mercedes would ever have given permission for someone we didn’t know to take semi-naked, sexy fun time pictures of us. With the story on the air, Vivid was very quick to point out that they had the rights to the entire twenty-minute video and would be releasing it as part of a celebrity sex tape compilation that they would be releasing during the second week of February. Again, they claimed that they had our permission. I wanted to know how we supposedly gave permission for a recording we had no idea even existed. I admit it. I got pissed off. Before I could rethink things, I had my phone in my hand dialing Ethan Harris. “Uncle Ethan, how can we possibly have given permission for a tape we never knew existed to be sold? How did this even happen?”

Ethan could easily hear the anger in my voice. “I’m not sure…I am trying to find out. You already know that Thursday night I had a message left on my voicemail from a young man who said that he graduated from McKinley the year before you and works for TMZ. They were offered the video first. They passed on it because of the current litigation we’ve got against them. He didn’t know exactly what had been passed on, at least, not that he communicated. I’ve been trying to get back in contact with him, or find out from Bani and Dent who he is. He left his name, but he was rambling so fast that Cleotha couldn’t catch it and neither could I.” 

“What can we do about this?” Puck chimed in. 

“I’ve already filed an injunction to stop the distribution of the video. They will have to submit the contract which will need to include whatever piece of paper they have that they are using to support the claim that they have your permission and the video was filmed with your consent…once we have that, I’ll be able to get this all squashed.” Ethan assured us. “Tell me all you can from what you’ve seen.” 

“We only saw the picture on the Inquirer front page. I can tell you from Cede’s outfit that it was taken Thursday when we were touring the LA house.” Puck started. 

“Mr. Becks had to go and get the new blueprints for the basement, we were alone. I checked that myself. The workers were all working in a whole different part of the house.” I shook my head. “Mercy won’t even let us have a video of us making love. You know how private she is.” 

Ethan nodded. “Benz is definitely a private person…she never even ran around naked as a toddler. Even your classmate said as much.” 

“Wait…what did he say exactly?” Puck questioned. 

Ethan put us on hold for a second. “He called Benz ‘illicitly curvy, said she was easy to annoy and creatively violent and you he called his fellow Jewish American and said that Benz wouldn’t even go to the bathroom with someone else in there’.”

“Jacob Ben Israel…he should have said she wouldn’t go to the bathroom when he was in there. That was what made her beat his ass freshman year. Rumor had it that she beat him with his own camera without even breaking the damn thing. After that he was scared of her until he graduated. Even more afraid of Cede than he was of me. He’d clue us in because while TMZ might fire him…he knows we’d kill him. I don’t have a way to contact him…” 

“He said something about his dentist scaring him but Benz scaring him more…if he is Dent and Bani’s client. I’ll give them a call back and see if they have a contact number for him.” Ethan said and was soon gone. 

We had to rush and get ready, but we had news when we got to the restaurant. It took quite a bit of doing to get Mercy to calm down. She was out for blood and God, it was so fucking hot. She must have gone shopping because she’d left the hotel in a pair of skinny jeans, a cute macro-floral top and sandals. But she was dressed beautifully at the table in The Grill in the Alley. She was now wearing a silver ‘midi’ wrap dress with a deeper V neckline and three quarter length sleeves that hugged her curves deliciously. Rather than trying to hide in something somber, she was sitting there loud and proud as ever in a dress that kind of seemed like a seriously sexy, recycled disco ball. Her hair was bouncing curls and her makeup was flawless…but she was mad as hell. “When I find out who the hell did this to us…I’m gonna break my foot off in his ass.” She grumbled when she was finally calm enough to talk things through. 

Bubbie just nodded. She was pretty damn angry herself. “Gentlemen, let this be a reminder…LA is not Lima…it isn’t even New York. Next time…keep it in your pants until you get back to real, total and complete privacy.” She chided. She’d done plenty of things that could have seen her in the same trouble but her career wasn’t in the limelight like theirs was. She could afford to do what she wanted because the consequences were so drastically different. 

“We so will.” I promised sincerely. What followed was definitely a working dinner. We worked through finalizing the press release-slash-statement that Daniel managed to put out for the media before we even made it to the spa an hour later. The hope was that having our statement out well in advance of the red carpet would change the nature of the questions asked. Hopefully, the reporters would be more interested in the illegality of the filming and possible lawsuits rather than the actual contents of the video. 

After an amazing steakhouse dinner, we were shuttled back to the spa and we were once again forced through all the same treatments we’d gone through the night before the People’s Choice Awards. Though, we didn’t have to repeat the eyebrow or ear waxing. After the day we’d had, the massages were a freaking joy to experience. I mean…with all that bullshit, my tension knots had tension knots of their own. We were feeling pretty fucking violated, having not just been watched while we expressed our love to each other, but filmed and then on top of all of that to have that recording sold. I couldn’t stop apologizing, it had pretty much been all my idea. Puck was quick to point out that I hadn’t twisted anyone’s arms. Mercy went one further, “we were all there, none of us was doing anything that we didn’t want to do. If this muthafucker hadn’t taped our personal, private moment…none of us would have regretted making love in that room at all.” Her tone shut down any further discussion of the subject. After we showered, we just held each other until we finally fell asleep. 

The next morning, we had a text from Daniel, saying that Ellen, had offered us a chance to do her show Monday and get our side of things out there. We, of course, said yes. But first we had to get through the Golden Globes. Even though the cast of characters were all the same, getting dressed wasn’t as much fun as it had been just a few days before. When we got there, I was kind of shocked to see that Bubbie and Anika weren’t present and accounted for, but then Daniel explained that they were out looking for the clothes we needed for the Ellen DeGeneres show we would be taping the very next day. I hoped that the evening proved at least somewhat better than the rest of the weekend had. 

 

Gold (Prince)  
Mercedes PoV

 

In all the last minute changes, I looked completely different than I’d intended to. Everything was different, my dress and shoes, my hair, my makeup…my lingerie, everything. I had to admit that I loved the teal dress…but I looked amazing once I was finished getting dressed. My dress was a floor length traditional ballgown. It started out with the modified neckline. The embellished deep pink bodice had been customized to look as if the dress itself had been designed just for me. The seamstresses had made the changes look seamless, as if it had never been two dresses. The box pleats were sharp and perfectly aligned. The banding of the colors was still perfect. It was a great alteration. The dress did look a touch Quinceañera-ish to me…but with the very subtle pinks in my makeup and the tiny twisted ‘cornrows’ back to the sleek high ponytail was a retro look that gave me an air of innocence that would, hopefully, communicate to others that I was not the kind of girl to allow anyone to film me in an intimate moment. There were just no words for the sense of defilement and anger and just…whoever the person was had taken something they had no right to touch and it made me want to rage and fight. But at the same time…I was about to go to an award show and I couldn’t believe that I was wearing something that had been designed by the same designer that dressed Kate Middleton. I had to text Kurt a picture of my final look for the night. My emotions were all over the place. 

I had Harry Winston diamonds glinting at my neck, ears, wrists and both ring fingers. A big part of the dress decision had been which one would work with the jewelry that had already been arranged more than a month before. Together, the jewelry elevated the dress and the dress gave a small bit of whimsy to the jewels. Hudson had given me my Jimmy Choo silver Milla glitter fabric clutch bag, which contained all of my touch-up makeup, as well as Sam’s and Puck’s plus my phone, gum, license and money card. The purse matched my crystal studded, silver, Jimmy Choo Lana shoes almost a little too well. I did love my fuchsia painted toes. That had been a great choice for color since the bottom of my dress was silver. I looked over at Sam. He was looking sharp as hell in his gray tux with its black lapels. His shirt was supposed to be a dove gray, but the shade of gray was so very light, it was almost white. It looked really good as a foil for the wider black silk tie. The diamond studded tie pin winked from the black endearingly. His hair was just a tiny bit floppy but it was a look that definitely worked for him. His shoes and belt were both Ferragamos and he looked like my grown ass ‘Messire’. 

Puck was every bit as handsome though dark where Sam was light. His suit and look was weirdly traditional for Puck. For the first time, I could really see the Saul in him. He looked great. The blue micro-check was unexpected, but it made him look on trend in what would have been an otherwise ‘Wall Street’ suit. His shoes were Zenga apron toe loafers that looked sexy as hell for men’s shoes. I made a mental note to see if he’d ever considered getting his ears pierced. He would have looked amazing with some three or four carat diamond earrings. As it was, like Sam, the subtle glint of his Graff watch at his wrist and his engagement ring were his only bling. 

Then I happened to glance out the window. “Tony, Toni, Tone was a damn lie…we’re in southern California and it’s been raining for the better part of the afternoon.” I grumbled. I was kind of worried. The red carpet would be open air and as such, soaked. With a start, I shook my head. I was sounding like a brat. I was being nominated for an experience that had changed my life. I was blessed to be there with the two men who shared the title of Love of My Life. Together we had been nominated for a song that meant so much to us and had come to mean so much to so many kids who were going through the same high school hell that had inspired it. I had a great family, amazing friends…even an acquaintance who was at best a borderline frenemy had held us down as much as he was able to. I hadn’t let Will Schuester convince me that the best I was, was a backup singer. I hadn’t let Rachel Berry marginalize me or my talent…I sure as hell wasn’t going to let some gutless wonder steal my shine.

With that thought in mind, I pulled my shoulders back, held my head up high and we walked out of that hotel room like the stars we were. 

I was almost grateful that we dressed at the Ritz. The limo ride from the Peninsula would have been ridiculously short. If we’d dressed there, I’d have been tempted to walk it but I knew that that was…it wouldn’t have been a faux pas…it simply wasn’t done. Unlike the other awards shows, there was a late lunch-slash-early dinner associated with the Golden Globes. But there was a caveat to that. The producers needed the tables cleared by the show’s five o’clock television start time. That meant we had to arrive by three-thirty to make it to our table in the Beverly Hilton by the time they started serving. The Golden Globes red carpet was four hundred and thirty-seven feet long. I guess that, in an effort to make up for the weather, they were giving out mini bottles of Moët for the star’s enjoyment. Puck grabbed one but Sam and I were very careful to leave them alone. Puck was approaching his twenty-first birthday…we were only closing in on our twentieth. Plus, too as a badass, he could get away with getting caught on camera drinking. Me and Sam tried to keep a slightly cleaner image. Not that it was working very well that weekend, but maybe that made it even more important that we did. We took selfies for and with people but we also got besieged by questions about that fucking asshole’s tape the whole way down it. Each of us tried to stay calm and simply state that the video was recorded without our knowledge or permission during an intimate moment when we thought we were alone. But it was pretty damn frustrating. I was really starting to move from frustrated to fucking pissed off. I could tell that any humor to be found in the whole situation had worn off as far as Puck was concerned too. 

At least that was how we were feeling until Kevin Hart and his fiancée Eniko Parrish came over while we were talking to Michael Yo and Kevin started cracking jokes. “Alright now Ms. Jones…now you’ve got real, actual talent plus a big butt and a sex tape. So, if Kim Kardashian’s net worth is a hundred and fifty million…you’ve gotta double…maybe even triple that.” he teased. 

Michael Yo had to add in his two cents too. “Actually, considering that Mercedes has a big butt and a smile too…I think it would be reasonable to expect her to make quadruple that or more.” 

I rolled my eyes, though I did have to chuckle. Rather than responding to either joke, I took the high road. “Mr. Hart, Ms. Parrish, it’s very nice to meet you. Mr. Hart, Jill had nothing but good things to say about you.” I returned with what was probably the first real smile I’d given since I found out about the stupid tape. 

“Naw…we’re ‘bout the same height…you can call me Kevin.” He gave me his winning smile. “You two though…” he looked up at both Sam and Puck. “Y’all can stick with Mr. Hart. Gotta make sure you young cats remember to respect your elders. Can’t have y’all taking me to play with.” 

“No sir.” Sam said thickening his accent. “We’d never do that. You’re almost the same age as my daddy after all.” 

“Oh, southern boy got jokes.” Kevin laughed. “Naw…I seen the tape…you two you’ve got every right to be proud of yourselves.” He threw back. As he and Eniko lead us up the carpet and into the ballroom. Engaging us in conversation so we wouldn’t have to talk to any more of the reporters outside. “I mean, Damn…I’ve got nothing to be ashamed of, but if I was hung like the two of you, I’d need pants with a third leg. Then again, if was rollin’ like that, wouldn’t nobody be able to tell me nothing.” 

“I cannot believe…oh my God…how many people in this room have seen me half naked?” I muttered. 

Noah gave me a one-armed hug. “Probably a hell of a lot fewer than have imagined you completely naked.” He said in what he was sure was a helpful manner. 

Sam cosigned with a nod, but Eniko gave a verbal agreement. “I know that it may not help, but he’s telling the truth. You are beautiful and curvy and sexy in a way that most of the men in Hollywood won't acknowledge they still want and desire. With every word out of your mouth, you show yourself to be all the things they want and need in a real, true partner. You are opening a lot of minds…showing them how stupid their rigid ideas of ‘what beauty is’ really are. But Puck is wrong as well. Nicki Minaj, they strip her naked with their eyes, not that it is usually all that difficult. But they respect you. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Tom Hiddleston, Jared Leto and Chris Hemsworth have all stood up for the three of you today.” 

“That was very kind of them.” Sam said with a slightly weird smile. “We haven’t met Jared Leto yet, but we’ve met both Mr. Hiddleston and Mr. Hemsworth. They were both really nice about my fan boy geek out.” 

Kevin laughed. “Yeah, those comic book movie types are pretty used to it. Don’t feel bad though…the first time I met Samuel L. Jackson…I squealed like a bitch, man. Looking back, it was funny as hell, though.” We’d arrived at the ‘SongBird’ table and Kevin looked over at Jill. “Ms. Scott, I’ve made sure that your little girl and her hubbies didn’t get lost…or go off on one of the reporters. You were right…Mr. Sam was about to go all the way off on the next person who made it seem like Miz Mercedes was responsible for their moment getting caught on tape…or phone as the case may be.” 

I looked over at Sam and realized that I’d been so busy keeping control of my temper that I’d missed how tenuous his had been. He leaned over and kissed my temple to show me that he was fine at that point. “Thank you, Ms. Jill.” Sam smiled at her. “They were really working my nerves. How on earth, not knowing anything about what happened, do they just all decide that this was Mercedes’ fault when if it was the fault of anybody, other than that jerk who invaded our privacy, it was mine.” 

I squeezed his hand. “No…remember, the only person at fault is the one who was actually doing something wrong. We were not behaving badly the person who recorded us without our knowledge was.” I reminded him as he held my chair out for me. We quickly shifted the subject and greeted our table mates for the evening. Sam, Noah and I were seated with Jill and her secret boyfriend Mike Dobson, Malik Yoba and his wife of eleven years, Cat Wilson, the Weitz brothers and their mother, Susan Kohner-Weitz, whose name I recognized from her role as Sarah Jane in Imitation of Life, which was one of my grandmother’s favorite movies. It had been about a young black woman who was so fair and light skinned that she was determined to live her life as a white woman. I told her very honestly that it was both an honor and a pleasure to meet the Golden Globe winner. Chris’s wife Mercedes Martinez was also at the table and she and I had a chuckle over our shared name and the fact that the men in both our lives had purchased us Mercedes cars to drive. 

Despite the underlying tension for us that evening, we had a great time. We met David Duchovny, which completely made Sam’s day and night and…I may have geeked out quite a bit myself. I was an X-Phile and may have even confessed to having written a fan fic or two in middle school. Mr. Duchovny was a trip. “How on earth did you see the show? You’d have been a baby when it was on the air.” 

“It’s true that I wasn’t born until its second season, but my parents have every episode on DVD. Well, first they had them on tape from where they had their VCR set to record them every week…then they bought the VHS box set…then gave those to me and my older brothers when they replaced them with the DVD box sets.” I told him honestly. 

“My parents were the same way.” Sam completely agreed. “I remember watching the last two seasons with them. My mother cried like Fox Mulder was a beloved family member when you ‘died’ and then again when you were resurrected. And my dad still has a grudge against Robert Patrick…he played the villain in Terminator and then Doggett…Nope Dad will have no truck with that man anymore.”

We all shared a laugh. “Well then I guess we need to take some selfies so you can send them to your parents.” The actor suggested. So, we did just that. Then David Duchovny spotted Gillian Anderson and Mitch Pileggi and he got them to take pictures with us too. It was beyond anything I’d experienced before. Especially when Gillian Anderson knew exactly who I was and she fan girled a little about our album and how much she loved it. She and Noah shared a love for rock and alternative so those songs from the album that leaned towards those styles were her favorites and it was great to see someone fawning over Noah a bit. 

Dinner was nice. We had a nice time chatting and eating. The tables were cleared at ten of five and every one had a few minutes to do any needed touch ups. The hosts for the evening were Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. They were topical and funny, though…to be honest…I could have lived without the Bill Cosby joke. I mean, the dad from Seventh Heaven was a child rapist and he wasn’t getting as much flack as Bill Cosby. But both Ms. Fey and Ms. Poehler really looked amazing. The awards started with the television awards. Gina Rodriguez’s acceptance speech came incredibly close to making me cry. During the commercial breaks people were all over the place, chatting and talking about things that almost made you forget that they were famous. We were asked about how our classes were going. Over the course of the night, Viola Davis, Kevin Spacey, Christine Baranski, Laura Linney, Samira Wiley and Anthony Mackie all came over to talk about their experiences at Julliard and it was awesome. Some of Samira Wiley’s teachers were still there. I had been shocked when I was nominated in the best supporting actress in a motion picture category. I had been completely floored, in fact. When Patricia Arquette won, I was ecstatic. I loved her in The Medium…and I knew I’d not deserved the award. I stood and clapped as hard as anyone. Her speech though. I seriously loved her and I loved her even more for her speech. 

During the commercial break after she returned to her seat, she wrangled Emma Stone, Keira Knightly, Meryl Strep and myself together to get a picture of all of us. After the picture, Patricia Arquette and Meryl Strep both hugged me and pulled me to the side. “When I heard that this was your first role…I couldn’t believe it. You did an amazing job and you, honestly have one of the most expressive faces I’ve ever seen. I saw your face when they read your name and when they read mine. I have never seen so much relief on anyone’s face in my life.” Ms. Arquette said gently. 

Mrs. Strep continued. “You think that you don’t deserve to have been nominated. Believe me…if you hadn’t done an amazing job, you wouldn’t have been. There are only a few singers who truly can cross back and forth between acting and singing. I think that you have what it takes to be one of them. Though I do have to say, your singing is pretty unparalleled in your generation.”

“Thank you…thank you both so much. I have to admit, I’ve enjoyed so many of your movies over my life…I really don’t believe that I deserve to be nominated in the same category as the two of you…or Emma Stone or Keira Knightly, really. And to be brutally honest, this weekend has kind of shook my world.” I said quietly. 

Meryl took one of my hands. “I cannot begin to understand the sense of violation and anger…all the emotions that you must be going through. But do not let the person who has done this win. You stay the course you are on. You continue to fight the stereotypes and the idiotic notions that women are only beautiful if they are a size nothing, or blonde with blue eyes, or under thirty-five or whatever limits they want to put on us next.”

“I assume that you all are fighting the release of the tape?” Patricia asked me. 

I nodded. “Yes ma’am. My uncle is our attorney and he has already started by filing an injunction to stop it from being put out any further than it has been.” 

“Good, you fight it and you fight it hard. Don’t let them make a mockery of your talent or the love you three share.” Meryl Strep said gently. Before she could say anything more, we had to return to our seats. 

I explained the interaction to my table and Jill nodded with a grin. “They are right. No one who knows the three of you in the least believe that you had anything to do with that tape other than having the misfortune of being caught during a private moment.” 

“I’ve been telling everyone who says anything around me that the three of you are great kids and are so talented that you had no need to release a sex tape…that’s for those people with no other way to get famous.” Chris Weitz said with a wicked smile. His brother cosigned. Those two had a lot of Hollywood clout, hopefully it would help.

“Thank you.” We all said together. 

During the next commercial break, the weirdest and yet the single most amazing thing in my whole life happened. Ava DuVernay came to our table and introduced herself. That was a treat in and of itself. Even though we were in competition against ‘Selma’, I’d loved the movie and was a huge fan. Sam said as much. Then added his own opinion. “’Selma’ is one of those movies, like ‘A Time to Kill’ where by the end of the movie…as a southern white male, I kinda wanna kick my own ass, ya’know. But that is a big part of what makes it so important. Mercy’s great uncles all say that the schools are whitewashing history and that makes no sense. Because like Churchill said, ‘Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it’. In one of my classes, some clown said that all innovations have been made by white men. The worst part was that he actually believed it. I told him that if it hadn’t been for George Washington Carver, agriculture in the south would have died even earlier because the cotton crops were killing the land. Carver found out that they needed to alternate with legumes like peanuts to put nutrients back in the soil. Then Puck pointed out the stoplight, the pacemaker and that a black man had invented the machine that allowed shoes to be made affordably, and gas masks that saved so many soldiers in WWII were all invented by black men.” 

Ms. DuVernay seemed to be amused by Sam’s enthusiasm and the breadth of his knowledge. “That is very true. But whitewashing can’t change the truth. It’s out there for anyone with the good sense to look. I did really want to meet the three of you, but even more, I’m sitting with someone who wants to meet you.” 

Puck looked confused even though me and Sam immediately stood to our feet. “Why didn’t they just come with you?” 

I rolled my eyes and pulled him up. “You’ll see in a second.” I whispered harshly, “come on. We are so not keeping her waiting.”

“Keeping who…Oh…her…yeah. No way are we keeping her waiting.” He said as he quickened his step when his mind caught up. 

Sure enough Ava took us to the ‘Selma’ table and there she was in a gorgeous black dress with gold and pearl embellishments at the neckline and down the side seams. I think I almost forgot to breath. She introduced herself, as if there were anyone on earth who didn’t know who she was, then she introduced us to David Oyelowo, John Legend and Common. “I asked to meet you because I know that you are going through a very trying time. It is incumbent upon those of us who have been in this business for a long time to help those who are just making their way to navigate the treacherous waters.”

“Ms. Winfrey, I know that a lot of people think we were pulling a Kardashian…but we really had no idea we were being recorded. We were just in the house we were having remodeled and got carried away.” Noah said quickly.

She gave us a calm and soothing smile. “I knew that. Jill Scott made sure that I knew that you would never do anything of the sort. What I meant by helping is to let you know that if you like, I can do what I can to make sure that others realize that you are not trying to take short cuts to higher heights.” 

“Oh, thank you.” I said sincerely. 

John spoke up quietly. “Chrissy and I feel the same way. And I want to add thank you for standing up for Ledisi on the Grammy performance. She was very, very honored that you thought enough of her performance to feel that the no one else could do the song justice.” 

I chuckled grimly. “It wasn’t enough, they just called Beyoncé and she agreed to do it.” That had hurt my heart. I was a major member of the Bey-Hive. I’d long stood up for her against people online who swore that she’d done Letoya, LaTavia, Farrah and Kelly and Michelle wrong. To have her pull something like helping the Grammy’s snub an amazing artist who was a fellow black woman, I didn’t think I would ever think of Beyoncé the same way I had before. 

Oprah reached out and took my hand. “You stood up for what you believed in. That was all you could do. We can only control our own choices and our own actions. You did the right thing.” 

“That means a lot. Thank you.” I was humbled by her words or maybe the fact that I was in her presence at all. 

Common and Puck started talking music, John Legend and Sam were doing the same. The ladies, we talked of a whole different subject. Chrissy Teigen broached the subject shamelessly. “So, I’m not gonna lie…I saw the minute or so of the video that’s online. Your boys are definitely showing the world that the whole white boys equal small dicks thing was a whole lot of BS, huh?” she said teasingly. 

For a moment I kind of forgot that I was sitting among some of the most influential black women in Hollywood and replied, “Oh, you have no idea," I chortled. Soon came the signal to return to our seats. Oprah Winfrey gave us the contact information for her social media manager and asked that we friend and follow hers. As soon as we got back to the table, I texted Darcy and in minutes our social media accounts all had a new friend. Then she followed us and within an hour or so we had a ton of new followers and even a boost in our iTunes sales. By the time, we lost the best original song to John Legend and Common, we felt like we were the winners. Because we knew that while there would be those who would enjoy our misery…there were also those who were on our side. 

The rest of the night we had a blast. The after parties for the Golden Globes were actually held at the Beverly Hilton, so everyone went from one to the other without changing or whatever. We kind of just went with the flow. The InStyle and Warner parties were my favorite I had fun at both. We met Channing Tatum and his gorgeous wife Jenna. He told Sam and Noah that since I was in a movie they needed to do one too. He told them that if they did decide to do another Magic Mike movie they were going to have to come out and at least play themselves in it or something. While they were talking through that, I was telling Jenna all about the last-minute dress drama. She fully understood. “Anne Hathaway had the same problem last year. Now she swears that she never only chooses one dress. She always has a backup plan.” 

“I think I’m going to follow that model from now on.” I chuckled. 

We actually called it a fairly early night, making it back to our hotel around twelve thirty. As soon as we were undressed, showered and chilling in our pajamas, Noah put a movie on the living room and pulled out the Golden Globe gift bags. Just the gift bags told you that the Golden Globes were a bigger deal than the People’s Choice Awards. While Wednesday’s gift bag had included a trip to Disneyland, the one we’d received for our nominations that night included a cruise that would take us around an Antarctic peninsula and up around Tasmania and New Zealand. A second trip would have us going to the Canadian Artic. With each of us having a trip for two and no time to take them at all, we very quickly made the choice to give our parents the cruise through the southern hemisphere. We decided to see if the Abrams, Lopez and Pierces would like to tour a top secret Canadian diamond facility. The rest of the bags were way more normal. My leather handbag contained beauty and fashion items from brands like Gucci, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Bugatti, L'Oreal Paris, Rituals, Ross & Brown, and StriVectin. 

Sam and Puck had each received a Lug roller bag that held products from Zirh, Ursa Major, Bumble and Bumble, Container Store, 4711 Original Eau de Cologne, Equinox, Gold Toe, Hello Products, L'Oreal Paris, Lug Life, Martial Vivot, Misfit Shine, and S'well. We soon decided how to distribute the gifts among our crew, clique and family. It was very rare that we kept much of the gift bag swag. For me, it was a simple matter that the makeup palettes, that were almost always included, just didn’t work for me. For Noah and Sam, they just weren’t all that interested in the extended ‘grooming’ rituals the gift bag contents heralded for them. They knew that Kurt and the Dam Bros and Brantley and Haja all were. They almost kept the rolling backpacks though but ultimately decided that Stevie and Ethan might need and like them far more than either of them did. 

We put everything away and I made double sure that all the Winston jewelry that would be picked up the following morning was back in its cases and securely locked in the room’s safe, along with my real jewelry. Once that was done, Sam, Noah and I climbed into the big bed and snuggled down for a while. We’d been a little hesitant about making love since we’d learned of the existence of the sex tape. even locked up tight in our hotel room, where we knew the only person who had a key and wasn’t in the room would never harm or betray us…and wouldn’t care if we were having sex on the balcony, because she just didn’t find sex an interesting subject for viewing, discussion or participation. I think that thirty-six hours without any sexual contact of any kind was Noah’s limit. “Look, I get it we’re all feeling some kind of way about the whole ‘what the actual fuck was that asshole thinking doing this to us’ bullshit. And when we find out who the hell it was, I’m all the way down for kicking his ass so hard his descendants have bruises to the seventh generation…unless it’s a chick then I will hold your purse, Cede, so you can do it. But I didn’t do anything wrong. You two didn’t do anything wrong. Why they hell should we be punishing ourselves?”

There was really no arguing with his logic, especially since neither Sam nor I wanted to. I made the first move, rolling up onto my knees and stripping off the black silk nightgown. I tossed it onto the chair I’d posed in front of in the teddy just a few nights’ prior before turning to look at my husbands. I put my hands on my hips and smirked at them until they moved to join me in nudity. The next two hours passed in a flurry of hands and teeth and tongues, thrusting and retreating, chasing and reclaiming the intimacy someone had tried to steal from us. It was a very good thing that I didn’t have to sing again until Friday. I called out to deities I didn’t even believe in that night as I was trapped in the infinite pleasure of being full, completely and totally full of Sam and Noah, surrounded and impaled by their love and desire and the perfect pleasure we could only share all together. 

I was positive that we slept better than we had the night before. I slept better than I had for the two nights previous. Sam would probably never understand why I hadn’t slept well Friday night…but FASHION was a huge part of my life with or without the fame. I knew how much it would have damaged my and KAMA’s brand if I’d been seen as a copycat or worse on the red carpet. As it was, I’d had to go back on one of my own beliefs about purchasing gowns myself. Ruth had explained to me that I could get away with it for a lot of the awards shows, but for the big four, the Emmys, the Grammys, the Oscars and the Tonys…it was one of those things that could have us on everyone’s tongues and not in a good way. I think that the situation that was brought to our attention Friday was one of those cases where ignorance was bliss. Because Noah, and to a greater extent, Sam didn’t know how important what a woman wore on the red carpet was, they just weren’t as worried. But I knew. I understood it so well that Thursday morning, while they slept in, I’d gotten up early and checked online to see who had made the best and worst dressed lists from the PCAs. When I realized that we’d made it into the Celebuzz best dressed list, I almost couldn’t believe it. I was scared to believe it, so I checked the International Business Times, VH1, The Gloss and several different big fashion blogs, not Dominique’s I knew she would big up KAMA…or not say anything at all if she thought that I looked like a hot shitty mess. But whether it was all three of us or just me…no matter how you sliced it, KAMA made each of them. They loved my hair and jewelry. I was heralded for bringing old Hollywood type glamour to the red carpet and not being afraid to embrace my curves and showing that fashion was attainable to those who wore something beyond a size zero. I snuck back into the bed and went to sleep with a huge smile on my face. 

The morning after the Globes, I slept so deeply and well that I didn’t wake up until Bubbie Ruth and Hudson forced the issue by bringing in breakfast and coffee. Hudson had come in early and returned the Winston jewels to the Harry Winston representative and his guard. Bubbie had gotten there an hour later and brought with her the clothing for Ellen. We showered and got on ‘round about’ clothes then we had breakfast and sat and talked with Bubbie until we had to go. I’d made a few more best dressed lists, but just as importantly KAMA was still on all the same ones we’d made Thursday. I finally had to ask Bubbie a question that had been bothering me for two days. “Are my parents really that mad at me? I haven’t really heard from them since the story broke.” 

“Oh Cede…no. Your parents are very upset and understandably so. But they are not mad at you. However, they are having some trouble with speaking in a calm and reassuring tone. In fact, Benton has been yelling for pretty much the last forty-eight hours straight. Sander and Antwan are keeping him from doing or saying anything that they think he will regret. George is not allowed out the house without Becah until tomorrow though. He’s on punishment for beating up a guy at the country club Saturday morning. Danica has been cleaning…obsessively. I almost hope that whoever did this to the three of you is a male…she has some seriously good ideas about what to do to them to make you three and all of your parents feel avenged.” She said gently. “We were hopeful that they would be ready to talk like normal people and not enraged parents later today. But then you guys didn’t win last night and now they are pissed off at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association…so…”

I nodded. I could actually understand the caution of the rest of the family. They just didn’t get that Momma and Daddy probably wouldn’t be able to get over their mad until they realized that I was at least mostly okay. So, I excused myself and headed into the bedroom. They would be at the office so I called them there. I made small talk for a couple of minutes with their receptionist, Paula, while they finished up with patients. Finally, she transferred me into Daddy’s office. Momma’s voice was so concerned and yet so strong. It was so…it was my momma’s voice and I had needed to hear it. “MeDe, Baby, are you okay? I know you’ve gotta be hurtin’. You say the word and we’ll cancel our appointments for the week and come and get you.” 

“Momma…I’m fine. I just needed to hear your voice. I mean, this is just surreal. I’ve never…I never thought that anything like this could happen to me…to us. I never. I don’t think we’ve done anything to deserve this.” If I was crying a little, who could blame me.

“Look here MeDe…no one deserves this. This is even worse than what happened to Tommy and Pamela Anderson Lee. At least they knew the movie was being made even if they never thought anyone other than the two of them would see it.” Daddy said boldly. “This muthafucker betta make sure I never find his ass. I will catch a case behind this and happily do my damn time.”

“I just…I don’t understand why anyone would do this.” I felt like I was whining, but dammit I kind of felt like I deserved to whine for a minute. I’d been mature and strong for my husbands and for our fans. I needed a moment to just be. 

“Someone probably saw a chance for a come up. It had to have been one of the guys working on the renovation. Call Ms. Mann and Mr. Beck and have them all checked out. The three of you should take some time and go to the police and press charges. You were not actually in a public place. Filming you without your consent is a crime and it is punishable by fines and jail time.” Momma answered. 

I didn’t know we could do that. “Do you really think we should?” 

“Hell yeah you should. You need to make sure people understand that the three of you were victimized by this freak of nature.” Daddy said with a growl of anger. 

I thought about it. “We’re due at the Ellen studio at three. Do you think we could go and give our statements in two hours?” 

They didn’t know for sure so the next thing I know, Uncle Ethan was conferenced in. I didn’t even know they could conference someone in when I’d started the call. “It is a great idea. I should have thought to tell you that one myself. I was so concentrated on what I could do to stop this I never even considered a non-litigious legal remedy. Give me twenty minutes, I’ll make the arrangements for you to go in and give your statements at one. It shouldn’t take more than an hour. Make sure that you have Ms. Mann’s and Mr. Becks’ contact information with you because the officers are going to need to know who their subcontractors are. I want you and the guys get dressed as if you are going to a business meeting. You can go from there to the studio.” 

My uncle knew his shit. I ran out and told the guys of the change in plans. “Hell yeah.” Sam crowed. “I’m glad that there is finally something we can do to fight this bullshit.” He said happily. 

I don’t know how we managed it but Bubbie and I pulled together my black wide leg pants, a plum purple, silk, ruffle front blouse with a mock neckline with keyhole front; rouleau buttons with keyhole at back. I had actually found a great pair of black ankle booties when we were searching for the white lingerie to go under my dress on Saturday. I quickly threw on those three pieces over my bra and panties. I found a simple pair of diamond stud earrings, my every day, silver big face watch and my cross. Bubbie did my makeup for me just because she could achieve the same level of polish in less time. By the grace of God, we managed to be ready by the time Uncle Ethan called me back. 

Junior and Binkie accompanied the five of us to the LA county sheriff’s department’s Marina del Rey station. There we were introduced to Officers Santiago, Williams and Higgles. They separated us and took our individual statements about what had happened that Thursday at the house. I had to say at least three times that we had no knowledge of and had not and never would have given our consent to being filmed. Then I had to sign the statement. I made sure to use my legal signature. They brought us all back together to talk through the next steps. “It is a crime to film someone without their express consent during a moment where there is the expectation of privacy. Since you were on private property and did your best to ensure that you were alone and in a contained and private area, you did fulfill that last portion.” Officer Williams said with quiet authority. 

“So, the next thing we will do is to identify which subcontractors were there that day. Once we’ve done that…we can try and narrow it down enough to get a warrant to search their phones and computers.” Officer Higgles told us. “I don’t want to lie to you…this will probably not be a quick process. Only after we find the right person and arrest them will the case be sent to the DA to decide if it should go to trial.” 

“So even though we want to press charges, it may not matter if the DA doesn’t want to take it to trial?” Sam asked curiously. 

“Yes and no. If you three, as the victims, want to press the issue they will certainly take that under advisement.” Santiago responded. “At this point you’ve started the process. We can utilize this to make sure that the press will let up on you three. When Attorney Harris called, we got our tech department to check through the portion of the video available on line. It was taken with an Android phone…probably a Samsung.” 

“At first we thought that you three were just trying to cover your proverbial asses by claiming that the tape was made without your permission. But our techs said that there was no way you were even aware of the camera.” Officer Williams was pretty blunt in the matter.

Hudson came over and whispered that we needed to go to make the taping in time. She passed the officers her card and Uncle Ethan’s. “Officers, thank you very much for your help with this matter.” She said officially. “We have a prior engagement that we have to leave for now. If there is nothing further?”

“No…we have all we need to move forward.” Officer Santiago noted. “We will contact Attorney Harris to discuss matters further. We understand that with the injunction in play, he may get his hands on the contract before we do.”

“We appreciate your understanding. Again, thank you. We hope that you’ll be able to find the person who violated Ms. Jones, Mr. Evans and Mr. Puckerman’s privacy.” Hudson was hiding her shyness behind a wall of professionalism so we quickly gave Officer Santiago the autograph he wanted for his college aged daughter and hurried ourselves along before that wall could start to crumble. 

It took us no time at all to get back into the QX80 the Peninsula had been kind enough to let us have for the day. The drive was filled with Daniel telling us what information we should make sure we got out there and what to keep quiet. He talked with us about how to address the ‘scandal in the making’. He told us to hint as to the next CD and tour. We made it over to Ellen’s studio over in Burbank in time to get us into hair and makeup. I had to give her staff props. They did me right. Long ringlet based curls feathered back from my face with a slightly off center part framed my face and boobs just the way I liked. My makeup was nice and natural with a bold deep fuchsia lip and a stark kitten slash eyeliner. I slipped on the black shaper slip and the pretty Trina Turk fosse, bell-sleeve, floral faille cocktail dress that Bubbie Ruth had found, and probably tailored, which fit me like a dream. I finished the look off with a pair of six inch, platform, peep-toe, Louboutin T-strap pumps. Sam and Puck were looking as good as I felt too. Puck was looking like a handsome devil in a red cashmere V-neck pull over, almost black navy blue Ferragamo slacks, and black Timberland boots. Puck never minded wearing super designer clothes, but he kind of preferred shoes that wouldn’t be trashed if he wore them on his bike. Bubbie Ruth had played up Sam’s good guy persona with gray flannel slacks, a blue and gray based plaid, light flannel button down shirt, gray and blue color blocked zip-front cardigan and brown Prada hiking boots finished his look. I got why Sam preferred to have others shop for him. He hated spending the types of money that needed to be spent on the type of clothes he had to wear for things like interviews and such. Having Bubbie buy the clothes gave him a ‘plausible deniability’ as to the cost…even if he was only denying it to himself. 

Ellen came to meet us in the green room. She was so very kind. I immediately said something that had been on my mind since Wednesday. “It is wonderful to meet you. Please tell your wife that she looked amazing in that blue Murad jumpsuit. It was such a great suit and it looked perfect on her.” 

Ellen chuckled. “That’s hilarious, because when I left home today, Portia told me to tell you that she loved both your Armani and your…no wait, don’t tell me…she made me promise I wouldn’t forget…Naheem Khan.”

“Wow. That’s awesome.” I said happily. “Tell her I said thank you, please.”

Ellen said that she would and moved onto business. “Okay, you three are up after the interview with Penny Van Lanen-Hofstadter. Now, I know that the three of you are having some troubles, so after the introduction and some chatting, we’ll get that on out of the way. I know that the main reason you guys need this is to get the word out that you are not behind the video and that it was all done without your permission. Then we’ll play either Last Dance or Five Second Rule. Your pick. But the rule here is that I don’t play Last Dance against people who can actually dance…so that one would only be open to Sam or Puck.” Her smile was truly terrifying. I was pretty sure that she knew that neither of my men were great dancers in any shape, form or fashion. 

“Well, I guess that we can do Five Second Rule…that way we can all play.” I suggested. 

“Oh good. because I’ve been looking forward to getting Emma Stone on the dance floor later this week.” She chortled. 

Sam laughter soon followed. “Please tell me when that episode is coming on. I think she is the only person whiter than me, our sister Tessa and our friend Quinn. I’d kill to see her dance.” 

She had to take her leave then. The show started about ten minutes later. She did her monologue and was as funny and charming as always. After the monologue, they called out the blonde, who had won ‘Favorite Comedic Actress’ at Wednesday’s award show. While she was with Ellen, her husband came into the green room we were waiting in. He introduced himself and asked, “Okay, so my friend Howard swears that he has met you and your guitarist is his cousin.” 

Sam started to hum ‘It’s a Small World’. I swatted him to get him to stop. “Oh, Howard Wolowitz, yeah he is Artie’s cousin. He and his wife Bernadette came to our graduation.” I responded. 

Puck cosigned. “His wife had a nice rack…almost as good as our wife’s. Naw, I’m just kidding. They were cool. I think Artie is planning on making sure they have tickets when we come out to LA next summer.”

“Oh, cool.” Leonard said with a big smile. 

I had a thought. “Was Wednesday, Penny’s first award show?” 

He nodded. “Yeah, it’s been kind of a whirlwind. She actually only got back into acting after getting the part playing Kaley on Absolute Uncertainty. In fact, she had to take a day off from her job as a pharmaceutical sales rep to even audition. She’d given up on acting the year before.”

We chatted until Penny came back then we barely had time to greet her before we were called to position. Ellen’s introduction was very positive and then we came out to ‘The Fighter’. In Ellen tradition, we danced our way to the sofa that had replaced the arm chair Penny had used. Sam took the seat closest to Ellen with me in the middle and Noah on the end nearest the cameras. We were angled in such a way that no one was blocked staging wise. “Welcome, welcome. You three are taking the world by storm.” Ellen chatted amicably. “The whole world knows your names and more importantly they know your voices. But I wanted to have you on because Sam, on the way up to get your People’s Choice Award gave me a hug and said something that, just made my day. Sam, why don’t you tell the people what it was?”

Sam’s blush was bright enough to have been seen from space. “I said, that I was sorry for hugging you out of the blue, but it would probably be my only chance to hug the woman my mother said is one of the bravest in Hollyweird.” He admitted. 

Ellen chuckled. “Now I wanted to ask you why your mother says that…but we didn’t get another chance to speak before today. So why?” 

“I…um…I guess, because you came out at a time when it easily could have cost you your entire career. You didn’t have to. You could have easily kept your personal life to the shadows. But you were brave enough and strong enough to do what was best for the most people. Your decision was hard as hell but you made it possible for so many other people to accept themselves and be gay or trans or whatever. My mother is a straight, white woman from the south, but I don’t remember a time when she didn’t tell me that there was ‘no person walking this earth that God didn’t put here’. The devil is a liar and can throw temptation into our way, but he cannot create anyone or anything. Therefore, God meant for certain people to be straight and others to be gay or bi or whatever. The thing we need to remember is that God is love and we should love each other. My mom thinks that you, kind of, embody that for a lot of people.” 

Ellen was looking at the camera with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. “Wow. Whew. I…Thank you very much Mrs. Evans. That…I’m truly touched.”

“Well, I’m just happy I got to relay the message. I took the chance because I saw how much it sucked for Mercy, Bubbie Ruth and our friend Kurt that Joan Rivers passed away before Mercy could meet her. You’ve got quite some time to go before it’s really a concern, but you never know what could happen…especially with you being on these crazy LA highways every day.” He joked. 

The joke wasn’t great, but it was enough to release the heavy tension that had settled over us. “So, last week had to have been a roller coaster for you guys, huh? You won two out of three of the PCAs you were nominated for…but lost both Mercedes’ nomination for best supporting actress in a motion picture and KAMA’s nom for best original song in a motion picture at the Globes. Then the three of you made the best dressed list for your People’s choice red carpet looks, and Mercedes made it again for last night. But the Golden Globes losses weren’t the worst of what’s gone on in your lives this week.” 

“Nope…that title would definitely have to be given to having our privacy invaded and our boning put out for all the world to see.” Noah returned. “Not that we have anything to be ashamed of. We have a beautiful wife and our love making is damn near inspirational, it’s so good. But it’s ours. Then some, word I’m not gonna say on National television, who decided to abuse our trust, steal our intimacy and use it to get their payday. Well, they are out of luck.” 

I agreed. “We would never allow our special private time to be filmed, not even just for us, let alone for the whole wide world. So, we are fighting the release of that tape with everything we have. The person who made it will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and anyone who distributes it, or tries to is going to go bankrupt before our lawyers are done with them.” 

Sam’s smile was predatory and chilling. “And they all better hope that the police and the lawyers get to them first. I’m perfectly willing to stomp a mudhole in that sumofab-word and walk him dry…I don’t think a jury in the world would convict me.” 

“Not if they get a jury of your peers. Most of Hollywood’s A and B list celebrities would certainly understand the justification. None of us mind sharing ourselves with the world. We wouldn’t do what we do if we did…but at the same time, we need to be able to keep some things private and to ourselves. I would hate it if someone filmed Portia and I in our personal and private time. I cannot even imagine how hard this must be on you all.” Ellen said seriously. 

“I just don’t understand why someone would hurt us this way. I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever done anything to anyone who could have done this.” I said sadly. Sam wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pressed a kiss to my temple. 

Puck quickly came back with, “I know you’ve never done anything to deserve this. I know that Sam has never done anything to deserve this. Hell, I’ve done quite a bit that I’m not necessarily proud of…there are plenty of husbands in Lima who can lay all my sins out for you. But I know that I don’t deserve this BS either. Maybe I could make a case for Timothy McVeigh or Ted Bundy or Adolph Hitler that they’d deserve something like this to have happened to them…but they would be about it.”

The audience found his absurd statement funny, as he had probably intended which was good because it gave us a laugh for Ellen to go to commercial on. When we came back from commercial, where Ellen brought the audience’s moral back up, we turned to a nicer subject. “So, I understand that you three are back in the studio?”

“Yes, we got back in right after Christmas.” I said with a smile. “We’ve already gotten a dozen songs in the can.” 

“We’re hopeful that we can get at least ten more songs ready for the final mix before classes start back after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.” Sam chimed in. “From there it should be fairly easy to give us thirty or so to choose from before the first of February.” 

“Yeah, it would be awesome if we could get our album to drop on our anniversary since it’s a Tuesday this year.” Puck chimed in. 

“Now…you three got engaged last December, so that’s not it. What anniversary are you looking at?” Ellen asked leadingly. 

“Well, we actually count the night of our junior prom. It was the night the beautiful and bodacious and usually smart Miss Mercedes Jones decided to give the two of us the chance to show her how much we were interested in her. You’ve all heard our story. That night was the night that really started it all.” Puck said with his most charming smile. 

The audience applauded and awed with Noah’s sweet admission. Ellen smiled at him gently. “So, what else is on the horizon for KAMA?” 

I decided to handle that one. “Well, plans were just solidified and it is now officially official that KAMA will undertake a North American tour next summer. Check out our site, KAMA dot com, for more information and dates.” 

Ellen used that admission to throw to commercial. When we came back from that commercial break we were standing around a large circular table with a red button on top in the center. We were joined by Penny VanLanen-Hofstadter and they made sure that we could all reach the button easily. When we came back from commercial. Ellen explained the rules of the game for the audience and well us too. “So, since we have such an even distribution of genders, let’s do this as Five Second Rule, battle of the sexes.”

Penny and I bumped fists and laughed and said it was on. She was looking really cute in a black and blush dress with flower trim around the waist. She’d come out in black and pink sneakers. It was a really good look on her. In true competitor fashion, Puck and Sam replied, “Like Donkey Kong” to our taunt. And we were off. “Alright first one…you have five seconds to name three famous bald people…ladies first.” 

“Umm…Patrick Stewart.” I blurted out. 

“Right, and Lex Luthor.” Penny shouted happily.

“Sinead O’Connor.” I hit the button with zero point three seconds left on the timer. We celebrated with a chest bump. 

Penny laughed. “That was so totally inequitable a chest bump…but we both stuck the landing.”

Ellen smiled. “I think only Chaka Khan and Aretha Franklin can have an equitable chest bump with Mercedes.” She teased gently. 

“They are probably the only people with a shot at out singing her too.” Penny agreed, making me blush. “Sorry, huge fan.” She admitted. 

We were forced back to attention when Ellen turned to the guys. “Alright gentlemen, Five Seconds to name three things you might find in a garage.” 

As soon as the timer started, Sam rattled off; “tools, lawn mowers, and bikes.” Then Noah hit the button. It had been less than two seconds. 

“Wow…that may be the quickest time yet.” Ellen chuckled then turned to us. “Since that one seemed to be incredibly easy for the guys, I’ll give you an easy one too. Five seconds to name three types of jewelry.” 

“Necklaces, rings, bracelets, anklets, earrings…” Penny said so quickly I didn’t see how she and Sam weren’t related. I slapped the button before she could completely shame the boys. 

“More than three but okay. Let get to some harder stuff. Gentlemen, name three things you do when no one is looking.” 

“Fart.” Puck offered after a second of thought.

Sam shrugged, “scratch personal places?” 

Then they stalled…when there was half a second left Puck got desperate. “Jerk off?” then slammed the button. 

“Ladies…three favorite body parts of the opposite sex.” Ellen gave us a sly smile. 

I shrugged and decided to just be honest. “Butt, biceps and penis.” I said quickly. 

Penny decided that there was enough time to give hers too. “Brains, smile and tongue.” 

Puck blocked the button so he could give his too. “Breasts, butt, and hips.” 

The buzzer chimed, Sam looked at Ellen and she just said he might as well give his too. “Thighs, eyes and hands.” 

“I cannot believe you said penis.” Penny laughed. “I mean, I thought it…but you said it.” 

Ellen laughed. “Well that’s all the time we have for today’s show. I think we have to give Five Second Rule to the ladies today. Thank you to our guest Penny VanLanen-Hofstadter, and KAMA, Mercedes Jones, Sam Evans and Noah Puckerman. Please tune in tomorrow when my guests will be Emmy and Golden Globe winner Julianna Margulies and Grammy award winner Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson will perform. Be kind to one another, bye.”

We headed back stage and Ellen met Leonard and learned about our six degrees of separation situation. We all talked for a while before we all exchanged autographs. I had to get Leonard’s for Vince’s friend who happens to be a girl…she looked up to him and Artie’s cousin a whole lot. We left the studio and went out for dinner. When we got back to our hotel, we literally just showered, made love and slept until a few hours before our late checkout the next day. It was ten on the east coast when we arrived at LaGuardia. By the time, we got home…there were just no words for how happy we were to see our safe place. We talked with the crew, Santana and Brittany were a little hot like fire that we’d made a sex tape. Though Santana was saying that shit to bust our chops…I wasn’t sure Britts ever did realize that we hadn’t known about it until the rest of the world did. They had held us down, putting out a statement from our camp that demonstrated that they supported us and had our backs no matter what. 

Artie, however, had a different take on it. “You guys know you’re too famous to get down wherever you happen to be when the mood strikes. That was a dumbass move, Puckerman.” He chided. “Now, we’ve gotta catch a case behind some fool who didn’t have to take advantage of the moment…but y’all should have known better.” 

I groaned. “Man, Artie…you know I love you like my brother from another mother…but you’ve gotta shut up. It took two days to get Sammy to stop blaming himself. You aren’t helping that.” 

Artie’s jaw hit the floor. He was too stunned to speak, but his wifey wasn’t. “You mean Sam…Sam Evans…he started the only semi-private nookie.” Santana laughed hard. “Damn, Trouty…results be damned, I’m proud of you.” The clowning that that admission started didn’t end for two hours. 

It was one in the morning before we finally made it to our bedroom. It was great having a bath tub we could all fit in again, so we took a nice long soak before going to bed. We made love, finding comfort in the security our home offered, before finally falling into a deep, restful sleep. My last thought before slumber took me under was that Ellen had been right, our week in Los Angeles and been one hell of a roller coaster ride. I just hoped that we could recover from it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would very much like some Comments...I'd like all the comments, but I am willing to settle for some.   
> Think of them as Christmas gifts...or Kwanzaa gifts or something. 
> 
> I hope that you all have a great Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa and that everyone has a Happy and Safe New Year. (Except maybe They who shall not be named)
> 
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	23. Impossible is Nothing (Iggy Azalea) & 100 Years (Five for Fighting)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The licks jut keep on coming, while time flies on swift feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Perfect Attendance by KayBee80

Impossible is Nothing (Iggy Azalea)  
Sam PoV

Twenty fifteen had just gotten started and already the licks just kept coming. When we got back to New York, we got called to the carpet by Rangeman. I have never felt as small and as stupid as I felt during that hour. We were awoken by Hudson and Bautista really early that Wednesday morning. “Mr. Manoso wants to meet with the three of you at ten, at the Rangeman office in Manhattan," Hudson explained when she finally got us awake. “Ethan will meet you at Rangeman. In addition to that, you also have an emergency appointment with the Warner team at Warner’s Midtown offices at one. Your uncle will ride with you from Rangeman to Warner, but Haja, Daniel and Darcy will be meeting you there.”

I couldn’t help but feel like we were being called to the principal’s office. Our parents still weren’t exactly happy with us, at least my mother wasn’t. She thought it was a stupid mistake to have made and she told me so. I could also easily tell that Mercedes was kind of tense whenever we weren’t home. Puck noticed too, but he didn’t see that he had been more hyperaware of our surroundings until we closed the brownstone’s doors behind us the night before too. I sighed and got out of the bed. There was nothing we could do but keep moving forward. With that thought in mind, I went and showered while Mercedes and a newly arrived Kurt decide what Puck and I should wear. Puck ended up in a burgundy Henley with dark wash jeans and a leather blazer with his motorcycle boots, while I was instructed to wear a dark green pullover sweater with an ivory tee-shirt, charcoal Dockers and my gray work boots. My outfit was topped with a winter weight charcoal sport coat. Mercedes looked incredible in a black and gray hounds tooth, Ponte dress and black knee high dress boots with a small block heel. I could tell from how fierce her hair and makeup were, that she had totally prepped for battle. As we headed down stairs, I found myself wishing I had a secret weapon to feeling that strong and confident. Junior and Binkie met us in the kitchen to provide our security for the drive over. They had told us all about ourselves during a quiet moment in LA. It had taken some doing, but we no longer felt their disappointment in us like it was a physical presence. Bautista had her homemade version of breakfast hot pockets and coffee in travel mugs waiting on us. We’d gotten out of our beds a little before eight and by a quarter after nine, we were heading to the lower east side where Rangeman had its offices.

“Mr. Evans, Ms. Jones, Mr. Puckerman…were you not told that if you left your hotel you needed to call Junior and Binkie to have them accompany you?” Ranger’s voice was calm and steady and for some reason, it kind of made me want to pee myself.

Puck, of course, was unfazed. “In our defense, they said that we were to call them if we were going out in public, and we weren’t. We were just going to check on our house.”

Ranger looked over at his right hand man and shook his head. “Tank, when I leave Heywood to go to my home…is that going into public?”

Tank smirked. “Well, you are using public sidewalks, public roads. If you go through an intersection, you’re on candid camera so, yeah, I’d say you were going out into public. And, by the way, that coffee stop was sure as hell a public place," he pointed out with a sad shake of his head. He wasn’t even related to me and he managed to make me feel like I did on the few occasions when my dad was disappointed in me. It was not a good feeling.

Mercedes sighed. “I am not trying to make excuses, but we just thought that it would be a quick walk through to see the progress on the house. We didn’t realize that we would end up having to make a massive change to the budget and plans and everything. What we originally thought would be a half hour, tops turned out to take the better part of the afternoon. Do I wish that someone hadn’t filmed us and sold it off as if it were their rights? Of course, we do. Do I wish we hadn’t gotten so carried away? No. There isn’t a single time that Sam, Noah and I have been together that I regret. We are normal young adults in love with each other.”

Ranger jumped all over that last statement. “See, that’s where you are wrong. You are young adults in love and that’s wonderful for you and your families and to be perfectly honest, it seems to rub off on everyone you come in contact with. My cousin and Hal are happier than they have been in years. But what you aren’t is normal. You are famous and you are becoming very wealthy. Things have changed since you were just a triad in high school, and even since you first came to New York.” He said sternly.

“Look, the same thing that makes you ideal clients is exactly what caused this mishegoss.” Tank said in his quietly scary way. Puck looked surprised that the huge, black guy had used a Yiddish word. But when it came to Rangemen, I didn’t think I could ever be surprised by the depth and breadth of their knowledge. “You guys are honorable and you are nice. I mean it. I didn’t think kids your ages were either one of those things anymore. But because you are honorable and nice…you assume everyone is. And while there are certain persons who are honorable, they are sure as hell few and far between in LA. As for being nice…there are individuals who are nice. But people on the whole are assholes of the first order.”

“Um…thank you?” I said in confusion.

“Look,” Ranger said with a long suffering sigh. “I want your word, because I know that if you give it, you will live by it. I want your word that you will not go out alone unless you are in your home town.”

“What? Why?” Puck asked quickly.

Ranger gave him a look that would have made a lesser man quake in his boots. “Be happy I’m giving you Lima. I wanted to put men on you ‘round the clock for the foreseeable future. Hector has been hearing some threats to your safety on the deep web that has us concerned.”

Puck and I exchanged looks over Mercedes head. We’d known that eventually she would find out about the cyber part of our security and why we were so careful about having it monitored. Neither of us wanted her to know about the horrific things people who tried to remain completely anonymous said about her and us, but mostly her. “What’s the deep web?” Mercy asked for clarification.

Ranger called in Grunt and had him explain. I finally heard him speak beyond a grunt and I kind of got why he only grunted. His voice sounded like a cartoon character. I mean, the dude was big and built, but sounded kind of like Mickey Mouse. “The deep web is the same thing as the invisible web, or the hidden web. No matter what you call it, it’s all the same thing; parts of the net whose contents are not indexed by standard search engines for any reason. The deep web includes many very common uses such as web mail, online banking but also paid for both legal and illegal services with a paywall such as video on demand and a lot of shadier stuff too. Mercs and hitmen love it. As do pervs and the smarter pedos. In this case someone is using it to pretty much stalk Ms. Jones. As near as we can tell, they have already gotten a hold of her class schedule and tried to access the KAMA servers at your office. The attempts to get past Ms. Lewis attached a malware to their trail that allowed Hec and I to back-hack them to a certain degree and find out a load of information. But this person is smart. They seem to have a dedicated everything just for their illicit activities.”

“So, someone is stalking my niece online, but you can’t tell us who because they have a dedicated computer and everything. Well, am I wrong to think that that is worrying because if they can afford separate shit just to stalk Benzie, they must have money," Ethan growled.

Grunt gave him a ‘you aren’t wrong’ look-slash-grunt. Ranger looked a little, well…he looked like he always looked, but there was an almost palpable aura of anger about him. Tank saw that neither of them were going to speak, so he answered Ethan. “That does make this person both more and less dangerous. As you said, the perp is more dangerous because they have more resources to dedicate to their obsession. But that isn’t the only reason. They are showing themselves to be more intelligent than the usual perp. Their money could also help us, in that when one has more resources, you inevitably have more to lose.”

“So, what do we need to do?” I asked immediately.

Ranger, Grunt and Tank exchanged looks. “First and foremost? Give us your word that you will not ditch your detail again.”

“You have it.” Puck said quickly. “Whatever it takes to keep Sexy Mama safe.”

Ranger nodded. “Good. We’ll leave things as we established before you went to LA for the time being, with Binkie, Junior and Manny rotating between the three of you and your daughter here in town. Hector is now monitoring all of your families’ security systems remotely. He and Grunt will continue to monitor the deep web. But we would also like to attempt to get a profile worked up in this person. It’s my hope that with a profile in hand, we’ll be less likely to be surprised.”

Ethan nodded. “That makes a certain amount of sense. I have a friend I went to law school with, his brother is a section chief of the BAU down at Quantico. Sean’s working as a chef here in Manhattan, I’ll give him a call and see if I can’t get his brother to take a look.”

“Manny’s also got a contact down there, a woman he went through FBI training with is one of their profilers as well.” Ranger said quietly. “Hopefully between the two of you we’ll be able to get a yes.”

Mercy looked thoughtful. “Hannah dated an FBI agent back in the day. They stayed friends. I might be able to get you a name and contact information for him too. If it would help.”

There were curt nods from Tank, Grunt and Ranger. “Mr. Manoso, I am sorry about what happened. I can’t help but feel like this was all my fault.”

I got popped by both Mercy and Noah. “They are right. While there is some responsibility on your part, because this wouldn’t have happened had you taken your detail with you as you were supposed to, the only person at fault is whoever made the recording.” Ranger told us. Everyone had said something similar, but it was taking a while to sink into my brain.

Our Rangeman meeting was soon over. Ethan had something to discuss with Ranger and we got shooed out of the room like we were toddlers, but then again…maybe it didn’t have anything to do with us. After all, Ethan and Amanda were saving up to buy a new house, maybe they were just trying to find out more about having a system installed or something. I refused to become one of those big headed people who always thought that everyone was always talking about them. When we left Rangeman’s offices, we had enough time to stop for lunch. I was shocked as hell when my cell phone rang as we were being shown to our seats. I was even more surprised that it was my cousin girl Sam. I shooed them on and moved into an alcove to answer it. Soon as I said hello, I was immediately hit with a barrage of yelling. “WHAT THE HELL Sam? Like seriously, do you know how hard it is to get your damn cell number? I had to literally force Adam Lambert to call P!nk…who called someone else. I’ve been trying to call you for days. I had to be patient Samuel…me patient.” She lambasted me.

“Sorry, Samantha,” I stressed her entire name. “What’d you want?” I asked her cautiously.

She laughed. “I need a favor.”

Of course, she needed a favor. “Of course, you need a favor. That’s why you didn’t just call MeMaw for my number.”

“Well, if I had called Nonna Rosie, I’d have had to tell her my news and I don’t want to tell anybody until I have some serious surety that this is going to become a reality," she shot back.

That meant it was something good. We Pucketts tended not to believe something good was really real until it was actually real. I faked optimism better, but I still had my genetically predestined moments. “So what did you need to make this thing a real deal thing? Oh, and what is the thing?”

“The thing is ICE and NYU," she said as if I were supposed to understand what the hell that meant.

“Oh kay?”

“Institute of Culinary Education and Tisch School of Filmmaking at NYU. Carly’s been trying to get into Columbia for-ever. Finally, they want her. While she was applying there for herself, she was also applying at ICE for me and at NYU for Freddie. Ya know, so we could keep doing our very well known and really rather lucrative web-show…rather than her being in Manhattan all alone. Which I knew better than to bother asking you to keep an eye out for her.”

“Not my fault your bestie makes me want to run far, far, far from her presence every single time she opens her mouth.” I pointed out.

She let out a sound of complete irritation. “I don’t understand what you and Pam have against Carly. Anyway, ICE…Sam…NYU we’re both in and with degrees from there…rather than the Art Institute of Seattle, Freddie and I will be able to like create a real like, yah know, future or whatever for Twinkie, Ham and Bacon.”

“The nicknames you give my adorable little cousins.” I chided. “Still haven’t heard the favor.” I had a pretty good idea what it was. I just wanted to make her say it.

“Fine, I need help getting a place for me, Freddie and the trio of Munchee-chees. Carly’s brother is selling his place here so she and he are taken care of, Freddie’s mom is a nurse, so she’s gonna be golden, but even though the iCarly money sure as hell ain’t bad, it isn’t three bedroom apartment in an area of New York where I don’t have to worry about my children being kidnapped and sold to white slavers.” Girl-Sam finally stated bluntly.

I thought about it. “You wouldn’t need this until the fall right?”

“Yeah, whenever fall classes start at NYU. The calendar at ICE is less rigid.”

I thought about it. “Accept the admissions for the fall. I’ll make sure that you and the triplets of adorableness have a roof over your heads.” And if I have to I’ll make sure they can feed themselves too.

“Samuel…it will be a loan. I will pay you back every dime or pay you rent or something. Understood?” Samantha growled.

“Do you understand that you’ll only be three hours or so from Melanie at Harvard?” I snarked.

Girl-Sam grunted. “Yes, but she also swears that she will be available for weekend babysitting at least twice a month. AND we’ll be closer to the ‘Voice That Makes All Three of My Kids Sleep at The Same Time’ So, I’m willing to deal with ‘She Who Stole My Face’.”

“You poor, poor soul. You are going to get so sick of seeing my wife and your sister.” I chuckled. “Anyway, I’ve gotta go. It’s our last meal before we got to Warner and see how much trouble we’re in.”

“Oh yeah…sex tape. Your mom has totally got that covered. Cousin Gino down in LA should have you a name within a week, end of the month at the absolute latest.” Girl-Sam said confidently.

I laughed merrily. “I forgot Gino works construction in LA. Damn, I hope you are right. The guilt is eating me alive.”

“I knew it was your idea.” She laughed happily. “Spencer owes me a year’s subscription to the international bacon club. Dude, don’t sweat it. Stop apologizing for some shit someone else did. You were with your spouses. Could you have waited ‘til you were behind a door that locked? One would have thought, but impulse control has never been a Puckett trait. Still, this guy has done some serious Karmic injustice. Just wait, his ass is going to be throwing himself on the mercy of the court before you know it.” She assured me. Then she hung up on me…Girl-Sam had never been a fan of manners, or goodbyes.

I joined my loves, Uncle Ethan, Junior and Binkie at our table and found that they had ordered for me. As we rushed through lunch, I brought Puck and Mercy up to date on the happenings with Girl-Sam and in my family. “I do hope that your cousin can get us that name.” Ethan said with an evil grin. “By the time, I’m finished with whoever did this, they are going to owe you their first, second and third borns.”

I wasn’t sure you could win future children in a lawsuit, but I understood his underlying message. “I just like having the news of the criminal investigation, and the fact that we have someone individually looking into the identity of the asshole…I was feeling as if I was going to be called to the carpet at Warner.”

“They wouldn’t have put out the statement of support if they were going to pull your contract. You might get sanctioned a little bit, but you should be fine.” Ethan pointed out.

Puck agreed. “Besides, we just won two out of three People’s Choice Awards and we’re up for a couple of Grammys. That should give us some protection.”

It was with those thoughts easing my mind that we finished up our quick lunch and headed to the Warner offices. When we got there, Gina was waiting on us in the lobby. “Hey guys, they are ready for you in your usual conference room.” She said with a wicked grin. Even having only really talked with her a couple of times, I could tell she was itching to say something she probably wasn’t supposed to say.

Mercy saw it too. “Go ahead, Gina, say it before you bust a gut trying to hold it in.”

Gina just chuckled. “I just wanted to say thanks for the lovely deposit into my spank bank. As Christophe’s newest unpaid intern, turned paid minion…I had to view the Enquirer video. It was hot.” She teased.

If three people could sigh in totally shared exasperation…we did in that moment. Synchronized and everything. “Congrats on making a paycheck.” Puck finally replied rather than even trying to touch her last comment.

“Thanks, basically doing the same stuff I did when unpaid…but you know, it doesn’t seem as schlubby when they are paying you to do it.” She said honestly.

There was more chitchat as Darcy took the chance to get to know the intern turned junior, junior exec. Soon enough we were shown in to the meeting. Seeing Lyor in there made my stomach fall to somewhere around my ankles. It must have shown in every line of my body because he took one look at the way I went from walking to shuffling, the way a kid might when trying to slow the walk to an impending punishment, Lyor Cohen started laughing so hard he literally had to bend down and rest a second after wards to catch his breath. “Relax, Sam…I’m not here to do or say anything that has a negative impact on KAMA," he reassured me kindly.

I felt lighter as we took our seats across the table from the Warner contingent. Anika was there and she looked mad at us, still. Ms. Deborah looked amused, Christophe looked intrigued. The last person in the room was introduced to us as Heidi Snodglass, the executive VP of Finance for our little corner of Warner Music Group. She worked closely with Deborah and was there to bring us up to speed on some new numbers. We handed Gina our coats and got settled. Hudson took up an unobtrusive seat at the other end of the table with the other PAs, including Lyor’s Mrs. Estelle. We all shot the shit for a couple of minutes, talking about Christmas and how we’d enjoyed our New Year’s Eve celebrations. Then we got down to business.

“Alright, let’s get the large elephant out of the way.” Deborah stated quickly. “The tape. Not going to ask what you were thinking, we were all your age. We get it. What we need to do now is move forward. We called this meeting to talk about next steps.”

Anika took over from there. “You guys are going to have to be seen jet setting around, acting both like famous rock stars who have nothing to hide and as if you haven’t got a care in the world. We’ll need to get you in front of people and paps. I know your classes are starting next week, but you’ll need to go to the SAG Awards. Get you in the best restaurants here in the city. That kind of thing.”

Her fingers flying over her flexible keyboard, Hudson chimed in. “Mrs. Mayzer can get them set up for the SAGs with little trouble. She already had a gown for Mercedes, just in case they decided to go. They have tickets to opening night of ‘Hamilton’ on Tuesday.” I looked up curiously. Without skipping a beat she reminded me, “Jesse St. James has a supporting role.” Her attention went back to Anika and the Warner crew. “They have an interview with ‘Variety’ the day before the SAG’s but it was meant to be a phone interview since Ms. Sachs is based in LA. I will reschedule it as a lunch interview at Mendocino Farms.” She said after typing furiously on her tablet, probably to see the best place to be seen and yet have food good enough for me and Puck.

“That will work that place is on trend without being trendy. Good for a lunch where you do not want to seem as if you are trying too hard.” Anika approved. “Those two are a great start…make sure they are seen having dinner someplace good before the theater. In fact, I’ll get them a table at db Bistro Moderne for the twentieth…round what time? Wait, what is ‘Hamilton’? Who is in it?”

“It’s an Off-Broadway play…hip hop history is how Jesse described it.” Mercedes explained. “We’re going to support him more than anything.”

No one looked convinced that it was the place to be seen. But everyone seemed to get that since it is for a friend, we were definitely going. I suddenly remembered that it was starting at like seven thirty. “Anika, can you make the reservations for ten instead. We won’t have time to eat beforehand," I asked politely. With a nod of agreement from Anika, her assistant made quick work of doing so and gave Hudson the needed information.

“Alright, like I said…that’s a great start. Anywhere else we can get the three of them in front of papz and the like.” The PR consultant returned to her topic.

Hudson went through something on her devices and looked up. “Well, the three of you just got an invite from Jamal Lyon to come to a welcome home party for his mother at Secret Lounge. It's Saturday night and starts at ten. Given the nature of the Lyons, and the fact that all three brothers are hosting it, there should be more than a few reporters outside.”

Mercedes had gotten a text earlier from Tina telling her that Jamal wanted to know if we were going to be super busy that weekend. We were due in the studio from nine to seven, that day, but we’d have plenty of time to get ready if the deal didn’t start until ten. Mercy, Puck and I quickly decided that we’d go and at least make an appearance. Hudson sent him back a short RSVP type email and we were set for that. “We have our date night the Friday following the SAG awards. We can go to some where people care who we are. But that will be it for January…we’ve got to get our tracks finished by the last week of February to make a spring release date.” Puck pointed out.

“Fine, but can you guys do something big for Sam and Mercedes’ birthday weekend?” Lyor asked us thoughtfully. “Maybe a Valentine’s concert or something for the eighteen to twenty-five set at a club.” He suggested.

Mercedes shook her head. “We already have unchangeable plans for Valentine’s Day, itself. In fact, Daniel, Ethan and the three of us will all be out of pocket that day. My cousins are getting married.”

Christophe offered congratulations. “My sisters are twins, two years ago they did a double wedding. Are your cousins twins, or just that close?”

Daniel smirked over at Mercy. “No…she means that two of her cousins are marrying each other.” He full on laughed at the looks on the others faces. “It’s actually our shared cousin Hannah marrying Mercedes’ cousin on her father’s side, Franklin.”

“Yeah, they met at my brother’s wedding two years ago.” Mercy said with a happy smile. “We could definitely do something that Friday evening, maybe a dinner concert kind of deal. The wedding is an evening event down in DC, so we can go down that morning without any problem.”

Anika looked thoughtful, but Deborah immediately thought it was a great idea. “Actually, that could be even better than the original concept. It would probably get you a different type of audience than a traditional concert. Plus, it avoids the conflicts with plans made months in advance for Valentines night. Every restaurant in the city has been booked for that night since before Christmas. You know, with that being a Friday the thirteenth, you have a ready-made theme…’Unlucky in Love’. A singles night kind of thing.”

All three of us immediately shook our heads. Mercy laughed until she snorted. Damn, she was beautiful as hell when she laughed. “Ain’t nobody gonna stand for the three of us, the poster kids for the strong, stable relationship among our industry peers, holding a lonely-hearts club evening.”

“She ain’t wrong. Why don’t we do ‘Lucky in Love’, sell the tickets in groups of two, threes and fours. We’re also the poster kids for polyamory…give the couples, thruples and ya know, whatever, a night where no one has to pretend to be ‘the friend’ or anything. We could also have some cheaper ‘bar’ seating tickets to still encourage singles to come and maybe make a love connection.” I suggested.

Lyor smiled. “I love it. But if you’re going to advertise it as a Love has no rules night, then you will probably want more security. A night like that could draw crazies out the wood work.”

Haja made some notes and shot off a quick text. “Brantley said that he can start trying to find us a venue. He and I will set things up and get the info back to you.”

We all agreed with that. Once that was underway, Anika finally looked somewhat less ready to cut a bitch. She looked at Daniel and Darcy and actually smiled. “I’m glad that those three have you two in their corner. Good work on that statement and the blog post. Both did a great job pulling people back in line behind KAMA. Your social media posts the morning the story broke…they really did a lot of the work of making people understand that this wasn’t something they did…it was something that was done to them.”

Daniel made a gracious statement of gratitude…but Darcy was about bouncing in her seat. “Did you see that Oprah and Vanessa Williams both liked my posts? That was awesome.” She said happily. There may have been some laughter, but we could all understand the reaction. I had barely managed to string a whole sentence together in the presence of Ms. Winfrey.

Lyor nodded. “It has been something of a boon that KAMA has Ms. Winfrey and Vanessa Williams backing them at this point. Heidi, I believe that you had some numbers for us.”

Heidi Snodglass was an interesting looking woman. To the three of us, she kind of looked like what would happen if Coach Sylvester and Coach Beiste somehow had a kid together. She gave us what I was fairly sure was meant to be a smile. “As you know we track purchasing trends for all of our artists. Like the fact that your holiday album created a much larger bump in your debut album’s sales than anyone expected. One of the biggest things we track is post awards show sales bumps. After the MTV Movie awards, Mercedes’ duet with Jill Scott had a fifty-five percent jump in sales. KAMA’s album had a forty percent sales bump. After the VMAs, your albums and singles had a bump in sales of an unprecedented two-hundred and forty-five percent. Usually we only see that kind of bump after the Grammys. But, by the same turn, KAMA was still very much the new kids on the block, so it wasn’t necessarily shocking. After the AMA’s there was another over two hundred percent sales jump.” She took a look at her tablet and nodded before she continued. “A little more than half of that bump came in your international sales. Now we were expecting a more modest bump after the PCAs, but no…a hundred and fifteen percent bump…granted, the new sales are still coming mainly from the international markets. But considering what your US sales have already been, that’s almost to be expected. What we had no way to expect was the Saturday overnights. After the National Enquirer article broke…KAMA, and even the SongBird DVD and soundtrack all experienced an average of a three-hundred percent bump in sales. The Sunday overnights were nowhere near that high, but they were still higher than expected.”

“So, wait…more people went out and brought out music after the article that made us look like jank-ass sexual deviants trying to take the quick route to fame and fortune?” I was completely confused. “That doesn’t make sense.”

Daniel shot me a look of complete agreement. However, Darcy actually had an answer. “It makes you more approachable. I mean, not to be funny…but you guys have your shit together way more than most barely twenty-year-old millennials. It’s awesome and hella-inspiring, but it’s also, like, crazy intimidating. Whether they believe that you guys did the sex tape and all of that for the press or that you just got caught with your pants down, there were probably a lot of people out there who loved that you fucked up…it made you more like them.” I must have still looked confused as hell. “You guys made bad choices…they make bad choices. That took you guys from being a group their parents could kind of approve of and made you cool."

Puck just nodded. “They finally understand that we’re human. Having idols is fine…but seeing one fall is even better.” He got exactly what Darcy meant.

I decided to just let that go. I hadn’t been anybody’s idol. Idolatry was wrong, it was totally a sin. Thankfully, someone up there liked that thought and Haja pointed out that it could also have been a matter of greater and greater name recognition. Ethan just pointed out that some people were bandwagon jumpers. “Until the whole world knew your name and was talking about you, they just weren’t going to fork out their money. Now they are buying everything they can get their hands on and claiming that they were fans from the word jump.”

“Well, whatever the reason, I think that you guys are going to be quite happy with your next royalties check.” Lyor said with a smile. “Now then, there is just one last thing that we’d like to discuss with you. The coming Grammy awards…how are you planning on handling needing to be in LA a full week before the show?”

“We’re doing our final edits in the studio, on the thirty-first, we’ll fly to LA with the whole band on the first.” Mercedes told him before turning things over to Hudson for the rest of the details. Hudson jumped right in with stuff I didn’t even know had been done. Like the fact that she had done the paperwork at Columbia, FIT, NYADA and NYU to get us, Kurt and Blaine, and Bartana all what passes in college for ‘excused absence’ passes for the week. That kind of information…she answered Lyor without burdening him with things like where we were staying or our itinerary.

His assistant made a few notes while Lyor asked us about the song choice for our performance. “Well, traditionally artists sing the song they are nominated for. Since we’ve never done an award show performance of ColorBlind, we were going to go with that one.” Puck pointed out.

“I know its late in the game but the advance listening groups are in love with your version of ‘Believe’. It is testing higher than anything else in front of them right now.” Lyor said honestly.

“They are both slow enough…we could do a medley of them.” I hypothesized aloud. “The nature of both would still lend them to the costuming…or whatever you want to call it, that’s already in place. We’d need to get Rainbow on the new choreography quick, fast and in a hurry. The Grammys are only three weeks away.”

“We can make it work.” Puck said reasonably. “We just need to get the crew together and work through ideas for the set that will work for the heartbreak and the love endures forever songs both at the same time.”

Mercy started shaking her head. “Minimalism. We’ve already started that with the stage apparel…the band and the three of us will be on elevated platforms, almost everything completely blacked out, crystal lights lining the platform clear and white gels only in the lighting…on the stage proper, our dancers. Make the performance as stripped and bare as the lyrics Sir Elton John and I were feeling when we wrote them. Invoke, vulnerability and yet strength…the embodiment of love.”

No one could speak for a second. The idea was just that perfect. God-lee that woman was so amazing. Puck and I kind of sat back and basked in her aptitude and intelligence as she and Xena, via a quick Facetime, had her thoughts tweaked to perfection and down on paper. Well, in an PDF that they could send to the guys who did our stage builds in LA. Lyor released us to the wilds of Manhattan, and it was only then that I realized that he’d given us two hours out of his day. The thought of that alone made me really understand what the numbers Ms. Snodglass had talked about really meant. I guess we were major rock stars. That was one hell of a thought. 

 

100 Years (Five for Fighting)  
Mercedes PoV

After we left the Warner offices, Haja, Darcy, Daniel and Uncle Ethan dragged us back to the KAMA offices. Once we got settled with coffees and hot chocolate in front of each of us, Haja started sharing all the things that had come about while we were in LA. “We’ve been approached by Lane Bryant. They are rolling out a Christian Siriano fashion line and launching a full lingerie line of their own in their stores and want women of color and curvy women to be the models for it. The ‘I’m No Angel’ campaign. They are offering a million even for three magazine ads and five hundred thousand each to record and a small percentage for every hit on their social media ads.”

“What would they want…do they want me to…I mean, I don’t think I’d be comfortable doing lingerie shots.” I said honestly.

Haja shook his head. “According to the prospective contract, you’d be doing some fashion shots but they have Ashley Graham and some other plus sized models who will be doing the actual lingerie shots.”

I thought about it for a long minute. “I’ll agree to those terms, but I want to reserve final choice of, let’s say, the ten to fifteen best shots that they can then pick from for their print ads.”

Our talent manager nodded. “I’ll get the final agreement to Ethan and then we’ll need your signature. Once we have that all wrapped up, I’ll send it back to Heather McGarry at Lane Bryant.” He turned to me and Noah. “Both Ford and Dodge have approached us to get the two of you in F-150 and Challenger ads, but I’ve let them know that the earliest you’ll be able to do print advertising for anyone other than yourselves and public service advertisements will be September of this year. There was a clause in your modeling contracts from the summer after you graduated high school. Ethan and Antwan did a good job getting them to allow for the personal brand and the charity ads…so we don’t need to worry about that. Besides, I managed to get them up to an offer of an extra half million if you will agree now and do the work when you are legally allowed. Best of all, they will reimburse you for half the cost of the car and truck you already own since your Boxing Day Instagram posts saw a nationwide jump in the sales of both Ford and Dodge across their lines.”

“Hell, yeah…jump all over that shit, right there.” Puck said happily. “The only thing Sexy Mama loves more than giving great gifts is giving great gifts that she got on sale.”

I probably should have felt angry about that. But I knew myself well enough to acknowledge that it was the truth. I loved catching deals. The fact that this deal was an after the fact kind of thing didn’t make it any less of a half off deal. I did have another question, “are these companies sure about having us endorse their products with everything that is going on right now with us?”

Haja smirked. “The Lane Bryant offer came in this morning.”

“Oh, well, okay then.” People baffled me. 

Hudson came back in with itineraries for the SAG awards. It would be the three of us, plus Hudson, Darcy, Bubbie and Daniel along with Woody and, surprisingly enough, Hal. I was happy to hear that. I needed to give that man a serious shovel talk. He’d gotten away without one for long enough. If he and Ms. Pillsbury were planning their wedding then it was way past time. We would be staying at the Ritz Carlton, Los Angeles Downtown. “All their big suites are booked but since it is just a short stay you three should be fine in the Executive Suite, I was able to book for you. Darcy and I will share a deluxe guest room as will Hal and Woody. Daniel and Ruth said that they will have no problem sharing the third one. Which they will have to because, according to the booking agent, that hotel is now, officially at full occupancy. Good news, I was able to get your interview changed as requested. Ms. Sachs was very happy to have the chance for the in-person interview instead. Even better news is that Ruth says that she has a dress all ready to go for the SAGs. It was something that she actually got for you to wear to the Gotham awards if you guys wanted to go to that one…but it was, and I quote, ‘way too much’.”

“Thank you very much Hudson for getting that all straightened out. Now, is there anything else?” I asked them all.

There was no further news which made me very happy. Junior and Binkie saw us home and we vegged out for a few hours. I took a nice long bubble bath trying to get rid of a tension ball that was sitting between my shoulders and had been since Hudson had told us all about the meetings for the day. No really, it had been there since I’d found out that someone had taken one of my and my husbands’ intimate moments and put it on blast for the whole world to see. It was a loss of innocence and a violation unlike anything I had experienced to that point in my life. I’d been strong for days, making sure that Sam and Puck and the whole world saw what they needed to see from and in me. But there in the still and quiet of that evening bath, I could finally let go. I pulled my knees up to my chest, tucked my chin in the space between them and unbidden, the tears I’d been keeping locked inside me for five days finally made their way down my cheeks. I was wrecked. It was all too much. As much as Sam felt like it was his fault, I knew that the fault lie in me. I’d been the one who was determined to live the Rockstar life. I’d been the one to drag them into the industry.

I didn’t know how long I had been in that tub weeping out the sorrow that filled my soul. But it must have been a while. Long enough that Sam and Noah had come to check on me. I didn’t really come out of the maelstrom of melancholy until I realized that Puck and Sam had climbed into the tub with me. “You’re wearing clothes in the tub?” I asked as I tried to get my breath back under control.

“Well, you wouldn’t come back from whatever edge you were standing on.” Sam whispered despondently.

Puck nodded. “Yeah, getting you calmed down before you passed out seemed more important than getting naked.” He grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. “What’s wrong Cede?”

“I just…this is so much, ya know? I know that I wanted to be a world-famous singer. I know this was my dream. But I didn’t expect anything like this.” I sighed. “If we’d just, I don’t know, been regular college students…this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Yeah, and if I’d kept it in my pants or if my parents had never gone through their financial difficulties…and if frogs had wings they wouldn’t bump their asses.” Sam said laying his head on top of mine. “I am sorry this happened to you, to all of us really. But if we change one thing, who knows what else would change after that. I don’t like what’s happened. I’m sorry for the part I’ve played in it happening, but I wouldn’t trade us for anything in the world. Not even for this to never have happened.”

I chuckled. “There is no evil fortune teller or dark Jinni to take your wish and make us as US disappear.” I smiled a little. “You...must you always jump to the weird, nutty, supernatural or sci-fi answer to everything?”

He just shrugged a little. “You knew exactly why I said what I said, so you are therefore just as bad as I am.” He said superciliously.

“Well, this wet denim is kind of starting to get seriously less than comfortable. So why don’t we get out the tub, take a nice shower together and then go and make love until all the sadness goes bye-bye.” Noah suggested wisely.

I just nodded tiredly. I let Sam and Noah turn off the jets and let the water out. The three of us started the process of ridding the two of them of their, probably, ruined clothes. My husbands knew me very well. While we were all getting showered, they reminded me of our wonderfully devious plans for the next day. The next step of Puck’s plan…the making love until there was no room for sadness…got derailed when my stomach made its demands for dinner known. Puck and Sam’s stomachs both gave out answering roars. So instead, I settled for getting their help with getting lotioned up, which included a shoulder rub that helped work the knot between my shoulders out quite a bit. Then I threw on a nice comfy tee-shirt bra and a pair of warm, fleece pajamas. We headed down to the kitchen to feed our beasts. Bautista was the best housekeeper-slash-cook-slash-nutritionist ever. Even though everyone had eaten while I was having my melt down, she’d saved the three of us plates. The roasted veggies mac and cheese was great…comforting and filling and yet healthy. Paired with her faux fried chicken that was actually made in coconut oil and breaded in almond flour and she had created the perfect meal for a night where comfort foods were a complete and total necessity.

When we cleaned up the mess in the kitchen, we kind of wanted to head back up to our nest. But Klaine and Bartana were watching movies in the family room. If we hadn’t heard them arguing over ‘Dogma’ versus ‘Saved’ we probably wouldn’t have been drawn into continuing the comfort fete. It turned out, more than anything, to be just what the doctor ordered. A nice, sort of quiet, night of movies with our friends who were still our friends and who got that something crappy had happened to us but didn’t treat us any different because of it. There was still love made that night. It was so good that I barely remembered my name and couldn’t tell you the day, month or year. Sam spent a full half hour doing delicious things to my pussy with his tongue, while I treated Noah’s cock to the best blow job it had ever been my honor to give. And that was after round the first…so round the second was even more awesome.

The next morning, we woke up and showered. I knew that there was more than a small likelihood that there would be plenty of pictures taken of us on campus. So, after rodding my weave, I decided to dress appropriately. Since it was colder than a witch’s tit outside, I started from the bottom. I had a great pair of black, sheepskin leather, shearling lined boots with a quilted upper shaft area that were begging me to wear them. I was feeling like enjoying all the perks of fame and fortune that day, so I grabbed a pair of Escada, stretch, dark wash, skinny jeans that I had decided immediately upon purchasing to never let Sam know the cost of. A black and grey striped, merino wool, scoop necked top was picked out next. But that went back…yeah it would have been warm, but it was matronly in a way I was not feeling at all. So instead I grabbed a lavender, Versace printed, fitted, waist cut, cardigan and a black silk, cashmere blend tank top to go under it. I also grabbed a black, Elie Tahari, oversized ruffle collar, knee length cardigan. I’d laid the outfit out on the bench in my closet. I was happy with it. To be honest, I kind of owed Tessa an apology. After experiencing winter in Manhattan, I completely understood why she’d come to us all layered out. It was a lot easier to do layers than tote a big ass coat around.

Cold as I knew it was outside, I was feeling entirely too good for a winter bra and panty set. So, I decided to rock the Simone Perele black, lace set that I’d had to specially order to have in my size. I did a quick second layer of all over body moisturizing. It was winter after all. Then I got dressed layer by layer. My shoes went on last. I looked in the mirror. I put in my Christmas earrings…the big ass, five carat diamond and white gold hoops were hot like fire with the rest of the outfit. Trying to pick a watch was more difficult than it should have been and I made a mental note to get one of those cool watch organizers the next time I went to Saks or someplace like it. I decided that the Gucci, all silver watch would work and put it on quickly. I put on a pretty, Hearts on Fire diamond and white gold cross necklace, went and took the curlers out of my hair, loosening the curls with a wide tooth comb and hitting my face with tinted moisturizer, powder and some berry gloss and I was done.

Puck and Sam were ready long before I was. So much so that when I came out with my black, double handle drawstring suede tote filled with my wallet, a print out of all of our book lists, my small makeup bag for any needed touch ups, my purple covered iPad and cell phone, they were already down in the kitchen. Neither of my men had put much thought into their outfits. Puck was rocking his moto boots, a pair of jeans and, what I was sure was one of his vintage rock band tee shirts, under a pullover which was topped with a dark gray hoodie. Sam had gone with his Cats, some well-loved jeans, a long sleeved graphic tee with cartoonish little Superman and Batman being held apart by an equally cartoonish, little Wonder Woman. Blaine looked far, far more put together than my hubbies. Granted, Kurt may have laid out his clothes for him before he left for NYADA. But still, he was looking good. I kissed my guys and ate the amazing kale, spinach, pancetta and swiss omelet that Viola had created for me. “Patrick will be here in an hour. He wants to talk with the three of you about putting a bug in the ear of your uncle and aunt for him. He figures they both work full time and would rather spend their weekends with their kids rather than doing laundry.”

“That’s actually a really good idea.” I agreed. “I know that Uncle Ethan and Amanda are getting ready to start the process of building in the next phase of this neighborhood. With all they will need to do for that, it will probably be even more important for them to have some free time.”

Manny came in with Woody and took one of the homemade breakfast hot pockets Bautista always had ready for the bodyguards. “Princess Nikoletta has been dropped off at school along with Master EJ.” He assured us. “So, I am all yours until two thirty.” Hudson was right behind them, but she usually attended to her own breakfast. Sometimes she and-slash-or Darcy would join us for dinner.

“Well, then…we’d better get this show on the road.” I said happily as I rushed to finish my last few bites of omelet and down my smoothie.

When we got to campus, our first stop was the comptroller’s office. We had asked the controller to gather all the seniors from out of state whose parents made less than a hundred thousand dollars a year. We didn’t want any names or personal information…just a total number of how many students met those criteria. The school had a fee for seniors…it basically paid for the graduation needs. The seven hundred and fifty buck fee didn’t even faze most of Columbia’s graduating seniors. But for those who were already there on scholarship and whose parents couldn’t give them the help they wished they could, that might as well have been a million. Of the fourteen hundred and ninety people on track to graduate all of Columbia’s many programs that May, only one hundred and twenty-nine people hadn’t yet paid their fee. So, we did that for them, anonymously of course. Then we went and dropped more than a little bit getting all the books we’d need for our classes. Once we had all of our books bought, we worked with Ms. Nell, Puck’s favorite book store manager, and we bought twenty, five-hundred dollar book store gift cards. We let her hand them out as she saw a need in kids coming through her line. It wouldn’t get them all of their books, but it would sure as hell help out. Of course, we had to get the super important paperwork for our charitable contributions from both the comptroller office and the bookstore. We passed them off to Hudson, who made sure that Gwen had everything she needed for our taxes. It was only then that we learned that Blaine had been inspired to buy five gift cards at the book store and left them with Ms. Nell too.

When we left campus, we were covered for both our Columbia classes and the books we needed for the Julliard classes too. Once that was done, we headed to a very large office supply store. Blaine and I were in serious need of a restock of our, and Bartana’s, studies. Sam and Puck were dragging, but me and Blaine, we really, really enjoyed deciding on all the best, most awesome supplies. We had so much fun…there may have been singing as we strolled through the store making sure that we had everything we needed. We were feeling so good with all we’d done to help out some classmates, that getting to go hog-wild in Office Max wasn’t even the highlight of the day. We were on our way to lunch when Gwen called us. “It is only twelve thirty, the complex had expected that there would be about twenty percent of the approved applicants who’d not been able to wait an extra two weeks for move in day, but no…you are apparently already at eighty-five percent occupancy and should be at very close to a full hundred by Sunday. Congratulations…your first major landlord venture is looking like a big success.”

“That’s great. And they prorated the first month’s rent, right?” Sam chimed in.

“Yes. I’ve got everything all set for the maintenance and payroll budgets for each of the properties. As the rents come in a quarter goes for maintenance and upkeep, a quarter is fed into the payroll accounts, a quarter is divided between the two business needs accounts and the rest is profit, probably, to be invested later.” She verified the information for Sam mainly though Puck and I were both quite interested. We knew how things had been set up. When we purchased a new complex, we immediately set aside a certain amount for maintenance and a certain amount for payroll. Those would need to be augmented continuously to make sure that we didn’t have to come out of pocket for that stuff. There were two separate account that handled things like business licensing and insurance and the like. It was a good system that we hoped would work well for us.

“I do have some other news,” Gwen said cautiously. “I got a call from the company that you bought your office space from. Remember that the floor above you was supposed to become available for purchase in twenty-sixteen?”

“Yeah, we had planned on purchasing it to house the property management business.” Puck answered.

“That’s the one.” Gwen said with a smirk in her voice. “Well, you know how last time we talked you said that everything on the property side of your business was moving at like warp factor nine…add another thing to that list. The current tenants are having to completely restructure their business to avoid bankruptcy. They will be moving out in June. The owners say, that if you want it, they can have it demoed and ready for you guys by the end of July, beginning of August.”

“If we move on it…we’d need to be ready to hire at least the universal employees in January.” I pointed out.

“Maybe at least two regional managers too. By January Amor Verissima will have properties in three states on the east coast plus properties in three states on the Pacific coast.” She reminded us.

“Can we do this in a way that doesn’t over extend us financially?” Sam asked her bluntly.

“Yes…but I would need about half the projected royalties from next two quarters to go into Amor Verissima, rather than the usual quarter to third.” She answered honestly.

Sam, Noah and I exchanged a long look. The truth was that we sat on a lot more money than we spent. It made all of us, even me, uncomfortable to spend to total excess. Christmas had been something of an aberration. It would hurt the major stock portfolio Saul was building for us, but it wouldn’t negatively impact us other than that. “Let’s make it happen. We’ve always known that we originally intended for the real estate side of things to be our major line of investment. So, let’s give Gwen what she needs to move that forward.” I finally said quietly to the guys.

Puck nodded. “I’ll let Saul know that he’s going to have less to play with in the stock market for the next six to nine months. We can put some people to work with the property management business. The stock market just makes rich people richer.”

Ultimately that was what made up our minds for us. Making use of our money just to make more money, or doing something with it that still made us more money, but also put people, probably people with kids and families to provide for, back to work…there was no way that doing the second wasn’t the right answer. “Great, that means that I can start making moves on getting that complex here in LHA and revitalizing it for lower income families.” She said happily. “That also means that we’ll be able to move to a computerized payment option by January of twenty-sixteen rather than the following January.”

That really was a very good thing, I couldn’t think of very many people who still had checks anymore. We talked to Gwen a little while longer, wrapping up our teleconference by reminding her that Lauren and Artie would more than likely be able to write the code we’d need to computerize our property management business, and if we were going to pay someone to do it, we should really offer it to them first. The rest of the ride, was pretty quiet. Traffic had been brutal, so we picked up Nikki and Adam on the way home. We helped them with their homework, still threw me that a pre-Ker had homework, but yeah. It wasn’t hard. Mainly helping him write his numbers and his names. Because he had two interchangeable nicknames, his teacher thought that it was important that he knew how to spell both. Uncle Ethan swung through with Avery and took Adam home. As per usual, Bubbie Ruth wasn’t feeling like cooking and she wanted all the specifics on the SAG awards trip so she stayed for dinner. Though I did notice that she hadn’t bothered telling us about what we’d be wearing.

We spent the next two days mainly in the studio and worked on putting a few more tracks to bed. While we’d managed to get a total of twenty tracks in the can, we still had quite a few more that we’d written for the project. Saturday morning, Brittany, Santana and I, followed the directions that popped up in our calendars and called Coach Sylvester’s cell phone to wish the Cheerios good luck in their regional competition. Not one of us even questioned how she’d added them to our digital time keepers, because we knew the answer to that. Her name was Becky Jackson. There were only a couple more studio days scheduled before we had to make our absolute final decisions. We also brought Rainbow up to speed on the changes to our Grammy performance. She immediately went to work with Brittany and the other dancers to get the needed choreography figured out. With everyone assembled, Sam, Noah and I took the opportunity to thank them all for putting out a statement in support of us when everything broke in LA. “There aren’t words enough to thank you guys for having our back over the last two weeks. The whole thing may have felt like we got kicked in the gut…but thank you all for letting the world know that even if they were going to beat us up, you had ice packs and bandages, or whatever…that actually made more sense in my head. So, thank you.”

There was a little laughter, which was why Puck and I had let Sam be the one to say something, so things wouldn’t get heavy. Damien was just as bad. “Of course, we’ve got you…do you know how hard it would be to find another gig that has bosses we can actually stand and where we’d get all the cool perks you guys dish out? Freaking impossible.”

We went back to work and had one of the most productive sessions in the history of the word. It was fully awesome. We’d meshed well as a group, as a band before…but that afternoon, we really were a family. It was feeling so right, that we treated everyone to dinner at Carmine’s Restaurant, a great Italian joint near Times Square, where our lack of dresses and jackets and ties were not a problem. The food was great and the company was even better. They were even nice about us coming in, rolling like twenty deep without a reservation or anything. Suffice it to say, we tipped outrageously. Sam, Puck and I had to bust our asses to get home and get dressed for Jamal’s party. I was glad that I had thought ahead and picked my outfit out before I’d headed to the studio. I’d done it for my husbands too. We were going to be looking good.

I showered and made sure my skin was soft and my makeup was right then I forced my curves into some sexy lingerie and a shaper slip. I was wearing an official Herve Leger bandage dress in a pretty shade of blush gold. I was really digging how many companies liked to prove that the really did make clothing for curvy girls by sending me clothing in my size. I pulled on a pair of sheer black silk tights for warmth then slipped in my rose gold earrings, and a few stackable, rose gold bangles on one wrist with a rose gold watch on the other. I finished off the jewelry with a great, fashion forward rose gold and Swarovski crystal, butterfly cocktail ring on my right hand and a rose gold double, wing, ring on the index finger of my left. I could have worn a necklace, but in a dress like the one I was rocking that night, my cleavage was really the only accessory needed. I had found a great body wallet online that first day we’d known we were going to be doing more partying for a little while. That held my license, my credit cards, and my phone. It was fastened around my calf in my Louboutin, over the knee, black, suede, kick ass boots. I was looking good as hell. No one could tell me any different.

I headed out to see the guys sitting on the chairs waiting on me. Sam was in Armani Collezioni five pocket, charcoal slacks. I’d paired those with a denim blue, Ralph Lauren, slim-fit sweater. To give him some serious Sam in the outfit, the sweater was covering a gray ‘STAR Laboratories’ tee shirt. He was rocking black boots that I was pretty sure were hiding a steel toe, which was great in a club where there would be tons of people dancing all over the place. On his wrist was a sexy, black Movado watch. I knew he wouldn’t wear anything more flashy or more expensive looking. Sander was a big DMX fan. One lesson the nineties rapper stated well was that flossing got people jacked. Sam firmly believed that. Noah was looking just as sexy in his dark blue, cotton, Saks cargo pants, cranberry, Burberry sweater, and black suede Timberland boots. They told me how great I looked, and I couldn’t help but preen.

I grabbed my belted, pink, rabbit fur coat and I shoved my champagne gloss into my pocket and waited while Puck grabbed his shearling lined, black, leather, Burberry moto jacket and passed Sam his black, Givenchy zip up hoodie with its leather sleeves. Downstairs, Junior and Chet were waiting on us. They were each wearing identical black jeans, black Tims and black Rangeman shirts…but they looked adorable. They drove us in the Rangeman stretch Hummer, since we were trying to make a statement. When we rolled up in front of Secret Lounge, there was a red carpet… so we definitely were going to make a hell of a splash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish every one of you a Happy & Safe New Year.   
> Hope to hear your thoughts on this chapter.   
> Feedback is manna from Heaven. 
> 
> TTFN,   
> Anni


	24. Dammit (Blink 182), Lois Lane (Farrah) & On Top Of The World (Imagine Dragons)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Making new friends, influencing people & inspiration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Familiar Faces by badboysam
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!!

Dammit (Blink 182)  
Puck PoV

Man, Jamal was doing his mom’s welcome back party up big. I mean, him and his brothers. There were papz everywhere outside…but not just the usual TMZ, tabloid types you were used to seeing outside a trendy Manhattan night spot on a Saturday night, but real entertainment journalism types like Entertainment Tonight and E!. Sexy Mama was looking hot like fire as she strolled down the legit red carpet with me and Sam. SammyBoy was looking pretty smoking too. You could tell he was cold as hell though. So, we didn’t pose for many pictures, instead, we headed straight inside. Thankfully they had a coat check, so we were golden. Of course, I had to pull the coat check guy to the side for a word. “Look…Cede’s coat is real fur and expensive as hell. So, I’m gonna try and say this in the nicest way possible.” I gave him a Benji, “if she gets her coat back at the end of the night in the same condition as she just gave it to you then we’re all good and you get another of those. But, if you let some skeeze suck you off for it or just fuck around and get shit on it…not only will you not get anything else monetary, but I’m gonna fuck you up and when I finish, I’m gonna let my boys Chet and Junior, cosign that ass whippin’, ya dig?”

“Yeah, Mr. Puckerman. I will make sure nothing happens to Ms. Jones coat.” He assured me.

“Coolio.” I smiled as if I was all nice and shit for real. “Nice doing business with you.” I gave him me and Sam’s coats too and slipped him a fifty. “Watch out for these too. Thanks.”

We moved into the club together, and I have no clue if it was on purpose, or just happenstance, but Mercedes, Tana and Xena’s voices were coming through the speakers loud and fierce with ‘Hard Out There For A Bitch’. The floor was packed with people dancing. The club had a really cool vibe to it. I wasn’t sure what it looked like on a regular night but it was jumping that night. The bar up front was rolling deep. There was a second one in what was clearly the VIP area, but it looked temporary, as if it was there for the party and probably was. Jamal waved us over, so with Junior and Chet’s help, we made it to the VIP quickly. “Damn, Cedes, you are looking hot.” Mal said twirling our woman around. “You ‘bout to make a gay boi wonder.”

“Boi, please. I know good and well that you and Michael are solid…and if you weren’t it would be Puck or Sam that your eyes would turn to.” She shot back with a laugh. Then she noticed that two guys, we were assuming were his brothers were there too. “Oh…sorry…” Sexy Mama whispered.

Jamal shook his head. “No secrets between brothers. They know, they could give less than a fuck. Let me introduce you.” He dragged us over to the two guys one older and one younger. The elder brother, Andre was sitting with a blonde chick who had to be his wife, Rhonda. It was easy to see that black woman who looked to be in her later thirties…I think, I can never tell because it might be a cliché, but black really doesn’t crack…was their mother, Cookie. Andre and Cookie weren’t close, but they were cool. Hakeem, the younger brother, didn’t seem like he even liked his mother. That was weird. “Dre, Rhonda, Momma, Keem, this is Mercedes Jones, Sam Evans and His first name is off limits Puckerman…better known as KAMA.”

Sam pulled the card we’d gotten for Cookie out of his back pocket. “It’s nice to meet you. Um…Welcome Home, Mrs. Lyon.” He passed her the card. “Jamal has missed you.”

“Oh, thank you, Cutie.” Cookie said with a grin. “You musta been brought up right.”

Sam, of course, blushed. “Thank you.” He did that cute thing where he scratched the back of his neck while blushing and smiling endearingly.

“So, tell me all about yourselves. You’re the first of Mal’s friends he’s introduced me to…other than Chiquita Banana, over there.” She teasingly referred to Jamal’s boyfriend.

We must have spent the next hour talking to Cookie. It was like she wanted to know everything about us. We told her about our drop party where we met Jamal, thanks to our friend Tina. Cookie Lyon was as different from Moms D as she could possibly get, but at the same time she was just as easy to talk to. Even in the loud ass club. We actually got to know each other pretty well. When she said that she was coming home from doing a seventeen year bid, I was shocked. “Wow…you did seventeen years, and you look great. My dumb ass dad couldn’t even make it seventeen months without getting shanked.” I said in surprise.

She laughed at me. “Really, a nice little white boy like you got a jailbird daddy? You got other family doing time?”

I shrugged. “No…but, yeah Sam does.” I threw back at her. “I’ve just got two kids by two different baby-mamas…neither of whom is my wifey.”

Cookie read my honesty easily. “Boy, are you sure you and Sam ain’t black and just passin’ as white?”

I shook my head. “Nope officially Jewish, not black…but my brother is.” I showed her a picture of Jake. “Yeah, we’ve got the same dad and different moms…though my mom is his now too.”

“Oh, did his momma die?” Hakeem asked leaning into our conversation. The way he said it you could tell that he was wishing that Cookie would go back where she came from…or maybe even die herself.

I shook my head. But before I was able to do more than think about how fucking stupid he sounded, Cede answered his ass. “No, she just didn’t understand the good she had in her life and kicked her son out trying to show loyalty and love a man who didn’t and couldn’t love her. Paul was already in jail anyway and then he got killed…so now Jake’s biological is shit out of damn luck. Moral of the story…appreciate your family before you end up ass out of luck.”

Cookie and Cede were golden from then on. So much so that by the end of the night, Cookie was ready to head to LA to kick the ass of whoever had filmed us. “Though, GIRL, I’ve gotta say. In the music business, this ain’t that bad. I mean, it’s barely a blip of a scandal compared to some of the ones from back in my day. Nobody even got arrested or anything. You’ve gotta use it. Write a song that tells the world that they can try to fuck you over all they want, you’re a fighter and they can kiss every single inch of your incredible ass.”

Keem, however…he sucked his teeth at my woman. Then when Cookie said the thing about Cede’s Incredible Ass, he had the nerve to roll his eyes and say, “just because it’s wide as all outside, don’t make it incredible”. Holy fuck I wanted to punch him dead in his face. His momma just smacked him upside the back of his head. I still wanted to introduce his face to my fist.

Rhonda appeared next to me and put a tumbler of amber liquid in my hand. “You and Andre have a similar, ‘if I could only punch Hakeem in his face’, expressions. Disaronno usually curbs my husband’s more violent tendencies when it comes to his youngest brother.”

“Thanks.” I said honestly. “I keep trying to remember that he’s just a dumb ass kid.” I nodded to myself, and her too. “Yup, just need to take this as a lesson in how not to allow Nikki and Beth, or any future kids we have to behave.”

“Well, don’t out them against each other, or farm them out to be raised by everyone but you and you should be good.” Andre said taking a seat next to Rhonda.

I sighed. “Well, I’m batting fifty-fifty on that one.” I grumbled. Then I looked at the two of them and something drew my attention to them…I really looked at the way Rhonda was looking at Sexy Mama. She and Sam had made their wat to the dance floor. Fuck, she was moving against him in all kind of sexy ways. I leaned over to make sure we wouldn’t be heard. “Sorry, Sexy Mama don’t do chicks. I mean, it’s cool and all that you’re bi or whatever…and if you and Dre swing, I will totally introduce you two to Bubbie, she loves couples…but Cede probably wouldn’t even notice if you flirt with her, like that.”

“Thanks for the head’s up. It was simply an aesthetical appreciation.” Rhonda assured me.

“I get that, Sexy Mama is hot and that dress is only making her body look even more bangin’.” I agreed easily.

“Not just your wife…it’s both of them. The way they move together…it is sexy and it is beautiful.” She commented. “There is a lot of love between them. Between all three of you. It’s a beautiful sight. Never let anything…not even if you think it would advance your careers or your dreams…Always stand by them and never allow anyone to come between the three of you.”

Her tone had changed completely. There was something there that told me she was speaking from a place of deeply regretted experience. I could only acknowledge that sincerity. “I will make sure that we stay strong and united.” I replied seriously.

“Good, now stop humoring the crazy lady and get out there with your Sam and Mercedes.” She chided with good humor.

Well, my moms didn’t raise any fools. So, I did as she suggested and went out. For the rest of the night the three of us shook our asses, with each other, with Jamal and with Cookie. Cookie had serious moves. Watching her and Sexy Mama dance was one of the highlights of the night. We didn’t stay out too long, only until around two. The coat check guy had all three of our coats…not a rabbit hair out of place, so I hit him off with the promised hundred and fifty buck tip. As soon as we got into the Hummer, I shared with them the slightly weird conversation that I’d had with Rhonda. Lyrics weren’t really my thing. Sexy Mama was out lyric queen…but there came a time in every man’s life when inspiration just struck. “Hey…Cede…Sam, ever since Rhonda said her thing…I’ve had this lick going through my head. ‘Even if we can't find heaven, I'll walk through Hell with you. Love, you're not alone, 'cause I'm gonna stand by you.”

Cede nodded and whipped her phone and had me hum the melody I heard into the recorder then she typed in the lyrics I could hear in my head. Sam added a few lines and Sexy Mama looked up at us. “When we get home…we change and meet in the study…I want to get the lyrics fleshed out for this…and the ones I’ve had in my head since Cookie and I talked.”

That was exactly what we did. We raced into the house, barely even saying good night to Junior and Chet, who had been so unobtrusive all night it was almost hard to remember they had even been with us. I got out of my club gear and into a pair of Titans sweats I’d stolen from the gym before graduation and a tank tee-shirt. I was at my most creative when I was free ballin’, so I tossed my boxer brief into the hamper. Sam had gone with a pair of basketball shorts and a Darth Vader tee shirt. He was pulling out the big guns. You could always tell how serious Sam was about things by how strong the character on his tee shirt. Someone as strong in the force as Vader…yeah, he was coming correct. When Cede came out she was rocking a pair of dark gray yoga pants, and layered sports bras with a fuzzy cardigan that I was pretty sure she had stolen from the Fairy somewhere along the way. Me and Sam grabbed our axes and we headed down to the study where Cede pulled out and set up her keyboard.

Over the next sixteen, maybe eighteen, hours, we banged out four songs based on our night out with the Lyons. No matter how long we’d been making beautiful music together, it always hit me as a little weird how easy we could riff off each other. It wasn’t even just the three of us though. When Kurt and Blaine got up, they kept us hydrated and they kept trying to tempt us with food. The we forced Blaine to grab his keyboard and join us. When Bubbie and Nikki-monster came over so Bubbie could go over the reaction stats to our looks from the night before, they helped us with some lyrics. Hell, Nikki’s line she added into my song, ‘Yeah, you're all I never knew I needed. And the heart—sometimes it's unclear why it's beating’…that shit just about broke my heart…but it was so very good. Santana and Artie joined us after they and Brit-Brat came back from seeing their Abuelo and Aunt and their twins. It was pretty fucking epic. But by the time the music muse was done making us her bitch we were totally wrecked. We ate, we showered and then we slept through the rest of Sunday.

On MLK day, we were up by ten and we popped our happy asses up at the New York City Food Bank. Well, it was a surprise for some people, but not for us or their volunteer manager. We made a nice donation of ten grand and helped out there for six hours. We did some singing while we helped get the shelves all organized. We helped to make a shit ton of boxes and Sam and I must have carried out a million of heavy boxes of food for people. We took selfies with people who asked, but there were no big cameras or anything like that. Well, at least not until Darcy showed up. She didn’t have big cameras, but she had enough of the small ones to get a shit ton of pictures. Of course, Cede didn’t let her shirk the work long. Darcy was amazing at getting people organized. Things were seriously efficient once she rolled up her sleeves and pitched in.

Over the course of the day, more and more of our people showed up on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds at different charity events. Bubbie took Nikki-Monster to the Humane Society and they made no-sew Meow Mattresses for the cats at the shelter. Riker and Chris were on duty, but Daniel, Dominique and Grant went and helped out at an emergency shelter. They spent the morning making welcome kits for women and craft bags for little kids. Ethan, Amanda, EJ and Avery spent the day at the Ronald McDonald house, with Cleotha, Ben and Jon making Meals-that-Heal for the families residing there to be close to their sick children. Xena, Cassidy, Erika and Hudson went and helped out at a battered women’s shelter. Rainbow took the dancers to this great youth center and spent the day teaching kids and teens about dance and body movement. Seth scooped up Ryan and Jamie the three of them went up to Brown for some volunteer day Summer was doing. But I was pretty sure that Haja, Dave, Justin and the Dam Bros had the toughest day. They went to a senior center and helped refurbish their community and visiting rooms. But one thing we all agreed on, it felt great to help and it was one hell of a day.

The next morning started early as all fuck. I was up at six and in the gym like a boss. Sexy Mama got there a couple of minutes later, her and Sam. We all worked out until seven, well, Cede left out like ten til…but that was so she could shower and get out of our way. Even with the head start, me and Sam were still showered, dressed and downstairs eating breakfast way before her. Despite the differences in our days, we were trying to all head out at the same time. Well the three of us and Blaine. Kurt had already headed out with Artie, Santana and Brittany. We were early enough that we were able to roll with Nikki-Monster and EJ before heading to our campus. Which was all kinds of awesome since we wouldn’t be there when they got home. Those few days when we’d been able to get them their snacks and help them with their homework had been pretty awesome.

But the start of the semester was there and there was nothing we could do to change that. It was hilarious to me that as much math as I’d had to do during the previous three college semesters, that Tuesday started off with my first, officially official math class. I was happy to find that I had good teachers. No one pissed me off or creeped me out like I’d encountered in the fall. Even though I was loaded with six classes at Columbia and four at Juilliard, I wasn’t expecting a hard semester at all. I had a Spanish class, a French art class, the higher mathematics class, a science class with a weekly lab, a history class that was about Jewish culture and a phys-ed class. I was actually more worried about my Chromatic Harmony and Analysis class at Juilliard than I really was about the Columbia classes. I was golden with the extra class because it meant that I could concentrate on my major requirements for junior and senior years. I was kind of sick of taking classes I didn’t really care about. Even if some of them had turned out to be pretty damn interesting.

Tuesdays and Thursdays, my day officially started at a quarter to nine with a cerebral class. But the other three days, I had to be at school by eight and my first class was strength training, which I shared with Sam. We showered after that class and had one of the Rangemen watching our backs to make sure that our junk didn’t show up on the net any more than it already had. Mine was still everywhere from my shower ambush the year before. Like the year and semester before, we started our Columbia days so early so that we could finish on that campus by two at the absolute latest. Then our days at Juilliard began. Thankfully that first day the classes were short as shit. We were able to get home and get dressed and get back out the door in time to make the curtain for St. Jackass’ big opening. It was weird. I hadn’t like the guy. I’d really only given him a second chance because Sexy Mama had asked me too and because, after Berry had shown her true, treasonous, colors, the memories of her being pelted with eggs was kind of a fond one. Still, he kept having chances to prove to me that he was the same asshole he’d been back at McKinley, but I guess we’d all really changed since back then. He’d gotten offers to dime us out. But he hadn’t taken them, even though the notoriety might have helped his fledgling career.

Our shadows that night were Caesar and Chet. They took us in the hummer. “Sexy Mama, that dress is really pretty.” I said honestly. Since it was opening night of an off-Broadway production, we were dressed nicely, but not as dressed as we’d have been if the production was opening on Broadway. Cede’s dress was black, it hugged her curves with solid black material from the tops of her breasts to about half way down her thick, gorgeous thighs. The dress was lengthened from there to where it stopped just under her strong, pretty calves by black lace. The same lace made up the top of the dress which had cap sleeves and a short, turtleneck kind of collar. Black suede, peep-toe, red bottoms with crossed straps and a four or five inch heel show cased her pretty pedicured feet. She had started a trend of two to three stacked thin bracelets on one arm with a wide cuff type deal on the other. That night all of her jewelry had been chosen to match her engagement ring so it was all diamonds, platinum and amethysts. I loved it. Sam had had the pleasure of helping her into her black, cashmere, fur trimmed cape. He probably would have done that thing where he pretended that something expensive burned his hands if he knew that it probably cost somewhere in the neighborhood of two grand.

Sam was looking rather nifty himself. I’d let him wear his gray Tom Ford suit. So, I was rocking an Armani suit that was just a couple of shades lighter. Where his shirt was dove gray and his tie a printed silver, black and green number that brought out his eyes, I was wearing black on black with my suit. His shoes were traditional, black leather, wing tip dress shoes. I’d gone with a pair of black dress boots with a squared toe that looked boss to me. Sometimes I wondered when exactly Bubbie and-slash-or Kurt had time to go shopping for us and how she managed to get new clothes into our closet without our knowledge. But then I decided I didn’t really care as long as I didn’t have to go for myself. not because I needed the plausible deniability like Sam did…but just because there were about seventy-five other things I’d rather be doing with my time. One of which was actually not going to an off-Broadway musical. Or so I would have said before that night.

‘Hamilton’ was fucking epic. I mean, it was ridiculous how good it was. I was texting with Darcy for a lot of it. Not because I was paying attention, but because I was and I wanted her to put that shit on front street. I didn’t just enjoy that shit though. For me that play, rewrote what Broadway was or could be. St. James didn’t even make me ashamed to know him. I mean, I never would have thought that he could shine doing hip-hopera, but he did that shit. His King George was chill as hell. I actually came away feeling like I’d not just been entertained, I’d learned some shit. It was cool. Afterwards we went back stage and shook hands with Jesse, congratulating him on his performance. We even met his mom and dad. Who knew the egg chucker had fairly normal parents? They were proud as hell of their son and it was weird that I was happy for him. But I guess I had grown a lot since high school.

After the show, we had to rush to make our reservation to db Bistro Moderne. The food was great, but given how late it was and how early we had to get up the next day, we didn’t bother with appetizers or dessert. If we hadn’t needed to be seen doing normal date kinds of things…we’d have probably just canceled the reservation and gone home and raided the fridge. Since they had it, and I’d seen it one time long ago watching Food Network and wanted to try it ever since, I ordered the Dover Sole Meunière. It was awesome. The sole had been cooked in clarified butter with lemons, capers and parsley. It was so good that I barely wanted to share with Sam and Cede. Sexy Mama had surprised us all by going with the Coq au vin. Which was a French dish of chicken braised with wine, lardons, mushrooms, and garlic. Usually that late at night she’d have gone with a lighter dish, but like me and Sam she was starving. Sam had played it, somewhat, safe and gotten the original db burger. He was more than happy with the sirloin burger filled with braised short ribs, foie gras & black truffle and served on a parmesan bun, with fries that definitely deserved to be called pommes frites. We bought Caeser and Chet their dinners as well. When we left, I was pretty sure that all five of us were moving a hell of a lot slower than when we’d arrived.

We settled quickly into a routine. Up at six, work out. Shower, dress, get to campus. Classes like most people worked, eight AM to six PM. Home, have dinner and spend time with the family. Bone like crazed weasels until we literally, couldn’t cum anymore. Repeat…at least until that Friday. Friday, after classes we had to rush our happy asses home and pack out clothes for the weekend. We didn’t have to take a hell of a lot. It was just a couple of nights. We had to make sure that we had something boss to wear for the interview and decent outfits for the flights home. We had to bring our school shit because we all had assignments in different classes. The nine of us flew out at like nine that night eastern and checked into our hotel at like one in the morning pacific time. Thankfully there was no trouble with our reservations or the late check-in. We made love a few times. I went second, Sam and Cede make the best fucking cream pie. We didn’t even get up and shower…that last series of orgasms knocked us all the fuck out. The next morning, we were back up at nine. We had a really packed day. We had an hour to use the hotel fitness center, then we had to get all decked out for out interview with Ms. Sachs from Variety. There was no time at all between that lunch meeting and when we were due at the spa, but that was fine because, honestly, massages were the only thing I fucking liked about LA at that point. Man, I could only hope and pray that that weekend went better than the last one in the City of Angels. 

 

Lois Lane (Farrah)  
Hudson Friedman PoV

Being back in Los Angeles was making me feel very, very over protective of my bosses. Given their success and the fact that they were my employers, it was too easy to forget that they were barely or not quite twenty years old. Even more than that, they were so inherently good that they were just unable to conceive of the treachery and the evil that lurked in the hearts of a lot of their fellow man. I knew that people weren’t all as good as KAMA and those they surrounded themselves with. I’d been really lucky with my foster care situation. But I knew other girls and boys who had not been as fortunate. I knew that there were plenty of foster parents who were only in it for the money, and spent as little as they could on the children they were charged with caring for. I knew that there were still other foster parents who looked at foster kids as something even scarier than just a payday. Going to college when you are the size of the average middle schooler taught me that it wasn’t just ‘grown ups’ who could be evil. I’d never become a victim of other’s ill intent, but I knew that the intent was there. I wished I could say that I was strong and that was how I avoided victimization, but the truth was that I hid. I hid in my dorm room; I hid in the library. I hid from those who sought to do me harm.

But I couldn’t hide any longer. Mercedes, Sam and Puck had given me a place to call home. I had friends. I had people who knew and liked me for who I was. They had made all of that possible. With all that they had done for me, I could not help but want to help them. In the new KAMA world order, that meant that I needed to protect them from those who would seek to cause more harm. Darcy and I were working closely with Hector and Grunt at Rangeman to ensure that their social media accounts were properly monitored. We were running down any threatening emails and trying to make them take the threats seriously without really letting them know what those threats were. Everyone involved was doing that to make sure that Mercedes and Sam, perhaps more so than Noah…kept a little bit more of their innocence. They didn’t need to know the specific ways that people were online discussing defiling each of them for them to take precautions. And let me just state for the record, some people out there were really, very sick. I needed brain bleach after stumbling across one of the few emails that had somehow slipped through Rangeman’s net. Darcy and I agreed that it needed to be a thing. I was pretty sure that with her job, she saw way more of the strange and gnarly side of humanity than I ever did. Internet trolls were just as nasty as the scary dark web people…just in a different way.

Thankfully there were apps that helped in my endeavors to keep KAMA safe. Their phones and mine were linked in every way possible. I could set their alarms, I could monitor their schedules, even things they never thought to add to the group calendar. Like I knew that when we got back to New York, I needed to make sure that Mercedes made her depo appointment that Wednesday. In LA, I used those functions to make sure that Hal and Woody knew when the trio would be heading down to the hotel’s fitness center. I used it to make sure that Darcy, Daniel, Ruth and I would be up and ready to have breakfast with KAMA before they got dressed for their interview. Sam and Puck hated interview prep, so Daniel and Ruth managed to tackle it by making seem like they were just discussing possible topics that ‘might’ come up and the best way to handle them. It was a light breakfast because it was a lunch meeting. No one wanted to speculate on what would be said if Mercedes, or maybe even worse, Sam didn’t eat a decent meal during the interview. With the shortened breakfast, there was less time for prep, but Daniel was proficient at dealing with his cousins.

“Alright, so Sachs did a full two years as an assistant to Ann Winters…most people last months, a year is considered the gold standard. Sachs is considered a goddess among women. After that Winters made sure that she had entre where ever she wanted it. She may look all sweet and innocent…but Sachs is a shark. She killed a four-year relationship while working under Winters. She got into entertainment journalism, but according to everything I’ve been able to find, she’s using it as a stepping stone into the global political venues. Rumor has it that she is already being looked at by Time, Newsweek, HuffPost and Politico…they are just waiting out her contract with PMC. That news piece that set the IRS on the trail of ‘The Situation’ and his brother…that was a Sachs piece.” Daniel explained as we sat down to fruit, muffins, bacon and coffee in KAMA’s executive suite. “She comes across all sweetness and light, but can rip you apart like barbed wire. Supposedly, she knew that ‘The Situation’ was hiding income based on the outfit he was wearing when they sat down for the interview.”

That baffled me but both Mercedes and Ruth seemed to understand. Puck, however, did not and was curious. “What was he wearing and why did it tip old girl off?”

Ruth smirked. “As I understand it, Mr. Sorrentino was wearing a Dolce & Gabbana blazer that cost roughly six grand, a pair of Valentino jeans that came in at over a thousand bucks themselves, a pair of Maybach sunglasses and don’t even get me started on the shoes. Yet he made a comment that ‘As far as the government was concerned he was almost broke’. She smelled blood in the water and followed the money. Now the IRS says that he underreported about nine million over the course of two or three years.”

“Damn, man don’t he know you don’t mess with the IRS?” Sam said shaking his head.

Ruth chuckled, but it was Mercedes who shocked us all with her response. “Yeah, I remember that article. The worst part was that I looked up the jacket, jeans and shoes…they didn’t even look good together. He looked like he, literally, said I’m going to wear the most expensive pieces of apparel that I own all together to impress the reporter lady. It was a fashion travesty.”

I couldn’t have said what was funnier the level of disgust on her face at the thought of that outfit, or her hyperbole in the face of it. Suffice it to say, we all shared some nerve settling laughter. After we calmed down it was easy for Daniel to get them through the list of interview question Ms. Sachs had submitted seven days before. The list had a total of twenty-four questions on it, though the average Variety Q&A article only used fifteen to eighteen. Thankfully, there were only four that pertained to the current scandal. Unfortunately, several of the others were particularly pointed and could lead to some character assassinations if answered without care. There were two that none of them were allowed to answer in any shape form or fashion since they concerned the litigation underway against Faux News and several ‘conservative’ talking heads. Once we had gone over all of those, and demolished the light breakfast, Ruth and I remained, as we’d gotten completely dressed before we left our rooms, while Daniel and Darcy went to change.

Mercedes, Puck and Sam already showered before we’d gotten there, so it was a simple matter of Ruth making sure that their outfits didn’t need any further tweaking. Given that the day was a nicely moderate, sixty for the high, the trio was dressed fairly lightly. Mercedes presented herself in a pair of tailored denim trousers with just a little bit of a flare to them. The pants had asymmetrical gold zipper details from the waist and down parallel to the pockets. With the gold zippers, it had been a no brainer to pick a slim cut, curve hugging, Michael Kors luxury crew neck sweater that made Mercedes’ body all the embellishment it needed. The sweaters gold coloring made her chocolate brown skin look soft and warm and lovely. A slim gold watch adorned her wrist. I was kind of shocked she possessed one in gold, it was well known that she tended towards silver and platinum tones. Though looking at her, I couldn’t tell you why. A thin gold chain boasted the word love across the front was wound around her neck and at her ears she wore simple, wide, gold oval hoops. She looked lovely and classic. She put on a pair of mid heel, caramel colored, leather boots and seemed happy with her look. I glanced back up at her hair and smiled. She was enjoying the looser, more casual curled looks that framed her face for day time wear lately and that day was no different. She only had on moisturizer and powder and a warm peachy-pink lip gloss as far as I could tell at first. But it soon became clear to me that the look was deceptively undone. Her eyes were done with such subtle shades of brown, they looked as if she hadn’t bothered with them at all…but by the same turn they looked larger and more open.

While she checked through her tan, leather Loewe handbag to make sure that she had all she needed, I looked Puck over. He had gone with jeans too, darker than medium blue, straight legged jeans were paired with a pair of black moto boots, a burgundy Henley and finished off with a black MA-1 style flight jacket. He looked good. Like he hadn’t really cared, but tried to appease Mercedes…which was pretty much his usual state of being when it came to fashion. Sam seemed to be dressed more as if he had had a hand in choosing his apparel. He was wearing some distressed, well-loved looking, slim-straight cut jeans, a Thor, Dark World tee, a blue gray cardigan and some camel brown, walking boots. He looked like a college student, well an Abercrombie version of a college student anyway. He’d decided to toss on a pair of thick black framed glasses, which Puck hated with a passion but, apparently, that was exactly why Sam was wearing them. Darcy came back in and chuckled. She dug through her, impressively large, purse and came out with a black knit cap that she artfully arranged on the back of his head. “Don’t worry, it’s clean and I don’t have cooties.” She told him with a wicked grin. Just like that he went from looking like a simple Abercrombie version of a college student to an Ironic, hipster version of an Abercrombie version of a college student.

Darcy took individual pictures of each of them for the website. She and Ruth would go over the items and tell the fans how to recreate the looks at different price points. The KAMA fans loved that section of the site. It was especially well received by Mercedes’ fans who loved her fashion and often needed the direction since fashion for plus sized women was one of the most difficult roads to travel. I wasn’t plus sized, but I definitely understood needing help to navigate fashion’s treacherous waters. Once Darcy had what she needed, I texted Hal and Woody to let them know that we were ready to head out. They met us at the elevator and we headed out all together. We had rented a black Yukon Denali which sat all of us, somewhat comfortably. It wasn’t an extremely long drive, though the city was known for its traffic. We were five minutes away from Mendocino Farms.

When we arrived, we all piled out of the vehicle. I saw Hal and Woody covertly creating distance between KAMA and nearby amateur and a couple of more professional photographers. Darcy, Daniel and Ruth got out the car on the street side while I came through the sidewalk door after Sam, Mercedes and Noah. I loved witnessing those small moments between Sam, Mercedes and Puck. They never failed to help her out of a car. She never failed to thank them with a small kiss and a quick swipe of her thumb to remove her lip gloss from their paler cheeks. I had never seen her put on her jacket or coat without one of their assistance. I’d never seen her open her own doors. They treated her not only with chivalry but with the upmost respect. I enjoyed seeing that and sometimes, I found myself envying those aspects of their relationship. I envied them despite knowing that I just wasn’t built to have that same kind of love. I’d never found a guy, or really another woman like me. Someone who was somewhat interested in the companionship and caring, but who wanted no part of sex or physical intimacy beyond hugs and cuddling. But envious as I may have been, I found something beautiful and even fulfilling in seeing the shared love in my bosses, and in Darcy and Lester and in Santana, Artie and Brittany…though sometimes, that one was a little harder to identify as such. It was present, but they expressed their love so differently that it had taken me, in my inexperience with the subject, longer to recognize it for what it was.

Andrea Sachs had beaten us there, as she should have. She was pretty fashionably dressed herself. In fact, her outfit was very similar to Mercedes’. She had her dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail with a fringe of bangs, subtle, daytime appropriate makeup. Her brown leather jacket was a shade or so darker than Cedes and cut more like Puck’s MA-1 jacket than Mercedes’ lady’s moto. Her jeans were almost mom-jeans, but the mid-rise waist and slightly slimmer cut, but they walked a very fine line. They were tucked into suede brown walking boots. Her jacket was open to reveal a no-nonsense navy turtleneck that looked thin enough that it was more of a nod to the fact that it was January, than a necessity. She stood when we neared the four top table, and though we wouldn’t be sitting with them, Puck made sure that he introduced all of us. He spoke with pride of Darcy and my degrees. He positively glowed with pride as he introduced both Daniel and Ruth. I could see the notations in Ms. Sachs’ eyes as well. She was cataloging everything. We got the three of the settled, while Darcy, Daniel and Ruth went to handle the line. Between Ruth’s flirtation and Darcy’s cleavage, they were done before Ms. Sachs had explained her processes to the three people at her table.

I eavesdropped from the table closest to them. “So, I know that I’m not your first interview, but I’m sure that we will all feel a little more comfortable if I explain how I behave as an interviewer.”

Sam gave her a charming smile. “That works for us.” He agreed readily.

“Well, if it is okay with you, I record the conversation as well as taking copious notes. I do this because as much as I believe in my ability to remember exactly who said what, it is best for all of us that I have a record of such. When I return to my office, I will upload the recording to my computer and the Variety servers. That way, should there be any need of it in the future it will be available to all interested parties.”

Mercedes gave her a bright smile. “That sounds appropriate. But please also email it to Daniel dot Harris at KAMAteam dot net. Just to ensure that everyone has it should the need arise. A triple blind if you will.”

Ms. Sachs looked a little surprised, but she did agree. It wasn’t a dumb move on Mercedes’ part. They had definitely been twice bitten when it came to recorded materials. It stood to reason that they would be more than a little shy. Ms. Sachs also told them that she wanted all three of them to answer each of the questions so that she would be able to provide her readers with the fullest understanding of who KAMA was as people, not just music stars. “Alright, first question. The three of you are not even old enough to legally drink…what makes you think that you can or even should be activists?”

I was a little surprised that Mercedes spoke up first. “You remember that John Mayer song, ‘Waiting on the World to Change’? I used to love that song, sang it anywhere and everywhere. Then I met a gentleman at the Lima Food Bank…he asked me if we all kept just waiting on the world to change…who would ever change it. I’ve only been able to vote in one presidential election. But I can tell you that my parents and elder brother had voted for ‘Change’ four years before and in twenty-twelve, I voted to move ‘Forward’ because you know what? I believed that change had been begun, and as a society there is no going back. Now I have a voice, now I have a platform. With each of those come an imperative to use them. And don’t believe for a second that silence isn’t just as much of a use of voice as speech is. Famous people are noticed as much for which issues they choose to speak out on and which ones they chose remain silent about.”

Sam nodded. “Exactly. I mean, I would have said that Marvel Comics quote, ‘With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility’ but it all means the same thing. We can speak. People look to us to speak. If we didn’t we’d be wasting our chance to make a difference in the world. What’s the point of living if not to bring about as much positive change as you can before you go?”

“I personally speak out because ‘the revolution will not be televised’.” Puck said with a wicked grin. “I don’t even remember when I first heard that. But I do remember going looking for the quote when I was, damn, I wasn’t even ten. I was on the subway and a guy who looked Middle Eastern, you know turban and beard…it wasn’t even a year after 9-11 world and he was traveling alone. It was me and my mom. I truly think that if my mom had been alone, when the guys started harassing him, she’d have said something, but probably not because she would have been a woman traveling alone on the subway. Still, it was a black guy who stood up for the possibly Muslim, probably just a brown guy. When the guys hassling the dude turned on the black guy…he looked at them and laughed. He said he could take it because brothers already knew what white folk thought of them. Then he said that the revolution was coming and when it did, it would not be televised. I must have searched for hours to find out what that meant. Then I found Gil Scott-Heron on ‘Listen’ which I think is Rhapsody now. I was Jewish. My Bubbie’s family had escaped Germany thanks to the kindness of their neighbors. I had been raised my whole life with the idea that racism was wrong. But I never really considered what the hell that meant until that night. I didn’t even realize that there could be things like misogyny or institutional racism. I looked white, so I was treated as if I was white. So, I had never experienced what I saw that night. I decided then and there that if push came to shove and I saw harassment based on race or whatever, I would stand up. Now, I will admit that it took Cede, and the other original Muppet Babies, to show me that bullying for any reason was just like those assholes on that train. But now I know and so now I stand up and speak out.”

Andrea Sachs looked like she had been smacked with a wet noodle. I think she had been expecting sound bites. My bosses didn’t do sound bites. Not about anything they valued, anything important. They would have seen that question as a moment to reach out to other young people and give them an understanding as to how they too could find and use their voices. Her next question was about how their advocacy intersected the Black Lives Matter movement. They pointed out that they firmly supported the movement. They didn’t speak of the money donated anonymously through GoFundMe and KickStarter. They said nothing about the money they had given to help bury a pair of children who’d been killed by the negligence of a slumlord who had not made desperately needed repairs to a tenement that housed ninety-five, low income, families of color. They simply talked about all the ways the movement was helping and could help in the future. They also batted at those who liked to shout things like All Lives Matter or Blue Lives Matter. “Last time I checked, all lives weren’t in danger from a system that seems designed to create a hierarchy based on two things and two things only the amount of money in a pocket and the color of the hand it belongs to;” was Sam’s take on the first.

“I didn’t realize that BLUE was something that you were born. I mean, being a cop is an occupation, it is a choice. Not to mention that when black cops take off their uniforms or badges, they are just as likely to be stopped as any other black person,” was Mercedes’ take on the second.

The interview moved from controversy to music. Ms. Sachs asked about influences and favorite artists. From what I could see of her notes she planned to emphasis artists like Prince, the Dixie Chicks, Michael Jackson and Aerosmith. The ones that all three members of KAMA credited as having greatly impacted their lives. This interview was entirely different from the Rolling Stone or the Blush interviews. Andrea Sachs had a bite to her that Madison Page had never possessed and one that Vickie Costa hid better. I was sure that I liked Ms. Sachs. I’d read the same background on her that Daniel had. It was done by Rangeman. He’d put forward facts as if they were rumor and innuendo to make them palatable for Mercedes, Puck and Sam. But facts were facts. Still the woman’s articles were all well researched and well written. Daniel would never have let her near Mercedes if they weren’t. Still, she could have phrased her questions about the tape better. “So, what do you say to critics who feel that the tape of your activities released the last time you were in LA shows a lack of moral fiber?”

“I say that only those who have no sin staining their soul can judge me.” Sam stated bluntly. “I also say that those people who have decided, without knowledge or any good reason, that this is somehow Mercedes fault…they are morons.” Ms. Sachs gave him a surprised look. “I don’t care if it’s not a nice thing to say, it’s true. They are stupid. They couldn’t be further from the truth. I was the one who initiated our love making that day. It was my fault that the prick who filmed us had anything to film. That still didn’t give him the right to do what he did. And it sure as hell didn’t give anyone the right to judge the beautiful woman who loves me and loves Noah unconditionally…the beautiful woman who gave her virginities, social constructs they may be, to the two men that she’s been with for longer than some marriages. I’m gonna call a spade a spade because I’m tired of being nice when people say bad things about Mercedes Antoinette Jones. I’ve been raised to take the high road and to turn the other cheek…well, that’s all well and good when you’re coming for me…but come for the woman who holds my heart…don’t expect me to allow that shit right there.”

Puck cosigned everything Sam said. “I’m not even an actual Christian and I still refuse to have my morality questioned by people who wouldn’t know ‘Christ-like behavior’ if the dude came back from heaven and explained it all to them directly. I refuse to have my morality questioned by a dude who is barely over grand a day prescription pills habit. I refuse to have my morality questioned by anyone who feels that consent in sexual contact is something that can be debated. No means no, and if a chick is to drunk, stoned, impaired or young to give consent…then a real man puts their dick away and rolls on through.”

Mercedes just shook her head. The way Puck’s mind was no mystery to her or Sam…he went to the worse moral outrages he could think of among the many of their more vocal ‘conservative’ critics. “Look, I am a very firm believer in personal responsibility. I take full responsibility for my actions. When I do someone wrong I apologize and make amends. However, I’m not responsible for the actions of others. When the person who made the video is caught, I hope that the police and DAs throw the book at him. But since this happened, I’ve had a man who has been married three times, a man who cheated on his wife when she had cancer speaking about me as if I was the biggest whore since Mary Magdalene before she met Christ. But the flip side of that is that my mother and grandmothers and all the women who are important in my life…icons that I’ve looked up to since I was a child…who have reminded me that I have done nothing to be ashamed of. I know who I’ve decided to listen to.”

“Okay, let’s go for favorite quotes from Famous people?” Ms. Sachs asked to lighten the tension.

“When someone shows you who they are believe them; the first time.” Mercedes jumped in with a smile. “Maya Angelou, actually pretty much all that she ever said but that one or Eleanor Roosevelt’s ‘No one can make you feel inferior without your consent’. Those are mine.”

Sam went next. “Mine is actually the opening lines of a poem. I learned it from my granddaddy. It was written by a man named Edgar A. Guest. ‘I have to live with myself, and so, I want to be fit for myself to know; I want to be able as days go by, always to look myself straight in the eye…’ There is a lot more to it. But that sums it up pretty damn well.”

Puck shrugged. “Personally, I’ve always like a Tupac quote. ‘Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside while still alive. Never surrender.’ That was one of the first ‘quotes’ that meant something understandable to me.”

The rest of the interview mainly centered on things that were of little import to me, but of great import to the individuals who were my bosses. Mercedes got to talk fashion. Puck got to talk football and motorcycles. Sam got to talk baseball and country music. They did speak of the good works that they did that they were comfortable sharing with the world. Their family shelter in Lima, their donations to children’s hospitals, their gifts of service to food banks. Mercedes even confessed how often she cleaned out her closets and donated her gently used clothes to Goodwill and the Salvation Army. They didn’t tell of their quiet giving, the moneys that had but new roofs on more than one church in Harlem and several in Lima. The donations made in their daughter’s names to women’s shelters. The donations made in Mabel Shirling’s name to cancer organizations. One thing Andrea Sachs was smart enough to do…she didn’t try to slip in any of the questions Daniel had rejected on KAMA’s behalf before they ever saw the list. There would be no questions about Beth or Nikki. No questions about Stevie, Stacey, Sarah, Amara, Amaea or Sloane. The trio had no problem bragging on Kevon, Devon, Patrice, Tonya, Tessa and Jake, but those of their siblings who were truly underage were off limits. Over the course of the two and a half hours, we all ate lunch. We each had two drinks. No one bothered us. So, before we left, Sam, Mercedes and Puck made sure to take selfies with pretty much every one who worked there or was in line when Ms. Sachs released them. She made mental notes of that too, and of the hundred ten dollar bills that they surreptitiously left in the five tip jars along the counter.

When we left the sandwich shop, we headed to the Ritz Carlton in Marina Del Ray. We had dinner in the spa’s small meeting room then we girls headed to get a plethora of treatments, Mercedes had the most, of course, all the same ones she’d had before the Golden Globes and the People’s Choice Awards. The guys were massaged and groomed as well, but theirs was not as intensive as ours. I wasn’t necessarily a fan of spa treatments on the whole, but massages were perfect. I think they gave me the touch interaction all humans needed without any of the sexual subtext that, perhaps grossed me out was the wrong terminology, but it was close enough. After the spa, we all returned to our rooms. Darcy and I went through all the celebrity spotting sites to see what, if anything, was being said about KAMA. It was mostly positive. Lots of people thought that the trio was taking a ‘getting back on the horse that threw them’ approach in coming back to LA. Most of those people admired them for their strength. There were others though…

“You know that Hector and Grunt both believe they have enough evidence to turn Rachel Berry in on federal cyber stalking charges.” I whispered as Darcy put out another spark Estrella de Oro was trying to fan into a flame.

“We’re going to have to figure out how to hold them off. Mercedes, especially, wants to deal with Bat-shit Berry on her own terms and in her own time.” Darcy reminded me.

“I don’t like it. She seems like she is one of those simple threats that should be eliminated before she can get lucky and do any actual damage.”

Darcy smirked. “That’s how Hector and Grunt feel too. But according to Lauren, no matter what she believes about herself, Berry isn’t actually smart enough to even manage to get lucky.”

I shook my head. “In my head the cost-benefits analysis of the situation does not support Mercedes’ need to handle Berry on her own terms.”

My roommate shrugged. “Yeah, maybe not…but Cedes is human, Puck and Sam are human. They view her as their problem, but they also view her parents as part of their family even if she isn’t. They want to deal with Bat-shit Berry themselves, so her dads don’t end up hurt.”

“Mr. Antwan and his husband are going to be hurt no matter what.” I sighed.

There was nothing else to be said on that one. In fact, it was such a depressing statement of truth that we couldn’t do anything but shower and go to bed. The next day was the SAG Awards and it was bound to be ridiculously busy.

 

On Top Of The World (Imagine Dragons)  
Daniel PoV

Despite the greater possibilities for amassing wealth, I never wanted to be a publicist and red carpet events are exactly why. First of all everyone had to be up at six because of reasons. Ain’t-got-no-Mercy and her boys worked out for an hour, then once they were all showered we all met for breakfast to do a rundown of the day. Hair and makeup arrived promptly at nine. Catrina Moore-Williams, Dani Balestrini, and Albert Westwood were doing their set up until ten. During that same time, Hal and Woody were making sure that the limo all good. And doing a security walkthrough of the red carpet. While those two things were happening, Mercedes and her guys would be making the beginning moves towards getting ready…which I was warned probably included loud sex followed by a bubble bath so I was encouraged to wait that out in my hotel room. I full on did so. It was a little weird having a female roommate so close in age to my own mother even for just a couple of nights. It was made even weirder by the fact that Ruth Mayzer had kind of adopted me as a pseudo nephew by the time we’d gotten to the hotel. She was a good roommate, though…neat and she liked some pretty cool shows.

I had been running serious damage control the morning of the Golden Globes so I’d missed much of the rigmarole. A hell of a lot went into an awards show look, especially for women. Catrina decided that since Mercedes was in the same weave as earlier that month, she needed to at least change the coloring. Which Mercedes actually had something of a problem with, it was easy to tell by how tight her mouth got. But in the end the subtle mid-tone brown highlights looked really nice. The hairstylist created a really beautiful waterfall of curls that shortened the long weave all the way up to her boobs. Catrina pulled their curls up and out of the way carefully to get them out of the way and yet, so carefully that they wouldn’t have any tension on them to pull down the curls. The fact that I knew and understood what she was doing meant that I had probably spent far too much time with Dominique over the years.

Then the makeup artist went to work. He was an older man, but his hands were deft and sure and he was amazing at his job. He actually used an airbrush foundation that made her skin look like velvet. Then he went to work on her eyes. I’d known Dominique for a lot of years, but I had never really paid any attention to her makeup tutorials on her blogs. If I had, probably, I would have known how long a perfect lash line took to create. Artémes individual mink lashes were apparently the gold standard. They literally went on one at a time. Then Mr. Westwood went on with a super black, liquid liner to create the outline of a ‘modern cats eye’. At least that was what Dominique had called that. I was shocked when I saw the name on the tube. I didn’t even know Yves Saint Laurent made makeup. Then he took a small, rounded brush and a charcoal black eye shadow and filled in the cats eye outline but didn’t cover the whole lid. A very light, silvery lavender was applied from the inner corner ‘til it met the almost black shadow. Then another brush was picked up and a sheer silver metallic went over the silvery lavender. The Mr. Westwood picked up a small spongy applicator to blend the meeting point of the two colors. He grabbed a gold tube of mascara and went over the lashes, that I was guessing were firmly affixed at that point.

There wasn’t much after that the eyes took two or three times as long as the subtle blush and the lipstick. The lipstick was funny. I thought you just took the lipstick and put it on. But no…first there was a moisturizing balm. But once she had rubbed it in any excess was removed. Then there was a deep brown, but not too much darker than Ain’t-got-no-Mercy’s skin tone, lip pencil that was applied on her whole lips…not just the outer edges, but the whole thing. Then the lipstick went on. It was a color that looked like a blend of chocolate and cheeries. That too was in a gold tube. The lipstick case read Milani. There was a setting powder that went over her whole face and a berry colored gloss that was slicked over her lips. Mr. Westwood set aside the lipstick, liner pencil, gloss, a MAC pressed powder case, a purse sized set of fluffy brushes and some blotting papers. Then he called Puck to his chair. It was seriously less intensive, just the airbrushed foundation, a light dusting of powder and some natural looking lipstick. Puck looked a little weirded out by it, but not near as weirded out as I was. Sam went last, but got the same ‘no makeup’, makeup look as his husband.

I was not sticking around to pay attention to my little cousin getting dressed. But I had seen what she was going to be wearing laid out in the living room of the suite. A black satin, strapless bra, matching shaper slip which too was strapless and a pair of lacy panties lay out over a white towel on the sofa. Right near them were a pair of silver five inch, stiletto heels with ankle straps that crisscrossed in the front and formed a bow at the back. A rack next to the sofa held two designer suits, one navy blue Isaia suit with black lapels and the other a black, Givenchy, two button tuxedo. I could see a pressed silver gray French cuff dress shirt, black straight tie hanging together on one hanger, while an ice white French cuff shirt, black bow tie and black vest hung from a second. Next to those hung a deep navy blue metallic-flecked floral jacquard with beaded appliqués along the bodice. The gown had side-swept ruching, which according to Dominique, was great for a curvy woman because they gently flattered and highlighted their waist. I liked the way the dramatic skirt flared out to what was sure to be a floor-pooling mermaid hem. Under the rack there was a pair of black Isaia perforated cap-tow bluchers and a pair of black Givenchy stapled-welt leather bluchers, both of which were shined to an almost mirrored finish. I was sure that the three looks would each be great together and separately.

I’d stayed in the room, prepping them for the most likely red carpet questions they would hear until hair and makeup was complete. Then I headed down to my room and put on an unobtrusive Hart Schaffner Marx charcoal suit with a medium gray shirt and black tie. I had my most broken in and comfortable dress shoes and a black leather messenger back. I made sure that my phone was charged and that I had bandaids and a few other things I hoped I wouldn’t need. Thankfully a friend of mine had had a list of publicist must haves that he was willing to share…mainly because he’d been so relieved that I wasn’t calling to ask when he was going to pay me back the bail money I’d lent him back in college. As I was heading back up to the suite, Ruth was coming to get changed herself. She’d laid out her dress and shoes before we went to sleep the night before. We’d all agreed to stick with charcoal for all four of us Hal and Woody would be in black on black suits. Ruth’s dress was a charcoal and white color-blocked, sheath dress with a boat neck and three quarter length sleeves. The dress was interesting because you almost missed the white, because it was only along the sides from arm-pit to hips and if her arms were down, you couldn’t even see it. Black, sheer stockings covered her legs. Her shoes were black ballet looking shoes with two inch heels and looked really comfortable. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and had very subtle, very natural makeup on.

When we got up to the suite, Hudson and Darcy were both back. Their dresses were very similar. Both were charcoal fit and flare dresses that might have been mini dresses on taller women. Both dresses had high necklines and bell sleeves. Darcy’s dress had darted jersey ladders of sheer over nude colored material from shoulder to waist over her boobs and around her sleeves at her elbows. Hudson’s dress had three quarter length sleeves and a white lacy trimmed front. Like Ruth, both women were wearing sheer stocking and sensible shoes. Their long curls were clubbed back into ponytails and I was struck by how thick the bases of all three women’s ponytails were. All three of us had messenger bags or bigger purses to carry the tools of our trades and anything that Ain’t-got-no-Mercy, Puck or Sam might need. Mercedes only carried a small silver clutch with a starry night, kind of galaxy panel on the front. It contained her phone, a money clip with her cards, and her and the guys’ makeup touch up stuff. Ruth had things like gel insoles for Mercedes’ heels, a sewing kit and things like a Tide pen, a lint roller and laundry wipes. Darcy had more tech in her purse than the law should allow and Hudson had everything else, including the tickets to the event.

Everything, thankfully, ran really smoothly. We left the hotel at exactly four and were lined up ten minutes later. There was barely any musical limos to get us into the right spot in the lineup. I got out and made sure that everything was going as it should be. The carpet itself was a bit of a nightmare. Sam got our first, then Puck and they both reached back and helped Mercedes out of the car. Those pictures always looked great. As did the follow-ups when she habitually kissed their cheeks right at the corner of their mouths. I was almost sweating during those kisses, but whatever Mr. Westwood had used worked perfectly because there was no transfer. Darcy, Hudson and Ruth got out once the cameras had moved to focus on KAMA. We stalked the famous group down the carpet, always making sure that MeDe’s skirts were fanned out to show well. I made sure that they stopped where they needed to and pose endearingly. It had to be easier with one famous person. Every photographer wanted pictures of the trio, but individual pictures of MeDe, Sam and Puck too. As the hoard took a million pictures, Mercedes’ wide platinum torque necklace caught the light of the flashes. Her big platinum hoop earrings shown, peaking through her curls and more of the stuff gleamed on her wrists and fingers. The photogs and interviewers loved them. God, traversing the red carpet took us forever. Thankfully, ‘We cannot discuss an ongoing criminal investigation or litigation’ seemed to shut up enough of the scandal questions.

The show itself was, well, it was what it was. Our crew looked great and they came across great. They stopped in at the People and the Entertainment Industry Foundation party right outside the Shrine Auditorium. There were a million opportunities to take pictures with some amazing actors and actresses. They found Cooper Anderson and introduced him to as many people as they knew, including Anderson Cooper…I found that hilarious. They were very proud of him. His new show was under contract for a full season and the contacts he was making would serve him well. MeDe took a great picture with Viola Davis. Ms. Davis in her white gown looked amazing sitting with Mercedes in her navy and silver. Then Maggie Gyllenhaal came over and bracketed Mercedes in the middle and that picture was even better. Sam enjoyed meeting the Modern Family cast. Puck darn near worshiped Ed O’Neil…the kid was a huge ‘Married with Children’ fan. He managed to get a picture of himself with both Mr. O’Neil and Katey Sagal. He was walking on air after that.

We didn’t stay out very late. We had to get back to the room and get changed, packed and to the airport in time for our red eye flight. It had been a long day and I felt for my little cousins because they had classes the next day. We flew out of LA a quarter before midnight and got to LaGuardia a little after seven. The kids had their backpacks and everything with them. Kurt and his boyfriend had watched Nikki for the Ruth and KAMA all weekend, and every time they spoke to her she was having the time of her life. Mercedes was sure that spending time with Kurt, who’d been very young when he lost his mother, could only help Nikki. I was just proud of how well MeDe had stepped up to the plate with her stepdaughter.

The music superstars turned themselves back into college students and made it through the week. Sam and Noah both made more than a few best dressed lists. Mercedes only made three. A lot of people seemed to expect her to come dressed as well as she did at awards shows where she was nominated, and that just wasn’t what MeDe wanted to do. To her, and I kind of agreed, that would have almost been like she was stealing the spot light from the nominees. Darcy pointed that out using Mercedes’ public social media accounts and MeDe’s positives went back up to their usual heights. I didn’t get a chance to talk to them that week until I carried my ass over to their rehearsal space in Brooklyn that Wednesday night so that we could go over the questions in advance of the Entertainment weekly interview. Everything was in place for the ‘Lucky in Love’ concert, so Brantley needed final approvals from KAMA. To get that done and out the way, he rolled with me that evening.

We left Chelsea about a quarter after five and, thanks mostly to Brantley’s familiarity with and the expansiveness of the New York transit system, we made it to the rehearsal space that KAMA had rented at the Sweatshop in Williamburg around five after six. Ain’t-got-no-Mercy and her guys weren’t there yet, but that was to be expected. The three of them were seriously focused. Their schedules were completely ridiculous. According to their calendars, they were up early to work out together before they started their day. They had classes like most folks had jobs. Then they raced home and had dinner with Nikki and Ruth plus their housemates. After that, for the last couple of weeks, when they were in town, they traveled to their rehearsal space. Usually getting there by six-thirty. They did a total of three hours or so of rehearsal. The first hour was dedicated to practicing the music, the second to the choreography and the third to putting the two together and working out any kinks. They studied, wrote papers and did assignments during their breaks and when they were in the cars going from place to place. If they still had anything else to get done, they worked on that for an hour or so after they got back to Harlem. Their Saturdays, most of them, had been spent either in the studio or in Cali. Then the next day it was a matter of wash and repeat. I was completely in awe of them.

That Wednesday when we got to their rehearsal rooms, all the non-college attending members of their crew were already there warming up and stretching out. Sometime it really hit me how much responsibility my baby cousin was shouldering. But she handled it with aplomb. At six-thirty-four, Junior entered the room holding the door open for Mercedes, Nikki, Sam, Puck, Hudson a well as lil cuz’s friends Santana, Artie, Brittany and Blaine. Manny brought up the rear. “Sorry we’re late guys. You all know Nikki. She and Blaine are here with us for the first hour or so. Ruth had a problem come up with some of the Grammy apparel so she’s taking care of that.”

“Girl, breathe…you are not late and you know that Nik-Nak is always welcome. She’s one of my favorite little music prodigies. Chillax.” The bassist, Erika, soothed Ain’t-got-no-Mercy with a smile.

Sam threw Erika a grateful look. “Alright, everyone if we can go over a few things before we get started with rehearsal.” He told the group. “We’ll still try and have you out of here by ten.”

Nikki came over to the corner of seats and table where Brantley and I were sitting. That drew KAMA’s attention to us. “Daniel, Brant…hey…did we forget a meeting?” Puck asked with confusion stamped on his face.

Brantley was quick to assure them that we didn’t have an arranged meeting. “We just came to deal with a couple of things that are approaching on the horizon. Remember, you guys have that EW interview tomorrow. That’s why Danny-Boy is here. I just have the finalized info on ‘Lucky in Love’ for you and the crew.”

“Yeah, Brant, you should go first. I’ll stick around and we can go over the interview prep during the breaks.” I waved them on to what they needed to worry about more immediately.

“Alright, we’ll go Brant, Hudson, then get to work. You guys may want your phones or whatever…” Mercedes told them before shucking off her outer layers to reveal a pair of yoga pants, dancing shoes, and a tight, long sleeved, turquoise top. The band and dancers all grabbed their tech then kind of folded to the floor, most of them way more gracefully than I’d have ever managed even in my teens. “Brantley, you have the floor.”

Brant straightened up and moved around to the front. “Well, as you all know on the thirteenth of next month, we are going to host a dinner concert. We’ve rented the largest third floor hall at the Javits Center on the Hudson. We’re actually renting the small hall next door to turn it into a temporary restaurant kitchen. We’re contracted with Flynn McGarry to run the ‘pop up restaurant’. He is a wunderkind from the West Coast who was looking for an avenue to treat the Big Apple to his brand of haute cuisine. Tickets go on sale on February first. The hall will hold up to fifty-two hundred people with tables and such for a sit down, served meal. We’re cutting that down to fifty-one hundred to give us space for the stage and two cash bars. The event will be dressy or cocktail. The doors will open at eight. Dinner will be served at nine. There will be a thirty-minute comedy set before you guys go on. His name is Jermaine Fowler…he is hilarious. The concert starts at ten thirty…ninety minutes for KAMA. So, they will get dinner and two hours of entertainment for under five hundred bucks.”

Brantley had already gone over everything with the KAMA team that afternoon. We had more information than what he’d just given the crew. Hudson would make sure that Mercedes, Sam and Puck were aware of the other facts. Like the fact that the event was all on us, so after the overhead, KAMA gets all of the profit minus Chef McGarry’s thirty-five percent. There was a significant amount of cost…but Brantley believed, if we sold out all five thousand plus hundred tickets…we could easily bring in a million plus in profit. Tickets were only going to be available through the KAMA site. They would go on sale in two phases. The first phase would start at ten am, just like Ticketmaster, with a lot of forty-five hundred. Then at noon another five hundred tickets will go on sale. The final lot of fifty tickets would be used for radio contests. Three sets of three tickets were being used for a contest Darcy and I were running on the site and would be awarded at midnight of the thirty-first. The other forty tickets were available to the KAMA team and to our office staff to thank them for all the work they would be doing to set the event up. The sale prices had been set based on our overhead and making sure that we would manage a profit. For three hundred and fifty per single, they would get a full five course meal…with the option to add eighty bucks per person and get the wine pairings to go with the food. Two packs of tickets were six-hundred, three packs were a thousand and four packs were twelve fifty. Like Comic-Con, the tickets were non-transferable, they were only for those eighteen and over and all IDs would be checked at the door. Plus, we were kicking around the idea of selling bands that would allow unlimited bar access for a hundred bucks. Designated drivers and the eighteen to twenty-one year olds would get soft drinks and water all night for free. The organizational side was incredible and I could only say that Brantley had an amazing gift for it. Darcy and I had our work cut out for us on the promotional side. But to be honest, we’d already done the biggest portions of our half of things. We’d done the logo, the tickets, and the verbage for all the advertising. That was easy. Event planning was a pain in the ass.

In minutes Xena and Artie had the stage setup and the tech setup outlined for Brantley along with the information they still needed to make sure that everything went seamlessly. Santana, Brittany, Rainbow and Mercedes started dissecting the apparel for the event. Puck, Sam, Erika and Justin started hammering out a set list. And Blaine waded in to talk with Hudson. He very quickly ascertained when the stage would be completely set up at the venue and they had a schedule for the day for the band, background singers and dancers. I grabbed Manny and Junior and brought them up to speed on what Brantley and Haja had arranged with Rangeman for the security for the evening. It was interesting to me that, though it was easy to see the institutional hierarchy, Mercedes, Sam and Puck had confidence in the people they had hired. What otherwise could have taken days of several hour-long meetings, was hammered out in half an hour. It was pretty damn awe-inspiring.

Hudson moved from group to group, her fingers moving over the screen of her iPad so quickly they were hard to track. She took noted of everyone ultimate solutions and complied them. She offered counterpoints to make the suggestions more fleshed out and more efficient. It was funny to me that more than Brantley or I, both of whom had more lofty titles, Hudson was the one considered to be second in command, after KAMA themselves, but the boots on the ground…aka the KAMA crew. I didn’t even realize that things were completely organized from the crew’s avenue of needs and such until I received an email copy of the decisions and plans that had been reached. Then she took center stage. “Okay, so we’ve got the necessary concert details tackled, I’m here to give you the run down on our Grammys’ countdown.” She tapped her screen a couple of times and looked up.

Everyone’s tech binged at the same time, so we all pulled up the itinerary she’d just sent us. “I booked our rooms in October…had KAMA not been tapped to perform, I’d have released some. In the completely, unrealistically slim possibility that they hadn’t been nominated, I’d have released them all. But that is the only reason that we have all the rooms we need at the Ritz Carlton, Downtown Los Angeles. There are ten double queen bed and one single king deluxe guest rooms all together on the twenty-second floor. The single is Ms. Ruth’s. Two of the doubles are set aside for the Rangemen. The rest of you can pick your roommates, just please let me know who will be rooming with whom, just in case. Most of the KAMA team will be in play on this one. Brantley and Ethan and the office staff will remain in New York. Nikki, your parents and Ms. Ruth have arranged for you to spend the week with Ethan and Ms. Amanda. Blaine, you and Kurt will have an executive guest room to share. Artie, Santana and Brittany, you three have a junior suite, the smaller rooms are coded for just two adult occupants. You’re on the same floor as Sam, Mercedes, and Puck’s Ritz Carlton Suite.”

Every nodded. There was a quick little moment of discussion while the crew picked their roommates. Then Hudson jumped right back into the discussion. “We fly out on February first at just before ten in the morning. We will meet at the offices at seven Sunday morning. Rangeman has graciously agreed to provide us transportation for us and all our gear to JFK. As per usual travel, lodging and dinner every day will be on our wonderfully magnanimous bosses. Our meal per diems are set at forty-five dollars a day for the other meals and incidentals. I have a prepaid Visa card in each of your names. Those will hold your per diems whenever we travel from now on, so please get them from me before you leave tonight and don’t lose them. Most of us are free until Monday morning. Our daily schedules are included. They are more structured, but that is necessary in this case. The recent changes made to the KAMA performance means that the extra rehearsal time is a necessity. We will be in LA from the first to the ninth. We will be in rehearsals daily. Let’s all hope and pray that KAMA moves from Grammy Nominated to Grammy Award Winners. I have secured invitations to several different Grammy after-parties. Get with me before we fly out to select which one you’d like to attend. But every one of us, is expected to show our faces at the Warner Music Group party at Chateau Marmont. Yes, all of us Daniel; Anika and Deborah said that the team and the crew and KAMA, of course, will all need to at least make an appearance.”

Mercedes’ head snapped up. “Hudson, that means that we need to go shopping some time in all of this. I know that you and Darcy are set for working us on the red carpet, but your understated navy blue dresses will not work even for a quick in and out at the Warner party.”

Hudson grimaced but nodded. “Okay, then, we’re set to fly back to New York on the ninth at eleven thirty. Anyone have any questions that you don’t think I’ve answered in the email.” We all shook our heads. Hudson was super efficient and she had a tendency to think of things from most angles. “Alright then, I’ll let you get to your rehearsal…you can text or email me with any questions after you’ve had a chance to read over everything.”

They did just that. Vocal warmups took about fifteen minutes, then they started singing. I owned everything the group had released and it still amazed me how good they sounded. I did notice that Mercedes ad-libbed a lot but Santana and Xena seemed to follow her changes effortlessly. They were working on a bunch of songs that Ain’t-got-no-Mercy and her hubbys had written after they left the Cookie Lyon’s welcome home party. Man, the industry was all abuzz about that. Word was spreading fast that Cookie Lyon was pretty much the whole reason Lucious was a music icon to begin with. Mercedes loved the woman, she’d introduced her to Aunt Danica via email and I think they were talking back and forth too. I made a mental note to meet Cookie myself…maybe she wouldn’t mind producing a track or two for KAMA. That could be an amazing thing for us. Give the group another sound to play with.

I didn’t make it home until almost eleven that night. But since Riker and Chris were on the four to midnight shift, it wasn’t like I’d had any real reason to rush. The next day I met KAMA at the offices when they finished their classes for the day. By the time, Ms. Spellman arrived, they had gotten their selves into their KAMA head space away from their classes and back into the music. I’d ordered dinner because I knew that they would be going to the rehearsal studio as soon as they left. Sabrina Spellman was an interesting woman. She was closer to forty than any of the other people that had done sit down interviews with KAMA so far. But she looked like a sixteen year old. She was a married mother of three and dressed in what could only be called boho chic. Her interview style was as different from Andrea Sachs’ as her style of dress was. She did record everything on a gopro none the less but the way she asked questions was much more conversational. So much so that Mercedes ended up inviting her to join them for the first part of KAMA’s Thursday night rehearsal.

By the end, I was very enthusiastic to see the article Ms. Spellman would do. We left Williamsburg at seven thirty and I made my way home to find that Dom had made dinner for her, Grant and me. I wasn’t hungry, but I sat down anyway. It felt good to spend time with my people. I stayed up until Riker got home and she and I made love until she forgot the crap that she was forced to deal with on the daily and I felt sated enough to turn my mind off and get some rest. I was ridiculously glad that we weren’t leaving until Sunday, since Rike was off Friday and Saturday and started the eight to four shift on the first. January had been ridiculously packed for me. Between managing the fallout from the sex tape, the drama of the last-minute LA trip and getting things done for the ‘Lucky in Love’ concert I was exhausted. But there was still much to do and tiring as it may have been, I wouldn’t trade my job for anything else in the world. In fact, a part of me couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please Note: ALL songs mentioned belong to there respective record labels, songwriters, singers & producers. 
> 
> Also Note: ALL fan-fiction authors love getting reviews/comments. They enrich our lives & souls the way we hope our writing does for our readers. 
> 
> TTFN,   
> Anni


	25. Entertainment Weekly & Variety Articles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> KAMA’s Wise Words For Losers Like Them  
> By Sabrina Spellman  
> &  
> KAMA! Music’s Powerhouse Supergroup Tells Their Truths  
> By Andrea Sachs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.  
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Random goodies by LoveShinesThrough  
> AN: Entertainment Weekly Cover Articles can be up to four pages of really small font. I translated that into them being roughly seven to eight pages of font my 38 yo eyes can read without difficulty. Variety non cover articles are significantly shorter. Hence the different in the lengths of the two articles.

Entertainment Weekly

February 6, 2015

Cover Photo: Under the Entertainment Weekly Banner, seated at a library table piled high with college textbooks. But that was where the impression of college students ended. Mercedes was seated at the longest side of the table in a strapless sundress. The Giambattista Valli strapless ruched silk combo dress had a tan bodice and a tan and purple floral skirt. An inch-wide black belt circled her at the dress’ empire waist. The black belt was mirrored in the black strappy sandals on her pedicured feet. If the red of the shoes bottoms didn’t quite match…well really, red bottomed shoes went with everything. In front of her a small, but identifiable, travel keyboard sat on the table. Her hair was curly and down around her bare shoulders, barely camouflaging her more than impressive cleavage. Her makeup was natural and subtle but her lips were bold with a pretty purple gloss. To her left Sam sat wearing a tan, linen suit with a white cotton dress shirt open at the collar. His light tan work boots were up on the table and in his lap rested an acoustic guitar that looked like it belonged in a Hank Williams Senior museum exhibit. His blond hair was sexily disheveled as if someone had been running their hands through it. His lips swollen and pink as if his hair had gotten mussed while he was being kissed. The smirk they formed giving testament to the pleasure the kiss had imparted. Across from him, Puck was wearing a bold blue suit with black lapels and buttons. The jacket was open to reveal a vintage Grateful Dead logo tee. He was holding an electric guitar with a very distinctive shape and blue flames painted over the body. Puck’s feet were also up on the table, though they were clad in heavy, black motorcycle boots with silver metal and chains everywhere. Anyone looking closely saw that his lips were swollen and red as Sam’s. They would also see the darkened bruises hiding on Mercedes collarbones under her curls.

Article Cover Shot: Same scene, but rather than sitting at the table with their instruments, the trio is standing playing them. The diamond on Mercedes’ left hand catches the light of the camera flash and twinkles merrily.

KAMA’s Wise Words For Losers Like Them

By Sabrina Spellman

Setting up an interview with KAMA’s Sam Evans, Mercedes Jones and Noah Puckerman was easy. Finding the time in their massively busy schedules was not. The trio of musicians, for that was what they were, started their day before six in the morning. They counted themselves lucky if they made it to bed by midnight most nights. They were each taking a full course load of classes at Columbia University. In addition to that they were taking a full course load of classes at the Juilliard School of Performing Arts. When they finished their classes for the day, they tried to have dinner with their little girl, Puck’s eldest daughter Nicolette and his grandmother who held guardianship for Nikki. They also Skyped with their other child, Puck’s younger daughter Beth who lives with her adoptive parents, at least four to five times a week. After dinner, the group met up with their ‘crew’ of dancers, background singers, DJ and musicians to practice music for their coming Grammys performance, Valentine’s Eve Dinner Concert and sophomore album. Finally, we were able to sit down at the KAMA ‘team’ offices in Chelsea. They were accompanied by their ‘amazingly efficient’ PA Hudson Friedman, MS and their wonderfully protective Public Relations Manager, Mercedes’ eldest maternal cousin, Daniel Harris, PhD.

We settled at the conference table in a well-designed, well-appointed conference room. KAMA gives the credit for the design to their manager Haja Johnston and their friend, and junior stylist, NYADA and FIT student Kurt Hummel. The triad presented a united front, Mercedes smiling from her place in between Sam and Puck. It is she that welcomes me to the room while Sam gets up and holds my chair out for me like the good southern gentleman his parents raised him to be. “Ms. Spellman, thanks for agreeing to do this. Your Andy Weir article was great. It really made him a person, if that makes sense.” Mercedes' voice was everything you’d expect of a singer, rich, warm and lyrical.

It was rare to have anyone, especially someone as busy as Ms. Jones, recognize me from a byline. Rare, but by the end of our conversation, I realized that it was simply who these young people were. After chatting for a few minutes, the focus returned to the interview. “I think that being able to read and write music is one of the most important things you can learn if you even hope to be a professional musician whether that means teaching music or going on world tours and packing stadiums.” Sam said in answer to the first official question.

“Not that there is anything wrong with those world-famous pop stars who can’t.” Mercedes tried to cover hurriedly causing Puck to scoff in clear derision. “There really isn’t. Some people can sing and play by ear and that’s alright. I’m sure that once they get their feet under them, they will take the time to learn. Prince taught Beyoncé to read music in two-thousand and four. She had already been huge with Destiny’s Child and launched her solo career before that.” She chided gently. “But I do actually agree with Sam. Everyone isn’t Beyoncé. We’ve been very outspoken about our relationship issues with our first mentor. But one thing he did do well was he encouraged us to write our own songs for a competition. ‘Hell to the No’, off our debut album, was the first song I’d ever written. As a choir, we wrote a song called ‘Loser Like Me’ that helped us to win the NHSSCA National Championship our junior year. Being able to write our own songs helps us to put words and voice to our truth. We could and have sang other people’s words, but we pick those very carefully to make sure that the song speaks to us enough that we can make it our own rather than just covering it.” (EW dot com included a link to the ‘Loser Like Me’ video on the NHSSCA website.)

When asked how they got their ideas, Puck gave me a charming smile. “Well, I’ll be honest, music liked to put me in a headlock. Like Cede, she has the lyrics and the harmonies, Sam has the melodies, I make the connections, if that makes sense. The underlying, building riffs and beats and basslines…those tend to be where I contribute. If I come up with lyrics, it’s usually just a hook or a chorus that pops into my head and won’t leave me alone until we get it all fleshed out.”

“Yeah, even when it pops in there at o-dark-o’clock and we then end up going on a weekend long music bender.” Sam laughed. He nudged Mercedes with his shoulder and she in turn nudged Puck with hers. “But that song…it was amazing. I can’t wait for people to hear it.”

The song in question will be called ‘Stand by You’ and speaks of the kind of love that the triad shares and encourages others to foster. One many people dream to find. A love so strong that if heaven is not an option then hell would be heaven as long as the couple or ‘thruple’ was together. The song is also one of friendships like the music group has built in their lives. Puck talks of his ‘brother from another mother’ with pride and joy. “Man, Finn before that accident, he was just awesome on the football field. It wasn’t that he was the best strategist or the fastest runner or whatever, but that guy has no understanding of the concept of quitting or not giving things his all. Even after the accident totally derailed his plans, he didn’t sit in a corner and cry. Naw, he just rethought shit through and decided to tackle life from another avenue. He and Lauren…they taught us all a serious lesson about the importance of talking to each other like all the time. Seriously, I’d meant to call him that day and just shoot the shit to get his mind off that super important reconciliation date, ya know…but time got away from me and next thing I knew they were telling me that I might not ever get to call my boy again. That shit almost wrecked me.” It was easy to see that even a year after the accident that had nearly claimed the life of Puck’s lifelong friend, Finn Hudson, he found it hard to contemplate the near loss without his emotions trying to overcome him. “If it weren’t for Sexy Mama and Sammy-boy, no way in hell I wouldn’t have done something stupid and self-destructive.”

With the subject of their former choir on the table I asked about the issues they had had with their former mentor and New Directions advisor, William Schuester, and if there had been any resolution with him. “He uh, he actually reached out to us before Christmas to apologize. I think maybe he’s had some therapy or something because he seems to really get why he hurt Mercy so much.” Sam said in a tone that seemed to pair relief with gratification.

“He doesn’t just get why I was hurt. He gets that he did a disservice to all of us. I mean, he enabled Rachel in her worse actions and told her basically that it was okay not to get the help that she desperately needed. He finally seems to understand that that was wrong. He understands that basically punishing Kurt for being, well Kurt, wasn’t helping Kurt to be more accepted…it was taking acceptance from him in the one place that it should have been assured.” Mercedes own tone was one of pride and happiness.

Puck just shrugged. “He’s forgiven…but I can’t forget.” He said honestly. “I don’t even know who came up with that forgive and forget bullshit. I can acknowledge that amends has been made and a subject has been squashed without giving somebody free reign to dick me over again. Still, Schue came correct. He asked for our forgiveness and said he understood if we couldn’t give it. So, he has mine, Sam’s and Cede’s, not sure how the rest of our peeps feel on the subject but he apologized to all of us.”

All of the things on the horizon for KAMA, perhaps the Grammys is the biggest. When asked if they were nervous, Sam gave the most charming and honest answer. “I’m as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. It’s the Grammys. Not only is it the Grammys, but Eric Church knows who I am. I listened to ‘Homeboy’ off of Chief so many times, my daddy banned it for a week to punish me for a bad grade. But I’m gonna sing with Eric ‘Sinners Like Me’ Church.”

“One word for you Sam…USHER.” Mercedes shot back. “The guy that has literally had three generations of Jones women crushing on him at the same damn time. I have to get on a stage and sing with him and make sure that I do a good enough job that the negatives in the comment sections are about why they put him up there with a fat girl and not about how he sang and danced circles around me. Then on top of that, the other person who will be up there is Stevie Wonder’s protégé. Yeah…trust me you aren’t the only one nervous.”

Puck just shook his head. “AC-muthafuckin-DC. They have been performing and rocking the world since my mom was a kid. I’m nervous as hell too.”

I asked if they were nervous about their shared six noms and Mercedes’ two nominations with Grammy award winner, Jill Scottt, and the trio laughed at me. “Dude, it is seriously such an honor to be nominated that I think I’m only nervous about the performances or whatever.” Puck chuckled.

Mercedes gave him a side eye. “I don’t know. We’re up for ‘Best New Artists’ and as much as I want to win a Grammy, I’m pretty sure that that one is cursed or something.”

“Yeah well, I’m pretty sure that Sam Smith has that one on lock so let’s all hope that it is not cursed because all of our mothers love him.” Sam pointed out. “I think we’re all pretty nervous about winning; not even Brian McKnight wants to be Brian McKnight, I mean on the whole always nominated never winning thing…but by the same turn, I think we’re all more concerned about proving to people that we hold in pretty ridiculously high esteem that we belong on the same stage.”

Managing to refrain from squealing at how cute that answer was, we moved on to another topic. What else was coming up fast on the calendar for KAMA? “Well, we’re almost done recording our official sophomore album which, if life last and nothing happens, will be coming out the end of April. And Tickets go on sale February first for our ‘Lucky in Love’ Dinner Concert that happens on Friday, February thirteenth.” Mercedes said with a big smile. (Said concert tickets sold out in three hours, none were available anywhere when this article went to print.)

Sam took over from there. “Oh, and we’re playing three dates at South by Southwest in March. Yeah, and the first video from the album will drop around that same time I think.”

“Naw, we aren’t dropping the video until the weekend we’re playin’ Coachella in April. You know how I hate it when a group drops a great video then you can’t buy the CD for two months.” Puck pointed out.

Mercedes shook her head. “We compromised. You said two weeks, Deborah said ten, we compromised on six. It drops the first night we play SXSW. Then we have the Coachella weekend in April and the album drops two weeks later. I’m forgetting something important.” She mused and tapped her perfectly manicured fingers against a strong chin. “Oh, I know what we forgot. The prom contest.”

“Man, Deborah, Darcy and Daniel would have killed us if we forgot that.” Sam said before laughing. “We have a lot of people whose names start with D in our lives.”

That time Puck nudged Mercedes who in turn nudged Sam. “Yes…well. The contest will open on March first and close on March thirty-first. It is open to every high school in the continental United States with a prom date between April eighteenth and May ninth. The entry details and rules are already up on our website, KAMA dot com and at WarnerMusicGroup dot com. But basically, you have to submit a short video telling us why your school is the one that should have KAMA rock their prom out. It must include the school principal in the video inviting us. No administrator…no go.”

That made a certain level of sense. “Yeah, the radio and print ads for the contest will go up on Sunday (February first) which should give them a chance to make a good, creative video which showcases the talents, diversity and cultural inclusivity of their school.” Mercedes added.

Of course, the date confines of the prom dates were intriguing. “It’s only between those dates because we’ve got Coachella the weekend of April eleventh, our little sister Tessa graduates on May sixteenth, plus, the week before that is finals and the week after that we start our Aesthetic Enjoyment tour. Tickets for the tour go on sale on Valentine’s Day, by the way.” Sam added quickly at a pointed look from their PR manager. “The tour tickets are available through Ticketmaster.”

After the formal interview, during which we shared a lovely dinner from the Lobster Place in the Chelsea Market, I was invited to accompany them to their rehearsal and see them in their real element. It was too tempting an offer to refuse. On the long ride from Chelsea to the Williamsburg studio where they rented their rehearsal space, we discussed religion and how to make things work in a relationship where there were two different religions and three different denominations present. “We make it work by sharing the similarities and respecting the differences.” Sam said smoothly.

Mercedes agreed whole heartedly. “Sam and I have been known to pop in at Bubbie Ruth’s synagogue. (Ruth Mayzer, Daytime Emmy award winning costumer/stylist and Puck’s grandmother) just like Ruth, Noah and Nikki have gone to church with me and mass with Sam.”

“Yeah, I mean, if the preacher or priest is preaching from the old testament, for the most part, I know what they’re talking about. And I love the music at black churches. I mean, the hymns at Temple are nice and the ones at mass are alright, but nothing…nothing makes me feel like I feel when I’m listening to a black choir singing their hearts out, especially when our woman is leading it.”

“I know right. Man, I’m still so jealous that I missed out on Mercy singing ‘I Look to You’…that song is great to begin with.” Sam amused me with his envy. “I mean, Artie had it on his phone and I heard it from there when I finally got my head out of my ass and joined the New Directions and all, but it wasn’t the same.”

“Hearing Mercedes sing on recording is damn near as good. But you know she could sing it for you now and it still wouldn’t be the same.” Puck pointed out to his husband.

It was a well-known fact that Mercedes Jones was a firm believer in singing her emotions and letting the music take her where it would. A fact that her fans loved. The summer before they had several people blog about following their festival stops and never feeling disappointed or bored with a single performance. High praise indeed from a generation well known for its almost constant state of ennui. Our arrival at the Sweatshop, where KAMA rents rehearsal space ended that conversation. When we were ushered into the studio by two Rangeman Security, LLC bodyguards who have asked to remain unnamed, we found that the group’s crew was already there and ready to get to work.

Over the hour and a half that I remained at the rehearsal, I learned far more than I expected. What I learned was that as much as Mercedes, Puck and Sam were young…as much as they were the new kids on the musical block and an overnight success in the truest sense of the word…they had the musicianship and work ethic of people three times their age who had been in the business twice as long. Their rehearsals were well organized and ran with precision, but not dry or boring. It was easy to see that their band, background singers and dancers were their friends. The group functioned like a corporation on one hand and like a commune of artists on the other. When given the opportunity to speak about their bosses, not a single one had a truly negative thing to say. Though it was stated that teaching Sam and Puck new dance moves should see their choreographer awarded the national teacher of the year award for patience. But instead they told stories that one used to hear told of old touring groups that toured with the likes of Patti Labelle and others of that era. Apparently when they were on tour over the previous summer, if they stopped someplace with a decent kitchen, Mercedes would cook for them. When they stayed at a campground overnight, Sam and the, affectionately named, ‘Dam Bros’ would barbeque for the assembled crew.

When asked what advice they would give aspiring musicians about entering the industry, given their own striking story of discovery, KAMA had some serious words of wisdom. “Don’t count on things happening for you the way they did for us. But if you’re going to hope that it will, then make sure that you are ready for it. Learn to read and write music. Learn to play instruments.”

“Yeah, Mercy pays piano and some violin. Puck plays both regular and bass guitar. I play guitar and piano and a little steel guitar. Not that that will ever appear on a KAMA album. Puck has issues.” Sam teased.

“Look, love you and you know it…but the only way I’m hearing one of those damn things is if I’m listening to Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw or Reba McIntire. That is it. Simple.” Puck shot back. “Still the point is valid. We were able to grab the ring when it was offered because we had the tools it took to succeed. Not every chick is an Beyoncé, not every dude is a Bieber. Most people have to work their asses of for years to get there. We were ready to. Originally, we were signed to a development contract with some really good terms. I mean, technically we still are. But until Sexy Mama ended up getting her role in ‘SongBird’ and we ended up modeling in Chicago and LA to stick by her side, we were expecting to spend a couple of years as studio musicians and background vocalists. We were ready to do it because the dream…the dream was worth it. If you think this is your dream, then make sure you are worthy of it coming true.”

VARIETY

February 3, 2015

Article Cover Shot: KAMA was standing in front of a large screen showing a silver and black version of their logo. Sam was on the left of the shot wearing a pair of charcoal slacks, a deep ‘KAMA’ purple dress shirt unbuttoned to show off his well-defined torso. He was bare foot and his hair was mussed and sexy. His head was down, but tilted at the perfect angle for one to see a smile playing about his puffy and deep pink lips. Next to him stood Mercedes. She was wearing a sleeveless, ‘KAMA’ purple, dress that immediately reminded one of a longer version of the white Calvin Klein dress Cher had worn in Clueless. Mercedes’ dress was longer, stopping at the tops of her calves and had broader straps. The somewhat demure dress didn’t show a lot of leg or a lot of cleavage, but the way it hugged her curves made it almost more dangerous than a more risqué outfit. Her feet were shod in patent leather Jimmy Choo slingbacks that gave her four inches of extra height. Her hair was curled around her face and shoulders, yet rather than being flawlessly arranged, it was tousled and suggestive of hands playing with it during kisses. Like Sam to her left and Noah to her right, she wore no jewelry except for the rings that were the symbol of their love. Her thick, full lips were even fuller than usual and their purple gloss looked a bit worn and smudged. It was a little difficult to tell, her head was thrown back as if in laughter. The smile playing on her lips gave credence to that thought. To her right, Puck was looking the camera dead on, as if challenging the viewer to mention the slight purple, glossy tinge to his smirking lips. He too was bare foot, though his slacks were slightly a darker gray than Sam’s were. With the pants, he wore a ‘KAMA’ purple Henley that hugged his body like a second skin, its long sleeves pushed up to bare his strong forearms. All three of them were holding hands as if showing the world that they were together and strong in their love.

KAMA! Music’s Powerhouse Supergroup Tells Their Truths  
By Andrea Sachs

Kama is defined "desire, wish, longing" in Indian literature. Kama often connotes sexual desire and longing in contemporary literature, but the concept more broadly refers to any desire, wish, passion, longing, pleasure of the senses, the aesthetic enjoyment of life, affection, or love, with or without sexual connotations.

KAMA is a triad of musicians who hit the music scene hard right before Christmas two-thousand fourteen. KAMA is defined by its curvaceous, melismatic female lead vocalist, a R&B and soul rooted singer Mercedes Jones; its guitar welding southern gentleman, baritenor with smooth country vocals, Sam Evans; and its badass, guitar playing baritone with a rock growl, known to the world as Puck. The group is lauded for its ability to blend honest vulnerability and fierce sexuality in each of their tracks. In the thirteen months since KAMA broke onto the music scene the triad has won a MTV Movie Award, four Video Music Awards, four American Music Awards, and two People’s Choice Awards. Currently, they are nominated for a total of six Grammys for the group and Mercedes Jones is nominated for two for her collaboration with Grammy Award Winner, Jill Scott.

At the end of the twenty fourteen calendar year, their debut album boasted over eight point two million units of domestic sales. When combined with their rates of streams on services like YouTube, Amazon, Rhapsody and Spotify…even conservative industry insiders predict that Necessity 4 Existence will reach RIAA Diamond level certification before it’s March eighteenth anniversary. Given the success of their debut album, it is easy to forget that two of KAMA’s leads won’t be twenty until Valentine’s weekend of this year and the third will not be able to drink legally until April the seventeenth. Speaking with the group’s three distinctive and yet completely inner woven personalities, it becomes both easier and more difficult.

Mercedes, Sam and Puck, he refuses to allow anyone outside their family and a tight circle of friends to call him by his first name, have become well known for their advocacy on social issues. What is perhaps less well known is their philanthropy. The trio gives heavily to organizations that help families experiencing economic difficulties, children’s and cancer hospitals, international health and aid organizations and they have endowed three scholarships at the Ivy League college they attend. In fact, a few calls found even more gifts that, though made anonymously, are suspected to have been made by the group. When directly asked about their charitable giving, the trio is reticent to talk about it. “We give when we can to causes we believe in.” Puck said looking slightly embarrassed. The only time he looked even a bit self-conscious during the entire interview.

Sam was certainly shy. “I was raised to tithe and give. If not for the kindness of relative strangers when my parents were both unemployed and me and my brother and sister were living with them in a place that had hourly rates, who knows what would have happened. There is no way on earth any of the people who helped us out would ever let us repay them, so I pay it forward and I try and help those who need it now.”

“Yes, we give to organizations that call to us. Some of those had impact on things we’ve personally experienced. Some of them have impact on things that we hold as universally understood need. We have the money, so to us it is a social imperative that we help those in need. I believe that it was Lao Tzu who said that ‘The wise man does not lay up his own treasures. The more he gives to others, the more he has for his own.’. Or you know as we Christians have been taught, ‘God loveth a cheerful giver’. That is second Corinthians nine and seven, just in case you need it.” As we started the interview, I believed that Mercedes had a way of speaking that was both sweet and biting at the same time. It left one confused as to whether she was truly kind or just acting so to be held as a role model.

However, as the interview progressed, it soon became apparent, the young woman was raising emotional shields that she had never before needed. She spoke of how her faith had been called into question so many times, that she often felt as if speaking of it left her open to ridicule and mockery. While some did mock her, noted atheist Bill Maher has said of the vocal Christian, “But no, seriously, if a star is going to claim that they are a Christian…that Jones girl, she is showing them all how it’s done. Ya know she actually does the things that Christ was known for doing. Helping the poor. Giving comfort to the sick. Not being judgmental…Not saying I believe…just saying that that is what I want my believers to act like.”

Sam has been just as vocal with his own faith and yet he hasn’t experienced the same amount of blow back. He stated that it is his white male privilege that has saved him from the ridicule. “Since, I am white and I’m a guy, my actions tend not to be scrutinized as much as Mercedes or as much as someone like you, Ms. Sachs. Women and women of color are easy targets. If you’re sexually active you’re immediately considered a whore. If I’m sexually active, I’m considered to be a prime example of maleness. It’s really stupid. I’ve known whores…people who trade their bodies for things they wanted or desired thinking that that counted as earning them…and believe it or not I’m not talking about sex workers, for the most part if it is a direct business exchange between two people who fulfill the criteria of consenting adults, I don’t really have a problem with that. A very smart woman told me that the only reason prostitution earned such a bad rap was because it was the one business where men could never hope to be as successful as women. Don’t know if it is true or not…but I can believe it to have gone down that way. Men have a long history of outlawing women’s control of their own bodies. But I have trouble with people who try and attain fame without talent or intelligence and instead rely on their sexuality only.”

Puck chose to expound on the topic of white privilege when questioned further. “Anyone who follows us on Twitter knows the bullshit that went down with our brothers over Christmas. If Jake had been fully white instead of half, that shit never would have went down the way it did. I had a cop ask me why we didn’t just all stay together…like that made sense. Why the hell do black men and women need a designated white guy with them to legitimize their existence. Hell no. Like I said to her, we shouldn’t have to stay with them for not to be treated like shit. Let’s just say it flat out. In our family, there are nine of us from sixteen to twenty-five. If the nine of us go into a store, Tessa, Sam and me, we don’t get followed from the second we enter a store until the moment we leave. I’ve seen that shit happen way too often to Sexy Mama, Jake, Dev, Kev, Tonya and Patrice. That’s some serious bull shit, because out of all of us, I’m the only one with any kind of record, even if it is only a juvie one. That’s white privilege. That’s institutional racism. That’s bull shit.”

Discussions of privilege bled into discussions of the institutions that bred it, racism, misogyny, hatred of anyone classified as other. They spoke in depth of how they came to the place of advocating at their young age. Perhaps Mercedes said it best. “Now I have a voice, now I have a platform. With each of those comes an imperative to use them…Famous people are noticed as much for which issues they choose to speak out on and which ones they choose to remain silent about.” Sam and Puck agreed whole heartedly. It is well known that Puck is proud of his Jewish heritage. It is that heritage that makes him so much more sensitive to the most readily apparent aspects of bigotry. The triad discussed the age old adage that ‘those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.’

Those discussions led to talks of the Black Lives Matter Movement and KAMA’s very vocal support and advocacy of the loose knit network of regional and grassroots teams. The group is very proud of their affiliation with the controversial movement. When asked about the controversy that surrounds the movement, Sam pointed out that at one point the founding fathers were considered to be leading a controversial movement, as were the leaders of the Civil Rights and LGBTQ Rights movements. He then quoted Edmund Burke. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing’. I refuse to look back over my life and be ashamed of myself for having the chance to make a difference and being too weak-willed or lily-livered to take it.” 

Having so many properly utilized and accredited quotes spoken to support their points and decisions, it was an easy matter to ask for their favorite quotes. Sam chose a lesser known poem by a prolific English-born American poet who was popular in the first half of the twentieth century and became known as the People's Poet, Edgar A. Guest. His answer flew in the face of all the sci-fi and comic quotes that had characterized much of his conversation to that point. Mercedes chose two of the strongest female role models of all time to quote, Maya Angelou and Eleanor Roosevelt. The source of Puck’s quote was surprising and yet should have been rather expected. He quoted Tupac Shakur, the late rapper and poet who epitomized ‘Thug Life’ certainly left a mark on the group’s loving badass. That should have been unsurprising. Music was an intrinsic part of everything these three lovers did. From the fact that Mercedes states that part of what led her to advocacy and speaking out was John Mayer’s two thousand six hit ‘Waiting on the World to Change’ and Puck blames his on Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘The Revolution will not be Televised’; to the fact that they have a list of musical influences a mile long.

It was interesting to see where their lists overlapped. As to be expected Puck’s list was littered with rock gods and hard core gangsta rappers. Sam’s with the who’s who of country music and Mercedes’ with iconic singers like Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Whitney Houston and Mahalia Jackson. But the beauty was in the artists that they all loved. Artists known for their musicianship like Prince, Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday and Notorious BIG who was credited for instilling gangsta rap with complex and emotional stories told through intricate rhymes that sounded effortless. Others known as the best songwriters of their age such as Dolly Parton, Tracy Chapman, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen and Beck. And, of course, the great performers that made history like Michael and Janet Jackson, Garth Brooks, Madonna, the Dixie Chicks and Freddy Mercury. The depth and breadth of their musical knowledge was enheartening. When questioned about how they came about having such an expansive and generationally inclusive all three credited their parents and grandparents and other elder relatives with exposing them to all kinds of music during their formative years. “My grandfather used to quote Jack Kerouac to my mom…she quoted it to me as far back as I could remember. ‘The only truth is music’.” Mercedes said with a gentle and sincere smile. “Now is our chance to show the world our truth.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They say that life is tit for tat   
> And that's the way I live -  
> So, I deserve a lot of tat   
> For what I've got to give! ----Mama Morton (Chicago)
> 
> I quoted that to say that I'd like comments please.  
> TTFN,   
> Anni


	26. Move on Up a Little Higher (Mahalia Jackson) & Invisible (Clay Aiken)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going Back to Cali, Cali, Cali

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> It Happened Once at Target by iaminarage
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!!

Move on Up a Little Higher (Mahalia Jackson)  
Darcy PoV

My time was so not my own after that fucking sex tape hit the world wide web. Like seriously, I loved my job but I was so ready for a vacation. I fended off more internet trolls than the law should allow. I wrote a new program that would make for more seamless communication between my firewalls and Hector over at Rangeman to make sure there were no more scary nut jobs trying to get one over on my bosses. I was also working with Lauren and Artie to try and figure out who had created the video and sold it and where else they’d shopped it to. We’d managed to hack the system for Mann Interior Design and found out exactly who was working on the property that day, but it wasn’t a small number of people to wiggle our way into their back doors and we all had shit to do on top of our modern day Nancy Drew sleuthing.

During my day job, I was working as many angles as I could to increase KAMA’s internet popularity. I was the point person in setting up the KAMA side of the prom contest that Warner wanted us to do. I was working with Daniel and Brantley on the promotional materials and promoting the ‘Lucky in Love’ dinner concert. That included getting the swag together. I decided that there would be five offerings that night that would be completely exclusive to the event. Male and female event tees with the concert information and KAMA’s logo in red, sweatshirts in the same basic format. Those would be offered with a base price for singles, and deals for couples, triads and quad-ships where the more they bought the less they cost individually. They could buy good quality, wooden five by seven picture frames to hold a picture that immortalized the evening. The frames would be KAMA purple with the words ‘All Love is Beautiful’ across the top and the ‘Lucky in Love’ concert info across the bottom. The last offering would be sixteen ounce, red, Montara gripper, travel tumblers with the KAMA ‘Lucky in Love’ concert logo on them. I had gotten great deals all the way across the board and was more than proud of that shit. I’d tapped three of my best FRT members to sell that night and Yasmine would be there to supervise them and make sure that things ran smoothly with the sales. I’d invested in four, Leaders Merchant Services, mobile, credit card readers that would allow the merch sales to be made with cash or cards and cut out the Warner middle man. They would be what our KAMA autographed swag salespeople would use on the tour too.

I was also readying all our media and sites for the Grammys. There would be live tweeting and statements about performances and hopefully wins that would need to go out in real time. I had long ago upgraded my tech for that. So, at least that wasn’t a concern. The Grammys were the biggest of big deals so it was an all hands on deck kind of thing. Everyone was going out, except Brantley and that was only because the Lucky In Love event was the following Friday and it was seriously labor intensive. He would be commanding the office staff and the Fan Response Team in making sure that all was in readiness. The entire team and staff was expected to arrive at the Javits Center at seven that morning, Friday the thirteenth. We’d be released at four to go get changed but we had to be back by seven thirty, at the absolute latest. Hudson, Brant and I had reserved a big ass block of rooms at the Magnuson Hotel for Thursday and Friday nights and we’d listed it with the ticket information. That second part had gotten us a great deal on the rooms for the KAMA team, crew and staff. The concert attendees would get a small discount as well. The hope was that no one would drive drunk and with us selling unlimited drink rings for the bar...we needed to do what we could to lessen their likelihood that anyone would. I was really proud of my stroke of genius on the whole open bar versus cash bar situation. We’d just make the bar both. People could pay by the drink, or for a hundred bucks the attendees could buy a LED glow ring that would get them unlimited alcoholic drinks and for twenty bucks they could buy a cute little silver ring that would get them unlimited soft drinks and such for the night. Designated drivers would get a free bracelet that said ‘Designated Driver’ and they would drink free for the night…well sodas and water.

In addition to my primary day job, I had my consulting work on the side for Rangeman. The very first thing I did was rebrand them from the logo out. Because they had never had an online presence before, it hadn’t really mattered that their logo was ridiculously easy to forge. I change that by recreating it with a new color palette, the silvery gray used for the lettering had to be specially blended and gave off a slightly holographic, metallic sheen. The lettering changed too. The simple Arial Block font was too readily available. I created a new font for most of the letters…but culled several letters from the military logos. All the letters were capitalized, the beginning R was just two and a half times the size of the remaining seven. The front R was in the Army’s font…changed just enough to make sure I didn’t end up in Leavenworth or something. The N subtly made one think of the Navy. The G repped the Coast Guard, the M the Marines and the final A was a nod to the Air Force. Considering that a hell of a lot of them served in one branch or the other, I thought it was apropos.

Through email, I worked with Ella…who was the most grown up and awesome adult ever. We got Ranger approval to create new uniforms across the board. They would be rolled out when the Midwest office opened over the summer. There would be different uniforms for winter and spring than what would be worn in summer and fall. We also made a clear stratification between management level and street level Rangemen. Management got fitted polos with the logo in the traditional left peck location and flight jackets with the logo on the back. They all also had black, sever weather down and rain coats with a left peck logo too. Street beating Rangemen got tee shirts…but rather than the traditional cotton tees most companies used, we went with the sexy, though efficient, moisture-wicking, compression tees. Rangeman’s physical standards should be shown off. Those men all worked really hard not to look like typical rent-a-cops. New Rangemen would get simpler cotton, moisture-wicking tees and move to the good stuff after they met Bobby’s standards. Rather than a flight jacket, they got a logo emblazoned fleece jacket. Their severe weather coats were actually the same as the management crews. Ella even managed to get a great deal on tacital cargo pants that were the new shade of black that I’d created for the site and logo.

Yup, Rangeman had a site. It went live on the first of February. The front end allowed potential customers to see things like the company belief structure and their focus on inclusivity and treating all their clients with respect and care. Hector and I included a nifty quote machine that didn’t force them to wait more than an hour to get their personalized quote in their email inbox. Best of all each quote showed four levels of protection. Sapphire was the lowest, ruby was the next rung up, followed by platinum and capped off with diamond. Yeah, they were military…red white and blue was their jam. I’d just gooushed it up some. Statistics showed that in most households the women did most of the research into things like home security companies. Men would see blue, red, white and then diamond. Everyone knew that diamond was just the best of the best of the best. Current customers could create a secure log-in receive a password and make changes to their accounts or levels of service and make payments online. They would even be able to, finally, live like most modern people, by setting up automated payments. The website and all of that would be rolled out on March first. The commercial clients would be up and running first with the residentials following within a week. They already had a presence at Yelp, Google and Angie’s List and reviews were flowing in like water. Before that the only place they could be found was the Better Business Bureau…which yeah, they had an A-plus rating…but thanks to me they had social media feeds which were, quiet bluntly, lousy with great advertising as their clients jumped in to tell all their positive experiences with Rangeman. There was one old lady who seemed obsessed with their packages and backsides…but even that was drumming up more interest in their services. Lester wasn’t supposed to tell me, but Ranger was talking bonus…I was so proud.

The foundation for all of that was all done within the month after our initial meeting. Once I had the foundation in place, it was easy to run their shit on my way to and from the office every day. Which was good because things in KAMA-land was getting seriously major. A few weeks after the Grammy nominations had gone out, Hudson had called us all in for an awards season planning meeting. Even Ruth had attended. She and Haja had decided that when working the Red Carpets for KAMA, we’d go in as a cohesive unit. It was burgundy for the Golden Globes, gray for the SAGs and navy blue for the Grammys. Ruth took us shopping. Ms. Abrams had created expense account credit cards for us to use for things like that since Mercedes, Sam and Puck refused to let us pay for clothes we wouldn’t need if we weren’t working for them. The best part of everything was that Ruth Mayzer had been a costumer on All My Children…she had dressed Susan, muthafuckin, Lucci and even Christian Slater back in the day. She was awesome. She dragged us to Neiman Marcus and in under two hours, she’d outfitted, Hudson, me and her, plus Daniel and Haja who were there and Kurt and Blaine who weren’t.

I only needed something for the Grammys, or so I’d thought at the time. But then the drama had happened and suddenly we were going to the SAGs. So, there was more shopping. Thankfully Ruth Mayzer understood the call of the good-good…Lester was coming that weekend, so on Friday she swung through the office at two and took me shopping, got me kitted out from the skin out in under an hour and found me a great dress to go out to dinner with Lester that evening. I so wanted to be like her when I grew up. I loved Lester weekends, I couldn’t walk on Monday morning…but I wouldn’t change a thing. Well, maybe I would talk him out of always taking me to some fancy restaurant on Friday night so we could get to the good-good earlier…but other than that nothing. He was so much better a boyfriend than I ever thought I would have. And not just in the looks department, damn that man was fine. But he really listened and understood and even cared about my shit.

Just take Grammy Weekend. Neither of us had realized that the pattern of our visits would collide with the week of the Grammys. I didn’t realize it until the night before KAMA had the Entertainment Weekly interview. I called him with a heavy heart. “Hey.”

“What’s up Gorgeous?” he asked as soon as he heard the tone of my voice.

“Got the Grammy week itinerary and kind of just realized that it would negatively impact our weekend schedule.” I bemoaned the galaxy’s hatred of me getting down with my fine ass Rangeman.

Lester laughed. “Relax, Mini-Merida has your back. She called me Monday, I’ll be there Friday as usual. I’m swapping out with Chet for Mercedes, Sam and Puck’s date night. I was able so swing you and me a private table at Daniel…so I hope that you like French cuisine. Man, like really, I so didn’t see those three as the kind to go someplace like that.”

“It so was not their choice.” I shot back at him with a giggle. I wasn’t sure if it was me or Stephanie that he had gotten the dramatic so as an expression of disbelief from, but it was funny as hell to hear it coming from him. “Damage control means being out and about showing the world that they did nothing wrong and therefore have nothing to hide.”

“Yeah, that makes more sense. They would probably prefer to have a quiet night at home considering what their schedules are like right now,” Lester hypothesized.

“You are not wrong and it is only going to be worse for Grammy week. They are on Kimmel on Monday. The three of them are on the panel on that new Comedy Central show ‘The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore’ on Tuesday. Wednesday, they are on Conan’s TBS show…and that’s in addition to their rehearsal schedules which kick into serious high gear on Thursday,” I said archly. “I bet they are looking forward to getting back and just being college students for a few weeks.”

“When is that going to happen? Because when they get back they have that dinner concert that Ranger is sending me and Hal up to provide an extra presence…be very glad he did, it was either the two of us or Grunt and his partner would have to interact with humans and that shit is to be avoided at all cost. But still they have that, and I heard through the grapevine that they are still working on their album, doing interviews and photo shoots.” He sighed. “I need a vacation just talking about all the shit they have to do. No wonder they were going at it in their LA house when they did…they needed the damn stress relief.”

I hated feeling like I was laughing at Sam, Cedes and Puck, but it was hilarious. Granted, part of the reason that it was so funny was because it was ridiculously true. “So, we are doing dinner and a movie, Friday night, Saturday, they are in the studio, and you’ll be in me…then Sunday, we fly to LA.”

I could tell that he had nodded. “Yup. Any chance we can convince them to see something other than The Wedding Ringer or Blackhat?”

“After both Kevin Hart and Chris Hemsworth were super cool to them? Not a chance in hell.”

“Well in that case, I’m gonna root for the Kevin Hart movie. I understand suspending reality to enjoy a movie…but I’ve met plenty of hackers…not a single one of them both looks and sounds like Chris Hemsworth,” Lester returned.

I had to let him get back to work soon after that. He did make it to Manhattan for our slightly shortened weekend and it was great. I looked incredible in a hot little black swing dress that I’d found in an online boutique…but the boss lady had me beat hands down in a Unique Vintage, teal, ruched wiggle dress with Louboutin’s five-inch-high, peep-toed answer to vintage T-straps and silver accessories. She and I took selfies together and I tagged UV when I posted them. Hey, they had scored twice over with us and we looked hot like fire. The food at Daniel was amazing. We wound up seeing The Wedding Ringer. Kevin Hart beat out Chris Hemsworth because the guys wanted to at least be amused and Mercedes’ preferred her heart throb with longer hair. The movie wasn’t as horrific as I was expecting. Thankfully, lowered expectations do help when viewing a movie that had a twenty-seven percent rotten rating. When we got back to the apartment, Hudson was already asleep. Since I was going to be with our bosses, she’d stayed home…which worked. She had earned the rest. Besides, KAMA and the crew were in the studio at eight and she was right there with them. Lester and I had a great night…I finally talked him into playing some ‘tie the innocent little Darcy to the bed and the soldier man has his wicked way with her’ games. I didn’t know if he enjoyed it as much as I did…but I was sure that he enjoyed his reward of some sexy, hot butt sex a hell of a lot.

I hated having to get up so early the next morning…but shower sex was definitely the best part of waking up. I had packed on Thursday so I wouldn’t waste any of my Lester time. Through judicious use of the big Ziploc bags, I was able to get eight days and nights of clothing into one large upright suitcase. My shoes and a just in case of lost luggage set of clothes went into my carry on. My Grammy’s night dress and an ‘after party dress’, that I was pretty sure Ruth and Cedes were going to rule as not near hot enough, were in with Hudson’s in her garment bag. Lester changed my sheets for me while I got dressed. A tee-shirt bra and boyshorts went on first. Then I added a tank top with a built-in bra to help support the girls. I was feeling like it was a sweater and leggings kind of day, but remembered just in time that LA was a hell of a lot hotter than New York, so I added a scoop necked, long sleeved tee shirt that stopped halfway down my black legging covered thighs and covered that with our Team KAMA, zip front hoodie.

I designed them and they were the bomb if I said so myself. An oversized silver gray hoodie with front pockets. The chest was emblazoned with the silver, purple and black KAMA logo with the word Team above it. The back had our last names in black block letters, curved between our shoulders and rather than numbers there were the initials of our positions. Like Hudson’s had PA, Daniel’s was PR and mine was SM. The staff had their own version, charcoal gray with black lettering. Of course, I couldn’t leave the crew hanging either. Theirs were pretty much just like ours, except the hoodie was black with silver letters spelling out their nicknames and numbers instead of positional initials. We’d made Sam, Mercedes and Puck something too. But theirs was KAMA purple and didn’t have anything on the back. That way they could just grab and go if they wanted to. I was about to stuff my feet into my black and gray Skechers D’Lites when Lester handed me a pair of slouchy looking socks. “They look like those leg warmer socks you love…but they have an inner tube of compression fabric. Makes them perfect for long flights.”

I gave him a long hug and a deep kiss in thanks. “I love my job, but I would really love to climb back into that bed with you and dirty up those sheets too.”

“Me too.” He smiled dropping a kiss on top of my head. Even with the added height my sneakers gave me, he still had me beat good fashion. I loved the way that felt. “Come on, Delta waits for no one.”

I grabbed my big ass purse, which held all my tech and chargers plus my wallet and makeup. I turned to get my other two bags only to see that Lester already had them and his bag well in hand. We grabbed Hudson’s stuff for her. She was heading over to the bosses’ brownstone to light a fire under their asses and make sure that they had everything well in hand. Kurt and Ruth had spent the afternoon the day before sending all the costumes to the hotel so we wouldn’t have worry about those becoming Delta’s lost luggage item of the day. Haja and the band had sent off the instruments and everything else after they left the studio. While they wouldn’t be on the same flight, we were supposed to be able to leave the airport with them. I grabbed my ‘packable’ puffy jacket from the coat rack by the door and we headed out. Lester was so good to me. He even kept me entertained while we were waiting on everyone to assemble at the office. It was great because I got to spend extra time with him and I wouldn’t end up running out of juice on my phone over the fly over states.

We weren’t the first ones there. Xena was, like crazy punctual and Haja had serious ‘I’m the leader, I must lead by example’ views. But we weren’t the last. Simeon would probably be late to his own funeral and I was pretty sure that the only reason that he was even close to on time was because Hudson set everything on his itinerary to half an hour earlier than the rest of us. It was wicked cool though. The Warrior Princess, BaeBe and JaJa all had on their KAMA Crew hoodies, as did Dave. Haja had on his KAMA team hoodie too. I rocked. That made me happy. Friday, I should have realized that something was up when Lester had showed up in a Rangeman Denali. Usually when he came for a visit it was in his personal vehicle. But the Denali sat him, Junior and me plus six of the crew. Chet was driving a shiny, black Suburban with Hal in the passenger seat and Caesar, Binkie, and Woody were loading luggage into the stretch hummer. KAMA, Hudson, Haja, Ruth and Daniel for sure. The rest of the crew got in where they fit in and we made it to the airport in time to get through security and have breakfast near our gate. Granted there was a small hold up while Lester and I kissed good bye. But everyone understood. Grabbing breakfast was actually easier than it had been in the past. The per diem cards worked exactly like Artie’s mom and Hudson had envisioned. We could go where we wanted rather than everyone trying to agree on a place. When she had given the cards to everyone she’d given them each a purple or black coupon holder with their name on them to hold their receipts. We were all pretty damn organized…Hudson gave great ‘disappointed that you couldn’t follow simple instructions’ face.

Boarding went pretty smoothly. Apparently, the bosses had decided to upgrade us to premium economy…which was great. Premium Economy was a pretty new thing and it was usually only found on international flights. Compared to Standard Economy it gave us each about five to seven inches of extra legroom which Daniel, Simeon, Dave and Justin must have all really, really, really appreciated. I knew that I was loving the extra seat width and the three extra inches of seat recline. There were adjustable headrests, leg rests and lumbar support, plus there was the glory of laptop power ports, oh yeah and larger personal TV screens and better food. That wasn’t saying a hell of a lot, but it was better. The flight was not the six hours of boredom that I was dreading. It was actually not that bad.

LAX was another story. Since it was the weekend before Grammy Weekend the paparazzi was out in full force. We made good time until we reached the other side of security. Then we got slowed down significantly. Still, I wasn’t expecting it when Puck stopped dead and pointed at a dude in the crowd of paps. “YOU!” he shouted angrily. “Jacob Ben Israel…get your Jew’fro having ass over here before I let Mercedes beat your ass like she wanted to do freshman year.”

The sea of paparazzo parted and someone literally pushed the guy with the huge cloud of brown hair forward. “Hey, Puckerman…long time no see.” Jacob said nervously. “Jones, Evans…wow…you guys’ve come a long way since McKinley. How’ve you been?”

“Oh no…JBI not how have we been…How have you been? Your mother told my mom to have me give you a message if I ran into you, when she saw her at Temple last night. You know what that message was? You didn’t call your mother at all during Hanukkah…not a single time. In fact, it’s officially February and you haven’t talked to her since you called to tell her that you weren’t going to be home for Thanksgiving.” Puck strode forward and put the dude into a head lock. Out loud he said “I should punch you in your face again.” But then he leaned down and said what looked like, “thanks for the heads up. You gave us time to get ahead of the asshole.”

I felt like a moron. It had taken me until then to realize that the Jew’fro having guy was the dude that called Ethan from TMZ. Puck just managed to thank him without doing anything to make the well run dry. When Puck released the guy, he shook him a little. “You’ve been in LA for two or three years now man get a better haircut and, for Yeshiva’s sake…call your mother.”

“Fine, Puckerman…but did you have to humiliate me in front of everyone?” JBI asked with a harrumph.

“Meh, old habits and all that.” My boss said with a wicked grin that told how much he had enjoyed the humiliation of his, uh, classmate. He would be really happy…that night it was on all the entertainment shows. It was ridiculous how many people loved him for fussing at the dude for not calling home more often and even more loved him for pointing out that the guy’s hair was truly ridiculous.

Check in had gone smoothly. We were on the twenty-second floor. Hal and Binkie had the first of our rooms, those closest to the elevator and Woody and Junior had the last of our eleven rooms on that floor nearest the emergency exit-slash-stairs. Hudson and I were in a room nearer to the stairs than the elevator, so we grabbed Woody and Junior’s single bag each and carried them into our room while the guards went and secured the suite that Mercedes, Sam and Puck were in. those three and the other threesome in the crew were three floors up from us. KAMA themselves had a Ritz Carlton suite while Santana, Artie and Britts were in a junior suite…a lot smaller than the big money suite, but still big enough for three. 

Hudson left for a while to see to it that our bosses were settled and all. While she was gone, I claimed the bed nearest the window, leaving Ms. Tiny Bladder with the one closest to the bathroom. I set up my tech on the couch side of the desk. Grateful as always that I traveled with a bomb ass surge protector. Mine had eight regular outlets and two USB ports, plus it was insured against damage to my tech up to like two hundred grand. Loved that thing. The view of the city was pretty damn epic. After showering the airplane off of me, I hit the threads to see what was being said. Jessie J had posted something hilarious. ‘That moment where you’re happy because you know that with KAMA in the suite next to you, there won’t be skeevy dudes or groupies littering the halls.’ ‘Is soon followed by the moment that you realize you are getting no sleep and you may be wishing and hoping for a groupie of your own hashtag sexsogoodtheneighborsneedafag’. 

So, I made sure to, as Mercedes, offer to introduce her to the single members of their Rangeman cadre. I caught a nap and man those beds were awesome. Over dinner, Cedes, Tana and Xena were glowing from their time in the spa, so I got the names of the ladies who had done their facials and bigged them up online. I also made sure to mention the people who had done Puck and Sam and Cedes’ massages and body treatments. That night everyone was in their rooms and in their beds early. We were jetlagged or whatever. I did spend some time texting back and forth with Lester. But with the time difference that only happened because he happened to be on a stake out and Bobby was his boy and wouldn’t tell their boss. The next morning, we were all up early. I was working with Brantley remotely, but KAMA, Hudson and the Crew were heading to the rehearsal space early. Thankfully, all the gear had made it in one piece. They were in rehearsals from half after eight to noon then they came back showered we fit in two hours of WAXING, damn them all to hell Lauren was right, before we got dressed for real and KAMA and their band minus the dancers, Daniel, Ruth and I headed to the El Capitan Theater for the Kimmel taping.

Kimmel was easy. The crew looked great, Cedes wore a purple dress that hugged her curves and screamed money. Her hair and makeup were amaze-balls. Checking the feeds, she even managed to out shine Eva Longoria in a lot of people’s opinions. Sam and Puck looked like rock stars. They performed ‘Rescue Me’ and during their two minutes of chatting with Jimmy, he pointed out that they sounded incredible live and that Mercedes made that song sound different, but awesome, every time they did it live. I had a blast dealing with the twitter war that sparked off that harmless comment. The KAMAmeleons loved to pick on the Beliebers and the Swifties about how canned their pop stars tended to sound. The Lovatics hopped in to point out that Demi’s ad-libs were on point too…which made the Selenators jump in and get put down hard. The Monsters were above it all, but GaGa herself pointed out that it was the mark of a true songstress that no two performances were totally identical. Which meant that I had to reach out to her social media and that brought Tony Bennett’s younger fans in too. It was not a bad day for KAMA online.

The next morning repeated the same. Except, before I got on with Brantley, I dragged myself to the fitness center. I hated exercising…but it was a necessity in the circle I ran with. Daniel and Ruth were there too. We caught a quick breakfast together then Ruth was going to grab Kurt and Blaine and run a few errands, including heading over to Harry Winston to make the final selection as to what jewelry Mercedes would be renting for the big night. Daniel actually was meeting with the scheduling people face to face to make sure that KAMA had a good spot. They would need to be nearer the front, because Puck was performing with AC/DC and that was the first performance of the night. But they didn’t want to have too early a spot and look unimportant. KAMA had the eight performance slot of the night, Sam’s Eric Church duet was eight more performances later. Right after Mercedes’ Stevie Wonder tribute. No one would have to do a super fast quick change. Personally, I appreciated that. It really didn’t affect me, but I still was glad about it. I went back upstairs and I made sure that all the merch would arrive on time. It would, according to my contact arrive at our office the day after the Grammys. I did a few rounds of reminding people to watch the Grammys an applauded the other nominees and performers. Then I used my own social media accounts to squash Rachel Berry’s attempts to make KAMA look bad like a bug. That chick never seemed to learn.

Tuesday afternoon was a great one. Not a single used up candle anywhere in sight. Just eighty minutes of being kneaded like dough and rubbed with aromatic essential oils. Then it was time for a shower and we got dressed and it was off to the Nightly show taping which didn’t start until five. Larry Wilmore’s show gave my bosses a chance to show their intelligence and the different parts of their personality. Mercedes looked urban, fierce and fabulous, but Puck was rocking a vintage Bob Marley shirt with distressed jeans and Sam looked like the preppy jock from every John Hughes movies ever. But no matter how they looked they made good solid points. Argued them cogently and proved to everyone that they were earning their damn good GPAs at Columbia. A fact that many of their fans took great pleasure in pointing out online. And I was just the social media guru to stoke those flames.

Wednesday, I was literally shocked out of my skin when I got a call from the lobby and when I went down, I found Lester, Bobby, Tank and Ranger looking like complete and total badasses. “What’s wrong?” I asked as soon as had hugged Lester. My priorities were straight, I’d fight anyone who said anything different.

Stephanie Plum, and one couldn’t date a Rangeman without being able to pick her up out of a line up even if you’d not exactly met the woman, appeared at Ranger’s side. “I was able to get the last suite on the twenty-fifty floor. It’s more per night than the rent of an apartment in Manhattan, but I got it and the regular rooms on twenty-two.” She said to him giving him a key card and passing others to the other three men. “You must be Darcy. Lester’s told me so much about you.” She said affiably.

“Thanks, he talks about you a lot too. Now, not to be rude, but why the hell did you guys fly out here? Starting to worry.”

“I’d prefer to discuss it just the once. Where can we meet with everyone?” Ranger asked quietly.

I shook my head. “We’ll have to go over to the rehearsal space. KAMA, all their dancers, their band…DJ Ca$$, they are all there now. I can get Daniel and Ruth…see if Haja is here or over there with them. I’ll need to get dressed.”

“Okay, we’ll take out things up to our rooms and meet back here in twenty.” Ranger said decisively.

I had never been so grateful in my life that I had showered the night before. I was able to get Ruth, Daniel and Haja and make it back down in the allotted time. Thankfully, Kurt and Blaine had gone over with the crew and our Rangemen. There was no ‘quick’ when it came to Kurt’s getting ready rituals. They had rented their own big ass black SUVs, I wondered if Ranger had a guy or something. Was there a dude he called who, no matter where Ranger had to be, made sure that there was a big ass, shiny, black, American made SUV. I shook off those thoughts as we headed out. Ruth and I were definitely thinking the worse. I didn’t know if I was losing feeling in my fingers because I was squeezing her hand that tight or because she was squeezing mine.

Invisible (Clay Aiken)  
Mercedes PoV

I was shocked when Ranger Manoso came strolling into the space we were renting at Royal Rehearsal. We’d really lucked out and found a place within walking distance of the hotel. The fact that the part of our team that we’d left sleeping was behind him with his core team pulling up the rear made me shocked enough that I literally dropped the mike. As soon as they saw what I saw, Sam and Puck were instantly at my sides. “What’s wrong?” we asked in unison.

“Can we call a meeting and then we’ll allow you to get back to your rehearsal? But I will be leaving Tank and Bobby to add extra eyes on you three.” Ranger said with some serious bass to his voice.

He didn’t have to call a meeting, as soon as he had come in Santana had texted Brittany in the dancer’s studio and they came in before he finished talking. Stephanie came over and shook our hands and congratulated us on like everything. “Unfortunately, there have been some developments that necessitated this trip.” She ended as she ushered us over to the sofa we’d pushed against the wall our first day in the space.

“Hector and Grunt found your stalker and given what they found when they slipped into his home computer, we decided to put extra eyes on you for the rest of your time here. We’ve given everything we have to the LAPD and to the Feds, but LEOs move slow, especially when the only laws broken are the cyber ones.” Ranger explained.

“What did they find?” Sam asked from my side.

Tank looked to Ranger who nodded. “He has an invitation to the Grammys and he procured small shipments of both ketamine and rohypnol. He also got more than a few antibiotics…but Hector and Grunt are still working on figuring out why he’d want those.”

“He also managed to get the entire video made by one Richard Marcardo in your house in Marina Del Ray.” Lester said calmly. “We were able to use the information he’d gathered and the threats of one Gino Puckett, to leverage Mr. Marcardo into turning himself in and giving a full confession.”

Bubbie was looking like she wanted to throw up. “Okay…so I know that Rohypnol is a date rape drug…what about Ketamine?”

“Ketamine, or Special K is a drug that distorts perception of sight and sound and produces feelings of detachment or dissociation from the environment and self,” Hal explained.

Woody took over from there. “Rohypnol is even worse. The effects start twenty to thirty minutes after taking the drug, peak within two hours and may persist for eight or even twelve hours. A person can be so incapacitated, rendered completely unable to act or defend themselves…they collapse. A body lies on the floor, eyes open, able to observe events but completely unable to move. Afterwards, memory is impaired and they cannot recall any of what happened. The combination ensures compliance and with the right counter measures…make a rape conviction almost impossible to get.”

Darcy was white as a sheet. “I think I know why he has the antibiotics then.” Her hand trembled as she touched her hip. “Cedes…you just got your shot a week ago. I know because Hudson has you, me, her, Santana and Brittany all synced to get our shots pretty much the same day. Makes her calendar management easier. He must have hacked your medical records. Anti-biotics can lead to a catastrophic failure of hormonal birth control.”

“I think I need to sit down.” I heard myself say to Puck.

“Babygirl, we are sitting down.”

“Okay, yeah me.” I took several deep breaths. It took a few more to center myself. “Hudson, call Deborah and Anika and let them in on what’s going on. I don’t know if pressure can make this go faster…but maybe.”

Sam grabbed his phone with shaking hands. “I’ll call Ethan. He should have Hannah’s number either she can get us in touch with her Fed ex, or maybe Franklin has an in…he’s been in DC a long time. We cannot hide in our hotel room. We have Conan tonight…we have rehearsals all week…and he has got to be arrested before the fucking Grammys.”

Ranger texted someone and before Sam could get it together to find Ethan’s icon in his contacts list, I heard Franklin’s voice coming from Ranger’s phone. “This is Franklin Jones, of Patton Boggs, LLP…how can I help you?”

“Franklin.” I said trying not to cry. “It’s MeDe.”

“MeDe, what’s wrong? Why do you sound like you’re crying?” He said dangerously.

Between me and Ranger and Stephanie, I laid it all out on the line for him. “I’m scared as shit balls Franklin, but I cannot cancel on the Grammys. Sam thinks that if we can get the FEDs to lean on local law enforcement, they can make the DA move on an arrest faster.”

“You don’t worry about a thing MeDe…I’m getting Senator Claire McCaskill on the line as soon as we hang up. She owes me a big favor and loves you guys. She is a senior member of two committees that have some influence with the FBI and she is good friends with both Senators Boxer and Feinstein. If leaning on the Feds doesn’t work, hopefully the two California Senators can lean on the DA and LAPD commissioner.” Franklin’s voice was strong and made me feel better. “Do you want me to get your dad and we come out there?”

I laughed in a situation I never would have believed I would find funny. “Why so you two can get arrested for killing this guy…two weeks before your wedding? Hannah would kill me.”

“I’d break him in half with my bare hands before he laid a finger on you Baby Cousin.” Franklin assured me gently.

“Sir, he will have to get through me and seven of my men to even get near her.” Ranger reassured all of us. “Our account manager for Mercedes, Sam and Noah’s account should be calling to let their parents know what is going on. I will apprise them of the need for them to remain in Lima…the suspect, easily, has the means to disappear to a country without an extradition policy.”

I could tell from the one word he uttered that he wasn’t happy with that. “Look Mr. Manoso…take care of MeDe and her boys. They are good kids. I’m going to make a few calls and see if I can’t get the right ear to get the ball rolling.”

“Look guys, I know that we have to get back to work, but I want to just take a minute. I know that we are everything from devoutly Catholic to completely atheistic and everything in between. You know I don’t care about that. But I need to pray and I would like it if anyone who wants to join in does.” I said when I finally got my voice back under control. 

We knelt in several circles, even Kurt, and for a few minutes I just breathed. “Lord, we come to You to ask that You cloak us all in Your armor. There are wolves at our door and we ask that You give us the strength to remain steadfast in the face of fear and that You give Hal, Lester, Ranger, Tank, Woody, Junior, Binkie, and Bobby strength and protection as they do Your will of protecting the innocent. Father, we, Your children, church member, atheist, gentile and Jew ask Your protection over us all and any that are facing the same harm. These and all other blessings we ask in the name of the Father, by any and all of Your names God, and the Son and the Holy Ghost, Amen.”

“Wow, I didn’t know prayers could be that inclusive.” Ms. Plum said quietly. When everyone looked at her she looked surprised. “Oh, that was me…sorry I have this thing where I can’t really seem to keep my inside voice inside my head.”

I understood that one. “Sam and Darcy both have that same lack of mental filtration…you three could form a support group.” Sam gave me a quick kiss and Darcy reacted totally differently than usual. She came and gave me a hug. “Okay, now you’re weirding me out. I know there is a cray-cray dude after me but the usual Darcy response would have been a quick flick off or at least sticking your tongue out at me. Be normal.”

Puck must have understood exactly what I needed. “In fact, let’s all be normal. We’ll get back to work. Bubbie, you were going to take Darcy and Hudson to make sure they had something after party chic. Remember though, we’re due at Warner Brothers Studio at two thirty.”

God, that day was ridiculously hard and exponentially easy. I poured all of my focus into getting through the rehearsal and was grateful that the taping was so early. In fact, it was so early that news hadn’t broken about the douchebag having turned himself in until after we were back in our dressing rooms after being Conan’s special musical guests. Eddie Redmayne was really nice. I made sure that Darcy put that out there. It was something I would have loved to know if I were still on the fan side of things. Bob Costas must have still had serious contacts in the regular news world, because he caught up with us as the guys were getting rid of their stage makeup to ask us about it. We just expressed relief that the guy had been caught. But didn’t give him any more of a sound bite than that.

I was so happy that Daniel and Darcy were awesome, they had all the statements covered and Sam, Puck and I could concentrate on making sure that we got our side of things handled. That evening we had a run through with hair and makeup and then we took everyone to the spa for a men’s facial for the guys and an ultimate detox body treatment for the ladies, including Stephanie, though Ranger insisted on paying for hers. Just like Woody, Hal, Binkie and Junior, the four-top tier Rangemen didn’t partake of spa time either. After we arrived at the hotel, Ranger and Tank escorted us to our room and actually swept it for bugs. Thankfully, they didn’t find any. As soon as we were finally alone in our hotel room, we made great use of the walk-in shower in our room. Then we made great use of our king size bed. We were celebrating the fact that the douche-canoe who’d videoed us being intimate was behind bars…and maybe consoling each other that the greater threat was still out there.

Thursday, we were back up and at it bright and early. Hudson had made sure that the kitchen delivered us breakfast as soon as they opened. Then we got dressed and headed to the studios at Royal. It was much like the previous three days, except we were accompanied by for additional Rangemen on our short warm-up run from the Ritz to Royal. We rehearsed for our number for two hours before heading to the actual Staple Center. Those rehearsals were a well-oiled machine. Our instruments were taken catalogued and added to stands that were, or they were themselves, bolted to the set that had been finished and delivered earlier that morning. They showed us the brackets that would hold Artie’s wheel chair in place as the platform was lifted into place. Dave and Simeon agreed to help him get to his chair once everything was in place. The Grammy stage was pretty much anti-ADA compliant. We met the members of the McCoy Memorial Baptist Church choir in Los Angeles. The forty-member choir would don white and black robes and provide more backup during our performance. Because we were performing a total of four times, we had our rehearsal, and the three individual rehearsals. Ruth had worked with Usher’s and Audra Day’s stylists to make the decisions on what I would wear for the Stevie Wonder Tribute. We were all singing almost acapella, with only a harp for accompaniment. So, we needed to be on point. Audra Day would sing ‘Ribbon in the Sky’ then I would follow with ‘Higher Ground’ and Usher would finish it off with ‘If It’s Magic’. All three were stripped down to showcase Mr. Wonder’s amazing songwriting abilities. Given that it would be me on the stage alone except for the harpist for the better part of the song, of course I was nervous. Then the fact that Usher would join me and then I’d be on stage with both Usher and Stevie Wonder at the GRAMMYS at one point…yeah…nervous as hell about covered it.

By the time, we made it through the first day of on-site rehearsals, I knew several things, AC/DC was going to give Puck, and probably all the rest of us sever ear damage. Dave was in love with Beck and Hozier’s drum kits, and we were going to have to seriously upgrade his to make him happy. While our signature color was purple, looking around backstage, it seemed like we were pretty much the only ones not using any. The staff and crew of the Grammys were a well-oiled machine. I was feeling very, very, very confident in the stage managers and others who ran the show. And last, but definitely not least, LL Cool J was just as sexy in person as he was on TV. He took a selfie with me for my Mom. After rehearsals were done for the day, I was more than happy that we didn’t have any shows to tape. Instead we had a spa night of nice relaxing massages.

Friday was another full day of rehearsals, all of which I did wearing the shoes I’d be wearing at the Grammys because, apparently, I hated my feet. I managed to get Hudson to have the spa work me in for a deep tissue and foot massage while the guys were getting their waxing done. Saturday was more of a dress rehearsal than anything else. We were on site to practice transitions more than performances, so we were well dressed and did the interviews that we’d been avoiding the other two days. We said a lot of ‘We’re so very honored just to be nominated’; and even more, ‘It is amazing to get to play with *insert name of genre specific icon here*’. But people seemed to just want the sound bites. So, we let them have them. To be honest, that was really all we had the time to give and that was all they had the time to receive. After two abbreviated run-throughs, there was one where they went through the whole show…minus the winners being named and any speeches by said winners. Then we were told to go away and not come back until show time. I had successfully managed to bury the fact that there was some crazy jackass in the world who apparently was really fucking determined to drug, rape and impregnate me for three very, very, very busy days. I focused solely on the work during the day and the three of us filled our waking, empty hours with love making or talking with Nikki and Beth or our friends who were still at their schools and had no clue what we were dealing with. I concentrated on any and everything I could…only allowing the fear of it to haunt my dreams…which if I could have controlled those too, I so totally would have.

No matter how we dealt with it on the surface, the simple fact was that, sublimated or not, the fear of what would happen Grammy night was deeply entrenched in Sam, Puck and my hearts. It came through in little ways. Puck was grouchy and looking for somewhere he could direct the anger he chose to feel over the fear that was uncomfortable to him. Sam, Sam had slipped into total and complete over protective mode. When we were at the Staples Center, I was only allowed to drink sealed, bottled water and even then, only Aquafina or Voss. Waters I would, immediately, be able to tell if they’d been tampered with. No pops or anything that could mask the taste of the drugs that we’d been advised might be used against us. Beyond that, who handed me what was carefully monitored. The only people who could get me a drink, one fitting his constraints, were named Sam, Noah, Kurt, Blaine, or Hudson. Sam was so on guard that he damn near went to the bathroom with me. If Stephanie wasn’t there, and armed, he probably would have tried.

But Sam and Noah weren’t the only ones. Our whole crew was stepping up really. Rainbow and Xena were both pretty hyper-vigilant themselves. Xena wasn’t a surprise. She’d spent years as a protector. I never realized that Rainbow’s formative training had included martial arts. When we were walking the corridors back stage, Dave and Justin were quick to make sure that someone was with me all the damn time. Of course, Santana was ready to cut a bitch and Artie was just as bad. The weird part was that even Brit-brat was focused. Hell, she was so focused, I was really hoping that if it came down to any of the crew or team getting their hands on the guy, it was almost anybody, including Daniel and Santana over Brittany. She was scaring me. I was so sincerely glad that she was on our side. I made a concerted effort not to think about the fact that since Artie and Santana knew about all the trouble, the rest of the clique probably knew. And with none of them having popped up, I assumed that whatever she’d cajoled, blackmailed and or threatened them all with to get them to stay at home had worked.

While shopping, Darcy had managed to get her hands on a brand new tazer, she couldn’t fly with her favored weapon. I didn’t ask where she found the new one. But she was very happy with it. Lester even got her a thigh holster for it so she could wear it on the red carpet. They had it all planned out on how to get the damn thing past event security. Yeah, something told me that Lester knew Darcy and loved him for exactly who she was. I’d almost had to resort to bribery to keep her from telling Lauren. But Darcy and I both knew that if Lauren knew for sure the extreme level of the threat, she, Finn and Vince would have been there if they had to hitchhike and sleep on the floor in Darcy and Hudson’s room. Though I was pretty sure that it was now Darcy and Lester's room and Hudson and Bobby's room…but if they didn’t mind, neither did I. And I was pretty sure that it was the looking the other way that finally endured Darcy’s silence. The Dam Bros were adorable, for real. They were checking so hard for anybody trying to come near me, that I was worried people would start thinking that I was a diva. I mean, yeah, I knew that I was a Diva in the making, but I didn’t want to be known for diva-like behavior…just Diva like voice and style. I mean, I didn’t have the street cred to pull that off without getting my ass handed to me in the media.

Saturday, after the first quick walk through, I pulled Hudson to the side and after a very quick conversation, I was able to get back to work knowing that what I’d asked her to do would be ready when we were. As usual, she did even better than I’d have dreamed. When we were finally released back into the wilds of LA, only Hudson and the Rangemen knew where we were going. The SUVs, driven by Ranger, Lester, Hal and Binkie took all of us to The Palm Restaurant. Hudson had picked the best place. The restaurant was completely perfect. They even had a ‘power lunch’ menu that gave us three courses for under thirty bucks a head. The best part was that even in the smaller menu there were still choices, three starters, six entrees and two desserts. The staff was great and they had us settled, fed and out the door without making us late for our next stop. And Hudson was so great that she’d gotten the traditional KAMA booster tip of a nice, crisp hundred-dollar bill for each of our waiters.

The next stop was definitely my favorite...we left the restaurant and headed to the Spa at the Ritz Carlton in Marina Del Ray. I knew it didn’t make sense, since it wasn’t like we’d been there a whole bunch of times or anything…but I felt more comfortable at the Marina Del Rey spa. I knew the people there. I was glad that the Spa at the ritzier Ritz downtown didn’t do waxing. I’d gotten almost as comfortable with Magdalena at Marina Del Rey as I was with Greta in Lima or Shirl, the lady that handled the waxing at Rickie’s shop. Not that I ever got my coocha waxed in LA, I wasn’t that cool with Magdalena. We’d actually taken care of that during our after rehearsal mini spa trips over the course of the week. We girls had gone, with Simeon and Jax on Monday and the guys went on Friday. I was amused by the fact that the guys, who mainly needed things like their eyebrows or ears done…well, Adam had grown his stubble out to have his face waxed. He was a brave soul. Still, they had to have a two-hour appointment anyway because it was time for poor Dave to get waxed again. Anika still wouldn’t let him drum shirtless on television unless he got waxed. Sam was sure that it was so people wouldn’t think we had a Wookie for a drummer. Of course, when he made that joke he had to haul ass. Dave didn’t really chase him that long, instead he threw his drumsticks and hit Sammy-boy right in the tuches. I guess me or Puck were supposed to fuss. We just applauded our drummer for his aim.

The procedures at the spa remained the same. We took a nice hot shower, and we got into the robes and slippers provided. Then we were shown to the meeting room to get our groups and guide assignments. Originally, I was stuck in my group by myself, so that Kurt and Blaine could get a couple’s massage. But with the threat in play, it was decided that Stephanie would join me in my treatments. Of course, the way she squealed when I said that meant that she was actually taking the treatments with me was dangerous in and of itself, but I could deal. She and I were assigned Stephan. I introduced him to Stephanie. She was playing Haja’s assistant so no one knew that we were all on high alert. Brenda, who’d been my guide last time we were all there en masse was given Sam and Puck. They were good. Brenda was both nice and devoted to her man, so we were all good. I had to let her know that I loved the change she’d made to her look since the last time I’d seen her. She had replaced her block braids with a set of really cute microbraids. Charis actually ended up back with the ladies. The Dam Bros ended up with Malinda, and she was just as flirtatious as she was before. Oh, all three of them were going to have a blast. Santana and Xena ended up having Jesus, which kind of worried me, I hoped that Xena could speak some Spanish. The male band members and dancers were with a guy named Jessie, he had a tiny moment geeking out over Dave…he’d been a fan of The Cab…but then he was really professional. When I heard the name of the guy how was guiding Kurt and Blaine around, I had to cough to cover my laugh. The dude’s name was Alejandro…yup the world’s biggest MONSTER had the guide named Alejandro.

Or at least he did. Marcie, Daniel and Haja’s guide was flirting with my cousin so hard that I wanted to snatch her blonde ass bald on Riker’s behalf. But he handled it. He gave her a look that would have shattered the self-esteem of the world’s most beautiful woman…then he traded her with Kurt’s dude. She wasn’t happy at all. I, however, found it hilarious. Almost as hilarious as the fact that the Darcy and Hudson’s guide’s name was Idgie…seriously. I kind of felt bad for all the Fried Green Tomato jokes that poor woman was going to have to hear that day. Ruth was old friends with her guide Georgia...that or by the time I looked over at them Ruth had turned a stranger into an old friend. Either was possible with her. Once we were all introduced around, we were sent to our first rooms. Stephanie and I went first to get our ‘bright and tight’ body treatment. That basically boiled down to ninety minutes of two guys named Carl and Jamie massiging Natura Bisse’s Mesodose slimming and contouring therapies is massaged into my hips, ass, thighs and arms in a treatment they swore would increase microcirculation. They then followed that by an Algotherapy Mask for ‘remodeling’. The original time table was actually sixty minutes, but apparently, Hudson had gotten them to do agree to do the extra area they swore was involved in what Kurt wanted for me. It wasn’t my favorite thing in the world since it was considered a slimming, toning and anti-cellulite treatment. But Kurt swore that all the stars had treatments like it before the red carpet and the creams and potions they used smelled wonderful. And it was pretty much an extra hour and a half of massage.

As we were heading to the facial room, I rememberd that I wanted to ask Stephan about the great soap that had been in the shower. “Oh, it’s the African black soap with shea butter. Completely organic, made from all natural materials.” He was even awesome enough to give me and Stephanie how we could order it for ourselves at home. “They only sell it in bulk, though.” Me and Stephanie were both good with that, for different reasons. He smiled. “Alrighty then, next up you both have ‘the cure facial’. It l includes a cutting-edge thermo active enzymatic detoxification: enzymatic heat that opens and softens the pores while refreshing botanical elements close and purify them. A nano-stimulating mask releases moisturizing, soothing and revitalizing effects on the skin, providing a radiant and luminous appearance. Plus, you lucky ladies, have the ninety minute facial so you’ll have acne extractions, hand and foot massage and extended scalp, neck and shoulder massages.”

“The cure, eh, usually I take my cure to get rid of a hangover, a large McDonald French fry and a fountain coke…works every time.” Stephanie laughed.

Stephan nodded. “I’ll have to give that a try after the Grammy watch party I’m going to tomorrow. Huh…I see here that your facial has the Microdermabrasion added, but not the Scalp Quench?”

“Yeah, I wasn’t sure if Catrina was going to do a hair mask tomorrow so I didn’t bother.” I answered honestly.

He shrugged. “It’s up to you, of course…but my ex-girlfriend she was black and she lived in weaves. I’m pretty sure that she only dated me as long as she did because she loved getting the scalp quench treatments. She said they did her scalp better and any hair grease she had ever found.”

“It does make my hair look really good.” I said as I thought about it. “Is it too late to add it now?” I asked politely.

He just chuckled. “You’re a Grammy nominated, and if I know anything about awards shows, you will be a Grammy winning star by this time Monday…even more than that, you’re kind, polite and you are a good tipper…I mean, you are just plain nice. Of course, you can add it in.” He made a quick notation on the iPad that had our treatment schedule on it.

Stephanie just smiled. “You have to forgive her…she’s actually nice enough that I think she forgets that other people aren’t as nice as she is.”

“Tell me about it. You saw how she introduced me to you…I’ve talked to her like two-maybe three times since KAMA started coming here. Most of those were ‘Hi Stephan, Hello Ms. Jones’, exchanges…and she has never, not one time forgotten my name. I have a lady that I’ve been leading around this spa every month for the last two years and she still calls me Charles. I don’t even look like a Charles.”

I tried not to laugh or to blush. I failed on both fronts. Thankfully, we’d gotten to the facial room. We spent the nest one hundred and five minutes in splendor of being pampered. While we were having our treatment, I broached a subject that had been bothering me for a while. “Stephanie, can I ask you something. I mean, I’d ask my mom, but I know her and my dad would definitely have an automatic do what feels right speech. Sam and Puck…Well, I just think this is one of those times that I have to have my mind made up before I go to them.”

“Mercedes, take a breath. You can ask me whatever you want. I might not be the best person to ask advice from. But I will help you if I can," Stephanie said earnestly.

So I unloaded on her. I confessed to her that I didn’t think I could live in the house that we were having remodeled not ten minutes away. I’d really liked that house…but after everything that has happened, the very thought of it was tainted. “I don’t even know if I could live there without feeling, I don’t know, skeeved out.”

She sighed. “Yeah, I’m the very last person you should probably be asking that. I mean, if Ranger hadn’t tricked me into moving in with him I’d totally still be living in an apartment where I’ve had more traumatic events than hot dinners.”

“Why did you stay there then?”

“I guess, my situation is pretty different from yours. I’d moved into that apartment after a bad divorce. My credit was shot and really it was just supposed to be a stopgap until I could rebuild it. But then I lost my sucky, but decent paying job as a lingerie buyer. I think that after a while, it became a symbol of my independence and a prison of the fact that I had made some ridiculously bad choices when it came to money.” She honestly answered me. “You don’t, yet, have anything tying you to that house but bad memories. You could easily finish the renovations and see what it is appraised at. If you can make a profit, sell it. If not…I guess that will be the decision for you.”

“That’s actually really good advice and its made even better because I know that you’ve got experience backing it. Momma and Dad, they would tell me to get rid of it because we have the house in Lima and that’s good enough.” I laughed. “As much as they want all the success in the world for us, they really want us to settle, primarily, in Lima.

“I like your mom. She seems both nice and supportive," Stephanie said wistfully.

I nodded. “She is. I mean, she could have freaked out on me when I first started seeing Sam and Noah…but she just…she understood. I think she knew how I felt about them before I even did. She talked Daddy into not killing them on sheer principality. If it weren’t for her, I don’t know where I’d be in this world.”

Stephanie gave me a sad smile. “Appreciate her. My mother and I…I’m pretty sure that she loves me, but I don’t think she likes me much. My life choices are just too different from what she believes they should be. And I love her, but… the truth is that all of my biggest of my bad decisions have her at the root of them. Either trying to please her or trying to rebel against her.”

“You should talk to her. I mean, even if nothing changes, at least you’ll have tried and the ball will be in her court. That will let you know if it’s just the whole generational…she thinks she knows what will make you happy better than you do…or if she really isn’t engaged in the whole mother thing,” I said quietly.

“Maybe I should, but I’m kind of scared to find out that it’s the second one.”

Stephan came in and we were off to our next treatment. The hot stone massage preceded by a dry brush exfoliating dealy. I had to say, I loved massages. I needed to stay in the forefront of the music industry so I could have more of those in my life like all the time. In fact, I mentally promised that if we won more than one Grammy, I would talk to Hudson and see about introducing monthly massages into our schedules. The massage was followed by mani-pedis. Hudson had booked us the diamond level manicure and pedicures with the revitalizing add ons and gel polish. I went with gunmetal gray on my toes and a nice simple, brighter than white, French manicure on my hands. Given that like all of our treatments were well over an hour, it was no surprise to anyone that me and Stephanie were the last ones done. We had dinner right there in the hotel…but even with all the security, I don’t think any of us truly relaxed until we were back in our rooms at our Ritz.

The next day started early. We all got up and met in the fitness center. We just…needed to work off some nervous energy. By the time, we got back to our suite, it had been turned into our dressing room. In those moments, I was in my element and I was feeling fine. The Grammys were calling our name and, even with everything scary and crazy that was going on, I couldn’t wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.   
> In celebration of the day, here is an extra chapter and her are several quotes of his that show why he lived a life worth celebrating. 
> 
> 1) Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
> 
> 2) The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
> 
> 3) Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
> 
> 4) Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
> 
> 5) Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?
> 
> 6) The time is always right to do what is right.
> 
> 7) We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.
> 
> I should have ended with #6 so I could say you should do what was right and leave me a comment, letting me know what you think. But #7 is much more important in this day and age.   
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	27. Amazing (George Michael) & Under Your Spell (Desire)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Book Reread Rec  
> Horns by Joe Hill (Baby Stephen King)
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!!
> 
> Possible Trigger Warning:  
> Misogynistic Rhetoric & Entitlement to another person's body

Amazing (George Michael)  
Becky Jackson PoV

I loved awards seasons for as far back as I could really remember. I mean, when you are trapped in a body that will never look the way your mind thinks you should look, you have a choice. You could either embrace the beautiful people or you could bitterly shun them. I wasn’t one for shunning anyone based on such a pathetic reason. Besides, the clothes and shoes were all gorgeous. I had grown up watching them with my grandmother. She loved them every much as I did. My mother didn’t believe that it was a good idea for me to watch them so after my grandmother died, I had to sneak and watch them alone for a couple of years. When Mercedes and Kurt were in the Cheerios, I had people to watch them with again. But after they graduated and Mercedes, Evans and Puck started their huge career, I thought it would be the same thing all over again, but Mercedes’ mom had made sure that she invited me to their watch parties. Coach had pretty well forced my mother’s hand. My dad had been slowly loosening the reins, on things like going around town without them, once I ‘graduated’ high school. But Mommy refused to see that just because I had Downs, it didn’t mean that I was a perpetual child.

Over the years I’d accomplished a lot. I mean, yeah I had Down syndrome and some mild cognitive disability…but I wasn’t dumb. I had a job. I had a checking account of my own. I took drivers ed and I passed all the tests and got my license. I wasn’t ready to move out on my own yet, but that was mainly because I was waiting on the townhouses that Coach said Mercedes, Evans and Puck’s fathers were building. If I stayed home with my parents and saved what I made over the year, I could have a down payment easy and Coach already said she would co-sign for me. I think she liked the fact that I was an independent person. Her sister Jean probably would have been like me if people had understood that she shouldn’t be restricted in what she could do just because she had Downs. I was determined to have a life of my own. Heck, I wanted kids…granted that meant that I had to find a boyfriend who didn’t have Down syndrome. But, despite what Hudson and Puckerman thought, that was less about looks and more about the fact that women with Downs could usually have children, most of the guys couldn’t. At least that was what I read online. I didn’t know a whole lot of people like me.

I shook off those somewhat lonely thoughts, and turned my mind to the much more fun thoughts of Commune’s first Grammys. It was a very, very, very big week in Lima. I mean, huge really. The hometown kids were on the national stage in every sense of the word. International if you thought about it. They were all over the news, because of course it was only a big week in Lima because Commune was having such a big month. They had won big at the People’s Choice awards and that was cool. I read online that they were already like eight or nine times platinum on their debut album. All of their videos have over a billion hits on YouTube and they made the Billboard top twenty for the year with their three singles. But Commune’s big month wasn’t all positive. That sex tape was bad news. Especially for Mercedes. Knowing her, she hated it way more that Sam or Puck. Both of those guys had no problem stripping for little to no reason at all.

The news people were talking about it everywhere. Well, not everywhere…the global news scene was experiencing some serious issues. But then again since Commune commented on all of them, Heck, Mercedes had posted a video of herself crying and singing ‘Blessed Assurance’ for the victims of the Charlie Hebdo attack. There was something about her singing that just drove home the tragedy. Then she did the same for the people of Baga, Nigeria after a terrorist attack there. Well, she sang ‘Amazing Grace’ that time. It was pretty epic. Still, the news people would use their statements to segue into talking about their scandal. Commune didn’t let the news people slack-assed-ness bother them at all. They kept cool and mature and even mentioned praying for the victims of both terrorist attacks when they were on Jimmy Kimmel and when they were in Conan O’Brien’s show.

Then suddenly, a few days before the Grammys, the whole world found out what everyone who knew Commune knew from the word jump, the guy who had put out the video had never had their permission to film them or to sell the tape. In fact, the guy confessed to forging Sam, Mercedes and Puck’s signatures on the contract using pictures of their autographs from their website. Macardo said that he wanted to hurt Commune because they were successful and he wasn’t. I would have wanted to beat the crap out of him…but the way he was holding his ribs when the cops were perp-walking him into the station, it looked like someone had worked him over really good. The way I figured it, that was probably the only reason he had turned himself in in the first place. I was glad that whoever had gotten a hold of him had been as persuasive as I would have been.

The turnaround in how the news people dealt with my friends after that was enough to give a girl whiplash. Suddenly, all the people who had been so sure that it was a media ploy and they were just trying to fast track their way to fame and fortune, were so sure that they were victims of a bad man who thought the world was against him just because he sucked at what he thought he was good at. The more I thought about it, the more he reminded me of Berry and Schuester. Of course, the Fox News people still thought that it was all Commune’s fault. After all how dare they have sex…during the day time…and enjoy it. Okay, I heard my Dad yelling that at the TV. Mercedes was always really nice to me, even when I wasn’t so nice to her…plus the Joneses were our dentists and it was kind of important for me to get really regular medical and dental care…and Drs. Jones were always willing to bill Daddy for our copays if there was something major that had to be done. So, anyone knocking her was not going to be in Daddy’s good books. It really sucked ass that he was out on bail the very next day, though. The US legal system needed some revamping Coach Sylvester style.

I followed Mercedes and Sam and Noah and KAMA, Santana, Brittany and Zizes’ cousin Darcy on social media, so I had a front row seat to the KAMA preshow to the E! Red Carpet preshow to the Grammys. Yeah, I was a happy camper that day. No seriously. Darcy posted a listing of the products Jones’ makeup artist was using and close ups of her eyes, lips and the adorable French manicure Jones had gotten done on her hands. The very best part was that Zizes’ cousin didn’t just post the Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Excess mascara that was used on Jones, she gave lower cost alternatives too. She called them Westwood approved everyday products. I couldn’t spend forty bucks on the Armani, but I could manage eight for some L’Oréal Voluminous Volume Building mascara…if I ever bought any mascara. I did decide that I wanted to look for Iman luxury lipstick. That warm, rich, gorgeous red on Mercedes’ lips was gorgeous and I didn’t have Gucci money…but I could handle ten bucks. My friend the music superstar sent me a selfie of the finished product, well…not all the way finished. She was done with hair and makeup. She captioned it. “What do you think, Bex…the lipstick makes my lips look huge right?”

I laughed and texted her back that she shouldn’t be trying to blame the poor lipstick for her lips size. Sam and Puck sent me a picture of them almost falling over laughing. So, I shot Sam a text to tell him that he couldn’t really talk. Right around the time I hit send, I got another text alert. Coach and Mr. Coach were texting me to let me know that they were on their way to pick me up on their way to the Jones’ party. I checked out my outfit. I looked good in a pair of dark wash, ‘curvy fit’, jeans. I really liked that brand they had a petite plus line that actually fit me both ways. I’d paired them with a white crew neck, long sleeved tee-shirt and a red wrappy-deal of a sweater. I still tended to wear red and white around Coach, it felt weird to not do so. I kind of wished that I could wear heels…but it wasn’t in the cards for me. So, the black, leather boots I had put on were flat walking boots with arch supports. I felt like a super star. I tidied up my room and made sure to shut my computer all the way down.

Mom had a bad habit of trying to snoop on other people’s computers to make sure we aren’t doing anything she disapproves of. Which Dad and I agreed was anything that would be considered fun by more than just her and her OPM (Over Protective Mothers) support group. In case of emergency Dad had my pass word and I had his. We also had a no judgement, browser history pact. That way if either of us died in a horrible plane crash or jet-ski accident, the other would make sure that Mommy didn’t have to see our ‘shameful hobbies’. We’d had to add the non-judgement clause when I found out that Daddy’s ‘shameful hobby’ was Charlie’s Angels fan fiction. I read some of it…I think it would be less embarrassing if he just had a lot of porn.

I made sure that I had my phone, keys and gum…oh and my ID and insurance card, just in case, and headed downstairs to let my parents know that I was leaving and when I should be home. Of course, it was never that easy. Mommy had to remind me of all my limitations and food allergies and all. Like I was the only person on earth who had Celiac’s Disease…hell more people were eating gluten free every day, even those who didn’t need to. And I was going to the Jones house, they knew about my diabetes…they stocked the special sugar free toothpaste and mouth wash at their office for me since the shape of my mouth made spitting right a pain in the neck. Anyway, I listened as she went on and on until Daddy sighed. “Look, Dr. Benton and Dr. Danica wouldn’t have invited her if they weren’t going to take all that into consideration. They are medical professionals. Jeeze, Ada, they were the ones who told us to get Becky tested for Celiac’s in the first place.”

“And besides, Dr. Lopez will be there, and so will Mrs. Puckerman-Altman and Mrs. Hudson-Hummel. If I drop, I promise that there will be more than enough people there who can do something about it, and Coach knows my entire medical history and I’m wearing my Medic-alert bracelet," I said tiredly.

She sighed as she always did when I pointed out that I wasn’t a moron and I could technically have a beer. It wouldn’t be a good thing if I did…I was pretty sure beer had all the gluten…but still. “I’m just a mother and mothers worry.” Maybe Daddy was mouthing it mockingly behind her back, but I’d never tell.

Thankfully, Coach got there before I had to say anything. The ride to the Jones house was fun. Sugar was my friend and she was hilarious. She’d been texting back and forth with Brittany and Commune’s choreographer, Rainbow. If all went well, Coach’s biggest daughter would be spending her summer as a KAMA background dancer on their summer tour. She showed me the dancers’ hair and makeup. “The lady dancers all have their hair the exact same style. I need to grow my hair out.”

“You can always get extensions.” Mr. Coach reminded her. “Your cousin, Sophia, has a girl she goes to all the time on Long Island.”

I looked at the style. They had their hair in two strand French-braids down the sides and back and up into a long, straight ponytail. They were in the KAMA group dressing room at the Staple Center and, while they had done each other’s hair, Mercedes had gotten them makeup artists to handle their faces. I texted Santana to see what her and her fellow back ground singer's hair looked like. Santana’s was pretty long too and straighter than I was used to thinking of her hair and parted in the middle. But that was nothing compared to her counterpart. Xena, the caption reminded me, had long, thick, almost black hair down to her knees. It must have taken them forever to blow it out straight. 

Brittany sent me and Sugar screen shots of what their makeup would look like from their ‘dry run’ earlier in the week. Their eye makeup was gorgeous and reminded me of a peacock. Their lips would be done in a shiny, peachy orange and I was sure that it was really going to look great with everything all done together. Santana and Xena’s makeup was different, but no less dramatic. Their eyes were going to be done in black and white then they had a pouty, medium tone, warm red, shiny lips. I was really happy for them, and also crazy jealous. I texted them that and they asked me what I wanted them to send me from LA. So I told Mercedes I wanted a tube of her lipstick in a color that I could wear. I told Brittany I wanted a pretty purse with someone important’ s name on it, like Michael Kors or somebody. I told Santana that I wanted a really cool autograph or to have someone awesome send me a selfie.

I don’t know how she did it…but she got LL Cool J to send me a video of him telling me that I should be very proud of accomplishing all I had when there had to be so many people telling me I couldn’t. I wanted to cry. It was so sweet. Of course, I didn’t tell Santana that. She hated it when people realized that she had a heart. We got to the Jones’ house and had time to talk to everyone and have some snacks…which weren’t just awesome, a lot of them were homemade. I loved them all. Of course, all of the Ohio contingent of Commune’s family were present as were Mercedes’ and Sam’s grandmothers. Half of Lima was there too. Sam’s dad had invited a few people from his job and so had Mrs. Evans and Mr. Altman. The Harts were all there…boy I couldn’t imagine having that many brothers and sisters. The entire back yard had been tented and one side of the tent was really thick and white. A projector played a TV through it. No one wasn’t in a seat when the E! Red Carpet started. About twenty minutes in, OUR stars showed up.

They had a lot of bodyguards, all of them in seriously hot black suits with black shirts and black ties. Sam got out first and then Puck. Sam looked like a Boss…a mob boss. Mr. Coach groaned. “That’s a three piece KITON suit.” He told us. “I would have sold my left, yeah never mind, just sayin’ that when I was Sam’s age, I wanted one very much.”

Everyone chuckled. It was a good-looking suit. I grabbed my phone and started reading the live tweets. “Kiton black pin stripped bespoke suit with an Armani slim-fit tuxedo suit and a Kiton black round floral print tie. The fashion bloggers are loving that he went Italian on the clothes and then British on the shoes.” I told Sugar, Tessa, Jake, RJC and Joe. All of us were sitting together. His watch is Graff…apparently, his outfit is worth more than most people’s houses.”

Puck was out of the big ass limo next. “Whoa…they are both in Kiton, Puck is in their spring line’s tux.” The tux wasn’t as traditional as one would have expected from a tuxedo…it was gunmetal gray and had black lapels and details. “And he is wearing the same shirt and tie as Sam. His watch is Graff too but his shoes are Italian. Everyone online are loving the adorableness of them going with the same designer. They turned to the door and helped Mercedes get out. She literally put one foot out, showing the world her foot clad in what someone on Twitter immediately identified as a twelve-hundred-dollar pair of Oscar de la Renta black lace, pointed toe pumps. Her hands took one of Sam’s and one of Puck’s and boom Mercedes Jones was gracing the red carpet.

Tessa beat me to the punch on the dress. “Her gown is Oscar de la Renta…so is the lace halter blouse she paired it with.” The outfit was amazing. The blouse was sheer lace and sleeveless with cut in shoulders and a halter neckline that had long ties that flowed down her back. It was almost impossible to tell that it wasn’t a part of the gown. The gown itself was amazing. It was part of the de la Renta spring line. It was all silk and silk organza with a beaded amethyst purple floral design. It was a floor length, A-Line gown that looked like it was made just for her. “Oh, my holy snarky, it’s completely custom. The dress from the spring line was red and black and didn’t come above a size two. The house de la Renta just tweeted that they made this one especially for Mercedes Jones.” Seriously though, she looked hot. She looked like a billion dollars. Diamonds glittered at her ears, neck, both wrists and on her hands. I couldn’t not Google to see what they were.

Fifteen thousand dollars for the gown and the top then… “Her jewelry is all Harry Winston.” I breathed in shock and absolute awe. She was wearing the Secret Cluster Diamond jewelry collection, necklace, earrings, cocktail ring and two bracelets. I want to be her when I grow up.

“Bubbie Ruth wouldn’t say anything about their looks. Said she wanted everyone’s honest reactions.” Jake chuckled. “Damn, Mercedes is looking fine as hell. Is there anything beyond a jaw on the floor emoji?”

“Is it just me or are they rolling really deep with the whole bodyguards thing?” Sugar asked. “I’m counting six of them, plus the rest of their entourage.”

“Well, MamaCedes is wearing a king’s ransom in diamonds…maybe she had to have extra security for that.” Joe pointed out. None of us even thought for a second to say maybe they weren’t all body guards. If any of us knew about bodyguards, it would sure as heck be Sugar Motta.

We were all watching as they started encountering interviewers and they talked about how honored they were to be nominated and how honored they were to be performing. But the more I watched the more something started to bother me. “Did something happen? I mean…something is wrong…” I muttered quietly but loud enough for Tessa and Jake to hear me. I knew that they heard me because they exchanged an ‘oh shit’ look.

“What do you mean?” Sugar asked confused. “They look awesome and so rich.”

I shook my head. “No, they don’t look happy.” I argued.

Sugar rolled her eyes. “Of course they look happy. They are smiling and laughing and they are at the Grammys.”

I sighed. She was so unobservant when she wanted to be. “Mercedes’ smile is tight and it doesn’t reach her eyes. The only times Sam and Puck are letting go of her hands is when they absolutely have to. Something is wrong.”

“Maybe they are just nervous. I mean, they are walking the red carpet at music’s biggest night and they are about to perform with icons in each of their styles.” Tessa pointed out. But her answer rang false to me.

I shook my head. “I’ve known Mercedes since forever. That isn’t nervous, she was nervous before the fourth grade talent show. So nervous that she threw up all over Mr. Poredon. That isn’t nervous…it’s something else.”

Jake laughed. “Well…I’d be muthafuckin’ terrified. I mean, come on, Becks. They are on the GLOBAL stage. Maybe it’s just a level of nervousness that we can’t exactly understand.”

I guess that made sense. I said as much. But there was still something bothering me about it. I shook that off and paid attention to the questions and answers. Of course, they talked a lot about their outfits, it was an awards show red carpet. But they also discussed their tour and their Valentine concert. I was a little jealous. Mr. Coach was surprising Coach with a trip to New York to go to it. I really only knew because he needed me to make sure that she could leave immediately after school that day. It was a great surprise. She would love getting to be there…especially if HER Cheerio won a Grammy. I had no sooner finished that thought than Kathy Griffin asked Mercedes about the Cheerios and our star congratulated them on willing their regional competition a couple of weeks ago and then she said, “Of course they are going to win Nationals again. Coach Sylvester would allow nothing less, and our sister Tessa and former choirmates Regina, Jessica, Chase and Sugar will ensure that they take the win in Orlando. Go Cheerios!”

“You’re very enthusiastic about your former cheer squad.” The redhead laughed. “I was a cheerleader…I didn’t remember most of those chicks names six months after graduation.”

“Yeah, you were a cheerleader…not a Cheerio. Once you’re a Cheerio, you are pretty much one for life. Coach Sylvester makes sure of it.”

Kathy laughed. She didn’t know that Mercedes was telling the truth. Christina Aguilera came over before Kathy could say anything. Right the on camera, the world watched as two of the greatest voices in the music industry met for the first time. I was pretty sure that Kathy Griffin was about ready to pass out. Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert were over to the side and they both looked amused over the meeting. “Oh, my GOD.” Mercedes said happily…her smile actually reached her eyes in that instant. “I have loved you since ‘Genie in Bottle’. And ‘Beautiful’ got me through some seriously difficult times before anyone other than my family could see my beauty.”

Christina Aguilera gave Mercedes a hug and then hugged Sam and Puck too. “Sweetie, trust and believe the whole entire world sees your beauty now.”

“Oh, sorry. Thank you, Ms. Griffith, good luck on Fashion Police.” Mercedes told the shocked hostess as she and the blonde diva walked away chatting and talking like old friends. I noticed that Puck and Sam were looking around more actively than usual. Something was up and I wasn’t sure if Tessa and Jake didn’t see what I saw, they saw, but didn’t know what the what was or if they were circling the wagons and I just wasn’t considered an insider. But I didn’t like it.

I set it aside and was social and everything. I had fun watching the rest of the red carpet and playing with Jeanie…for a few minutes. Sloane Evans was her buddy and he kept her well entertained. “Look Jeanie, Cat Valentine and Big Sean look like they are going to the prom. Those tiny little stud earrings. It looks like she tried to make the look edgy…did not pull it off. So sad…but less sad than Charli XCX, wow…white and pink tux that looks like it is made out of one of your mommy’s track suits.” I said to her as we watched, while the Jones twins and Beth Cochran-Martinez were distracting Sloane. However, the Berry triplets were there and they were adorable…and not yet mobile. They kept me entertained. So, did trolling their big sister on Twitter. Estrella de Oro…I had a mild cogitative disability and I had figured her out in a month. “Now, you three listen to me…never listen to anything your big sister says about clothes. She’s an idiot. She wore the types of clothes Reba will wear to kindergarten all the way through high school. It was bad, very, very, very. Very bad.” Ryan Seacrest read off some of the awards that had been awarded in the non-televised portion of the show. KAMA had won best song written for visual media for ‘The Fighter’…we all went crazy. It was so happy. The night hadn’t even really started yet and Coach was already crowing about her Grammy award winning Cheerio.

We kept our eyes on the screen for a while but they didn’t get anything else before they went back to the fashion show. I mean, the red carpet. There were some more arrivals. Rita Ora looked like a walking disco ball, but said it was custom Prada. That was interesting. After a little while Seacrest came back on…there was silence as he read off more categories we wouldn’t see. Mercedes and Jill Scott had managed something unthinkable. They beat Queen Bey in the best R&B song for their duet ‘Who You Are’. “That’s what you get for fucking Ledisi over.” Chase yelled happily. There may have been an RJC coordinated dance of happiness. It was awesome.

Everyone got back into their seats after the red carpet wrapped up and Dr. Benton switched the projector to the ABC channel. LL Cool J looked yummy in his brilliant blue tuxedo jacket. He introduced AC/DC after some inspiring words. The band did ‘Rock or Bust’ first. Then Puck came out as they transitioned to ‘Highway to Hell’. He was wearing a pair of black leather pants that made his ass look incredible. The pants, a pair of Doc Martins, two black leather wrist cuffs, his Star of David necklace and the ring Mercedes had given him months before…that was all he was wearing. When him, Angus Young and Brian Johnson met on the bridge thing at the front of the stage the camera got good and close on Puckerman. He had been a naughty boy. He had a hickey on the back of his shoulder, probably an Evans special and another on his chest right above the nipple that had gotten mangled during his stay in juvie. He looked like a dark angel. And he played his guitar like a total rock god.

When the show came back from the commercial break LL was on stage. He introduced Taylor Swift, I wanted to be her so bad…tall, thin, blonde and I loved her dress…anyway. She presented the best new artist award. It was between Iggy Azalea, Sam Smith, Bastille, Haim and KAMA. Dr. Danica, Mrs. Puckerman-Altman and Mrs. Evans were all really happy that he’d won. They loved him, and they kind of agreed with Mercedes about the curse on the award. Anna Kendrick came out after the commercial and introduced Cat Valentine. She had a good voice, but sometimes I was sure she had ‘a mild cognitive disability’. The song was pretty, a nice slow ballad, which was nice after AC/DC. Her dress was a gorgeous eggplant color. It was what Coach called a park and bark…but the whole world knew she wasn’t that great a dancer, so that was understandable. She had a bit of a trouble with the highest note near the very end of the song but it was still a good performance.

Next up were Jessie J and Tom Jones. Jessie J had to be happy a song she wrote had won Mercedes and Jill Scott their Grammy. I had to say though, their performance was pretty, not great. Tom Jones was campy as anything. In the words of Simon Cowell, ‘it was all very Vegas lounge singer’. But I loved Jessie J’s dress, um…outfit may have been a better term. They showed the audience and I saw John Legend and our stars sitting near each other. That was when I realized that John Legend and Puck were wearing the same tux, John Legends was just blue and navy instead of gray and black. Then Jessie and Tom Jones introduced the best pop solo performance. I didn’t have a dog in that fight. Though I did like Pharrell Williams ‘Happy’ so I was glad when it won. He moonwalked. That was hilarious.

The next performance came from Miranda Lambert. Her performance was sassy with a ton of black leather and red and other colored lights, but mainly red. I had trouble looking at the screen. The oscillating lights made me a little nauseous. Then they introduced the group from Sing, Pentatonix, and Barry Gibbs who did the best pop vocal album. I wasn’t a Coldplay fan, hid my love of Miley Cyrus, Cat Valentine and Katy Perry; it just wasn’t cool to admit to liking any of them. I loved both Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith…so I was good with either. But Sam Smith won it and I was happy. I love men with British accents.

LL Cool J was back for a minute, still in that blue and black tux. He ‘threw’ to Kanye West. The song was supposed to be about his mother. That was sad. Mercedes always said that ‘Maybe if she had lived Kanye wouldn’t have lost his fool ass mind’. It was intimate and, I guess, touching. But he was trying to sing…it just didn’t work for me. Then Miley Cyrus and Nicki Minaj introduced Madonna’s performance of ‘Living for Love’. I knew that the guys in the horns were supposed to show the whole matador thing, like her arrival outfit…but they were scary. I didn’t like them at all. Madonna’s red and black outfit was way too sexy for her…maybe twenty years before it would have been fine…but just no. Yeah, she looked good for her age…but she was still her age. Jake must have seen the discomfort on my face because, without saying a word or calling any attention to it, he grabbed my hand and let me squeeze his until that train wreck was over. The choir had helped a little. At least the song had a good message. Okay…the way she ended it was really, really, really cool. Then two and a half hotties, Josh Duhamel, Julian Edleman and Malcolm Butler gave the best rock album to Beck. Beck talked until they played him off.

After the commercial, Smokey Robinson and Nigel Rogers came out and talked for a minute about George Harrison before introducing the Best R&B Performance. Beyoncé and Jay Z, Chris Brown and Usher, Ledisi, and Usher were all up against Mercedes and Jill Scott. Our Star and Ms. Scott beat them all. The two women really looked like they could have been mother and daughter for real. “This is amazing. Lord, thank you. I want to thank Ms. Scott for talking the Weitz brothers into taking a chance on an unknown. I want to thank Jessie J for creating such a beautiful song. I’d like to thank Sam and Puck, our family and friends for loving me and our fans the KAMAeleons for loving us.” Mercedes said quickly before allowing Ms. Scott to make her thank yous. There may have been a hell of a lot of yelling in that yard that drowned out her actual words, but that was okay. I was pretty sure that she would have understood.

After they left the stage, Ryan Seacrest introduced Adam Levine and Gwen Stefani. They did a Maroon 5 song that was really pretty. ‘My Heart is Open’ had good lyrics and it was slow and melodic. Both of their voices were pretty as you’d expect. Gwen Stefani looked glamourous and gorgeous in a red gown with a high slit. They were accompanied by a piano and a boat load of violins. When they finished, James Corden took the stage and introduced Ed Sheeran. The only non-Pillsbury ginger Coach had ever liked was performing with John Mayer, Questlove, Adam Blackstone and Herby Hancock. The song, ‘Thinking Out Loud’ was beautiful. The performance was understated, almost acoustic. It was pretty. Ed Sheeran had good forearms…not as good as Puck’s but good nonetheless. Sometimes I forgot that John Mayer was that good a guitar player. After Ed Sheeran's song was over, Jill Scott and LL Cool J were in front of the camera.

“Now, it is our honor to introduce some of the nicest young musicians in the game today. They are nominated in a total of eight catagories tonight, six as a group. They have already won three of those.” LL said with his charming grin.

“That’s right. Their voices are only excelled by their overall talent. I just know that we will be seeing them on this stage for years to come. Let’s hear it for KAMA.” Jill Scott finished.

The camera moved to one of the largest stages. The lights came up on the backdrop showing a subtle midnight starry night kind of background. There was a really high stage on the stage. KAMA was up there with the band, including Artie and the back-stage dancers. All the band members were in white. Under them, on the actual stage floor the six background dancers were all in white too. Mercedes’ hair was different and her lipstick was vividly purple. She had changed into a floor length, custom, black shantung silk gown with an oval bodice that came up almost to her collar bones though it was strapless. The dress had silver sheer insets at the waist and the hem had huge scallops that allowed you to peek at her white sandals that had pretty pastel butterflies on them. Her jewelry was different too. Still diamonds, but while the necklace was, according to Twitter, a different Harry Winston piece, the earrings were Neil Lane. The crystal butterflies on Jones’ shoes, the ladies’ makeup, some of the instruments and the back ground gave the only color on the stage. Otherwise, everything was black or white. Sam and Puck were in black suits with black shirts and ties.

As soon as the music started, I immediately knew that it was ‘ColorBlind’. I had gotten to be in that video, so it was my favorite song ever. For the performance, the dancers under the stage were doing serious ballet moves but with a modern flare. The ladies were in toe shoes, though the guys weren’t. I wish I could explain, even to myself what they were doing, but all I kept thinking was they were beautiful and graceful and fluid and amazing. Then after the bridge, when the song it didn’t go into the final chorus, instead there was an instrumental bridge… Commune waltzed on the upper stage. All three of them moved together with Sam leading and Puck behind Mercedes. It was breathtaking. They made it look perfectly natural. The instrumental and DJ spun beats bridge had moved the song from ‘ColorBlind’ into what I recognized as an old Elton John song. The waltz ended, a curtain I didn’t even notice rose behind the dancers who were still pulling off AMAZING ballet moves even as the music…hardened, maybe. Puck started the vocals of new song backed not just by Santana, Xena and the two brothers, but by the choir in black and white on the stage level. Mercedes took over for the second verse and Sam took the third. The song didn’t have a whole lot of a chorus, but whenever there was a need for division between verses. Mercedes would do these amazing runs. And while their usual background singers backed her up, Sam, Puck, the band and the choir were singing I believe in love, over and over until the music started to fade out. She sang hard and strong. Showing the world that her voice could not be out done. Though the songs weren’t fast, they were intense. The audience, there and in the Jones’ tented back yard, gave KAMA raucous applause. The whole performance had, it had brought the feels…like all the feels.

I hopped onto Twitter to see the reactions. Elton JOHN loved it. He said it was one of the best performances of his song he’d ever seen. That was a heady endorsement. The next performance was Hozier who was joined by Annie Lennox for ‘Take Me to Church’ and ‘I Put a Spell on You’. After that Cam and Nick Jonas presented the best country album of the year to Miranda Lambert. Ummm…the version of ‘Happy’ that followed started off weird before they finally did the song like I wanted to hear it. Of course, then they artsyed it up again. When the commercial was done a video of Barack Obama was shown speaking out against domestic violence and violence against women in all its forms. Then a domestic violence survivor came out and talked about her experience. “Authentic love does not devalue another human being.” She said and it stuck in my head. When she left the stage Katy Perry performed ‘By the Grace of God’. It was, for her, an extremely stripped-down performance. She was in all white with simple hair and makeup…no antics or costumes to take away from the song’s message. Shadow dancers moved behind a simple white screen behind her, turning her shadow into a pretty accompaniment.

They showed Imagine Dragons performing ‘Shots’ from Vegas during the commercial break. Then Katherine McPhee introduced Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett who performed a duet of ‘Cheek to Cheek’. I have mixed feelings about Lady Gaga. The fact that she has an amazing voice and should never have needed all those gimmicks annoyed me. But I had loved all the gimmicks…so that was a weird internal conflict. I liked the performance…even if Gaga got a little ‘Cabaret’ to her during it. Her makeup was great and the black dress was pretty and glamorous. After that performance, they talked about a festival man who was eighty-nine and who was some kind of honoree. Then LL Cool J introduced the salute Stevie Wonder. Audra Day, Stevie Wonder’s newest vocal protégé, came out first. Her version of ‘Ribbon in the Sky’ was good. I wasn’t sure how much I liked her dress, it didn’t seem Grammy stage worthy. It was a pretty shade of teal, but it was boring. She got shown up completely when Mercedes came out.

Our star was wearing a Monique Lhuillier, rose gold sequined ombre dress. The dress was fierce. It covered her from neck to below her knees, sort of. I mean it did…but it gave the illusion that it didn’t. It had a round illusion neckline, three-quarter sleeves, followed her curves like a roadmap, drawing her in at her waist before ending in a straight skirt with illusion hem. The dress sparkled so much that she didn’t wear much jewelry, just a big pair of rose gold oval hoops. Her shoes were rose gold, crystal studded, swirling gladiator sandals. She did ‘Higher Ground’. I knew for a fact that that was her favorite Stevie Wonder song. She had the whole audience on their feet. It was fully acoustic, just her and a harpist…but she still rocked it. Then Usher came out and he sang ‘If It’s Magic’. He brought Stevie Wonder onto the stage near the end of the songs and both Audra Day and Mercedes came out and they finished the song off together. It was pretty much a dream come true for any singer born after, like nineteen-seventy-five or something. Of course, it got a standing ovation. They were honoring Stevie Wonder.

It went from that to Eric Church, accompanied by Sam. They were introduced by Keith Urban. It was a good performance. But I felt kind of bad for Eric Church, while Sam was looking at him with hero worship on his face; Evans was so easy to read; the rest of the room was definitely comparing Mr. Church to Sam and the hot for country music singer was losing. Not really vocally. They were both good there, but on the whole looks side of things. Sam was wearing some black cowboy boots, black jeans and a heather gray Henley with the sleeves pushed up so he could play his guitar without them in the way, and Eric Church was in head to toe black, more formally decked out, but not over done, but everyone’s eyes still followed Sam rather than Mr. Church.

After them it became uninterrupted music for a while. Dwight Yocham and Brandy Clark flowed into Rihanna, Sir. Paul McCartney and Kanye West which transitioned into Sam Smith with Mary J. Blige. There had been a few more behind the scenes awards given. KAMA had won two more awards, the best urban contemporary album award for Necessity 4 Existence and the best pop duo or group performance award. It sucked a little that those weren’t televised and they weren’t up for either of the final two that were. But we were all really, really, really happy that they had won three of the six awards their group had been up for and that all four of their performance were trending on YouTube the second they hit the service. Gina Rodriguez looked pretty, though a little under dressed for my tastes. But what did I know. She introduced a Juanes, a Latin singer who sang in Spanish. Only Mr. Martinez, Tessa, Jake and Chase really knew what he said. But at least he was pretty.

Then Prince…PRINCE…announced the nominees for Album of the Year. He looked amazing for his age, where Madonna had just looked okay for hers. Beck won the award and you could see that Beck was loving getting the award from Prince. Then Kanye was all weird and almost came out on the stage…but he didn’t, not really. Beck made a little joke about it. His acceptance speech was pretty rambling. But not as rambly as Shia LeBeouf’s introduction of Sia. Kristen Weig popping up during the performance, where we barely see Sia, as usual, struck me as weird. Enrique Iglesias presented the song of the year award to Sam Smith for ‘Stay with Me’ the dark child version. Everyone was happy about that. Around that viewing party pretty much everyone felt that if KAMA wasn’t in a category and Sam Smith was…he was who we wanted to win.

Beck and Chris Martin performed and, to be honest, almost put me to sleep. But then Jamie Foxx and Stevie Wonder came out and they were hilarious. And they awarded Sam Smith with Record of the Year. Then there was a speech about making sure we all pay for music. I understand that. I never mind paying for good music. Sometimes, I thought that certain singers shouldn’t be allowed to be presenter or talk on award shows…because they cannot read a teleprompter. The ‘In Memorium’ section came after the worse reading ever. It was bad. LL Cool J and Jennifer Aniston talked about the Civil Rights Movement to give the background to the song Beyoncé was performing ‘Take My Hand Precious Lord’. I had to say, Bey Hive member I may have been, Beyoncé didn’t sound as good doing it as the lady from the Selma movie…not even close. It wasn’t bad…but it wasn’t great. It made me sad. And it made Chase MAD. “If they weren’t going to let Ledisi sing it, they should have had Mercedes do it. Beyoncé sold her soul to a minor demon to breakout as a solo artist and you can’t sing that song if you don’t have a damn soul.” She muttered angrily.

It was really hard not to laugh…and it was even harder not to be glad that John Legend and Common sang after her. It would have sucked to have her be the last performance of the night when it wasn’t that great a performance. Though she did look really nice in her silvery white dress. John Legend and Common ended things right. There was an orchestra and a men’s choir and John Legend on a piano…it was deeply moving and just perfect. It made my heart hurt…I was different. People looked at me and assumed that I was less than because I had Downs. I understood being faulted for something that was no fault of your own every moment of your life. It sucked ass. I wish people would just understand that different didn’t inherently mean bad or wrong.

Coach and Mr. Coach weren’t able to stay too long after the end of the show and they took me home before they went home themselves. Coach was, as expected, super happy that she could boast a Grammy winner to her Cheerio wall of fame. When I got home, Daddy was really happy too. “Dr. Benton and Dr. Danica must be so damn proud.” He kept crowing. We talked for a while and I told him about the beautiful dress Mercedes had been wearing on the red carpet and how good Puck and Sam had looked.

“I’m happy for them. This night…this night was Jones’ dream come true and on top of that, she got to share it with the men she loves and who love her just as much.” I told him with a smile. I showed him the texts she and Lopez and Brittany had sent me. “Even with her dream coming true. She still included me, Daddy. Now, I feel a little bad because I wasn’t always nice to her because it wasn’t cool. But she’s a good friend so I know she’d tell me not to worry about it.”

“It’s good that you’ve grown up and know you know better than to let others decide who you should like and care about.” He told me honestly. “Now, if she does send you that lipstick…please don’t let your mother find it.”

“Of course not, Daddy. You think I’m a noob?” I joked. “Daddy, umm…do you think that maybe, we can start working on getting Mommy ready for me to move out. I’m saving up and I know of a place where I’ll be able to buy a townhouse of my own.” I said quietly.

Daddy looked surprised. “Really, I thought that there was a lot of housing discrimination against people with disabilities.”

I shrugged. “I happen to know that the people who own this housing development don’t believe in discrimination of any shape form or fashion. Probably they will want to talk to you and Mommy and Coach and make sure that I’m able to live alone…you know, can I cook and handle bills and budgets and everything. But they would never say I can’t buy the house just because I have Downs.”

“And you know this how?” he prodded. “I don’t want you thinking all of this is on the up and up and then it’s just someone preying on people with disabilities.”

“Daddy, it’s not. Its Dr. Benton, Mr. Evans and Mr. Altman. It’s the next phase of their real estate development on the other side of Lima.” I reassured him.

“If it’s all the way across town, how are you going to get to work?” he asked quietly.

I was tempted not to answer or to lie or something. But I knew if I wanted to be treated as a strong capable adult, I needed to behave as one. “I was thinking of looking into getting a small car. Maybe a Prius or a Honda Fit. I know I’d probably have to get something used. But definitely something small…easy to maintain.”

Daddy was sitting there looking thoughtful. “When you were little and so many of the doctors said that you would always need live at home with us and you’d never really be able to have a life of your own, your mother was fine with that thought. Happy about it even. But I always feared what would happen to you after your mother and I were gone. I read a million different horror stories about extended living facilities for people with Down syndrome where they were mistreated and taken advantage of. That was when I knew that I had to start teaching you the things I’d have been teaching to a child who hadn’t been born with a disability. I had to make sure that you could take care of yourself. You’ve taken those lessons and ran with them. You have a good job. You have friends who care for you. You’re a better driver than your mother has ever or will ever be. I have never in my life been more proud of you Becky-Bean.” He gave me a big hug. “We’ll get your mother to see reason. Of course, you know that once she gets on board she’ll try and take over.”

I smirked. “I’m counting on it. I don’t actually want to have to decorate the place.” I laughed.

“Head on up to bed Daughter. You’ve had a big night.” He laughed pointing me towards our stairs.

Of course, when I did get up there, I took a few minutes to text Mercedes, who was in the process of getting ready to go to an after party. She texted me a pic of her, Evans and Puck all decked out for a night on the Hollywood town. They looked great and they looked happy. So, I was incredibly happy for them. A few days later, I got a couple of packages at the school. Inside I found a veritable rainbow of Gucci lipsticks, two Michael Kors and Rebecca Minkoff handbags and an impromptu autograph book from Santana that contained autographs from most of the stars she had meet backstage at the Grammys and at the after party…all made out to a ‘Dear friend Becky’. I loved my friends and was so happy that they felt the same. I knew that I was going to have a great life, lived independently but with a hell of a lot of people who loved me.

 

Under Your Spell (Desire)  
Stalker PoV

There was something about Mercedes Jones that drew me to her from the very first moment we met. She was not what many in my circle would admit to considering beautiful…but there was a sexuality and sensuality about her that was more pervasive than I’d ever encountered before. I had dated women of every nationality available on the globe, many of the models or actresses, but not a single one of them had made my dick harden with just a handshake and a polite hello. She smelled amazing. Her face flushed with youthful excitement and nerves at the success of attending the premiere party for a major motion picture, one in which she’d had a rather major role, she had looked almost as if she were flushed with desire…desire for me and me alone. Yet the fact that she was involved in what was clearly a sexual relationship with her band mates told me that unlike some of the other women I’d slept with, Mercedes wouldn’t have to be tricked and cajoled-slash-blackmailed into the types of games I enjoyed playing.

That night when I returned to my Upper East Side home, I must have masturbated to thoughts of her five or six times. Just thinking about her brought me back to heights of virility I’d not enjoyed in over a decade. Watching her lips move on screen was enough to send me into raptures of orgasms. I immediately made sure to purchase anything that they made commercially available. I attended their record release party a few months later and was able to speak with her for a few more moments. I bought two of everything they had on their ‘merch’ table. She even autographed them for me. She’d looked amazingly classy and proper at the beginning of the night. Her stage apparel had shown that she had enough talent that she didn’t need to rely on skimpy clothes to make people pay attention. However, the little number she’d been wearing at the end of the night when they were signing autographs, it had been strapless and may have looked innocent on anyone else. But the prodigious swells of her large, ripe tits and been displayed as had long expanses of the chocolate of her thighs. I had found myself ravenous with the thought of devouring her.

I knew that as the spring slipped into summer, I had started a descent into obsession. I wanted her with a desperation that I couldn’t remember ever having experienced in my life. I would find ways to slake my hunger for Mercedes. In New York City there were a million women of similar skin color, similar shape…they became her saving grace. I started with prostitutes. They were easy. At least most of them were. When I ran into one who ‘didn’t do butt stuff for love nor money’, I raped her ass…fulfilling the fantasy du jour. But when I had my head back together after the most fulfilling orgasm I’d achieved in months, I realized that she knew too much. So, as I took her one last time; I, well, I enjoyed her death throes so much it scared me.

I wouldn’t allow myself the pleasure of such a woman again. When I reached the decision that I would kill her, I’d expected it to be a simple expediency issue. She knew who I needed her to pretend to be and I knew that my going against her stated wishes would end any possibility that she would keep that information to herself. Besides, she lived such a high risk lifestyle and there was no way to tie her back to me…but it had been far too easy to do it and as I said, I’d enjoyed it too much. No prostitutes were nothing like Mercedes anyway. They’d all spread their legs for anyone with fifty bucks. She would never do such a thing. Unlike many, I believed her when she said that the only men she had been sexual with were Sam and Puck. It wouldn’t hold true for long once she became mine. I yearned to see her writhing above me, my cock buried deeply inside her while another man plundered her ass and another used her mouth for pleasure.

I used my means to make learning more about her easier. As I started that endeavor, I found something interesting. Most people who use the internet to mine for information on a prospective significant other are caught because their digital trail leads police right to them. But most people couldn’t afford to buy a server and an iPad and data plan and everything else that was needed just for their project. I could and did. Proxy servers in other countries made it harder to find me. A young man in desperate need of an escape from a mess he’d caused himself had provided me with all the code I needed. There were fountains of knowledge to be found about her from her social media feeds, especially those from before the group achieved fame.

They also led me to Rachel Barbra Berry. That girl was a pit viper. She railed against Mercedes with such hatred and vitriol that I became worried for my beloved’s life. Yet she wasn’t important enough to deal with myself. I used a bit of bitcoin to hire someone to keep track of her. Should she become a problem…that person would provide a definitive solution that would make sure that Ms. Berry could never trouble Mercedes again.

As the year progressed, my desires intensified, but my fantasies changed. Seeing that Puck had children and hearing Mercedes speaking of them in the press, I finally understood exactly why I had become so enamored of Mercedes. She was my one. The one woman who could and should bear my child, my heir. That idea solidified in my mind as perfection. However, given that she was involved in a sexual relationship and yet had no children, she must have some method of contraception. It didn’t take me long at all to find out which one and how to counteract it. Yet, as twenty-fourteen ended, I realized that the level of fame Mercedes had attained would make it almost impossible to disappear with her at that time. So, I started to put other plans into place. I researched countries where we could live without fear of the US, its government or laws. I established a Cayman Islands account and a shell company. We would need money and a house to make our home in whichever country would be best.

Around the time, I started making the plans for leaving the US with my beloved, a certain video came to the forefront of the News. It took me longer than I cared to acknowledge or admit to track down Richard Macardo. But it took little to no time to talk him into selling me a full copy of the video for my own personal use. I only paid the bitcoin equivalent of twenty-five thousand. When I saw the video for the first time, I knew that it would have been worth twice that amount. She looked so beautiful, her thick chocolate lips sucking down Sam’s cock, Puck’s big white hands kneading her pretty chocolate ass as he fucked her from behind. Her big, beautiful tits bouncing as she moved between the two of them. The more I watched the more my already somewhat troublesome, obsession became. I even decided that once she was fully mine and understood all that meant, I’d be magnanimous enough to allow visits from Puck and Sam. Watching the three of them together would be even more gratifying with me fucking my sexy woman as they joined in on occasion.

I knew that they would be at the Grammys. I was often invited. I’d once been heavily invested in a small, but influential, record label that had long since been swallowed up by Warner Music Group. That year, I made plans to attend. I knew it was still too early to move on my beloved. But I decided that running some experiments with ketamine, rohypnol and the antibiotics would need to utilize to obtain my beloved’s presence in my life would be a good idea. I noticed that they had more security than they usually did when they were on the red carpet. But with millions of diamonds of Harry Winston jewelry on loan to her for the awards show…it made a certain level of sense. However, the protection was not for the jewels. In speaking to people, I realized that somehow, Mercedes entire camp had become aware of a danger to her and were acting to counter it. I contacted LA’s mayor. He was a friend and he and I had spoken after Mercedes had pressed charges against Macardo. He knew how important her safety was to me. He informed me that I was in some small bit of danger myself. Apparently, Mercedes’ guards had become aware of me. They were trying to get charges levied against me. Fortunately, though they had contacts in both California senators’ offices and the women were leaning hard on the mayor and the police force…I’d donated a lot of money to the mayor, the DA and the Sheriff…none of them were particularly disposed to move against me.

Still, I had the upper hand over a bunch of muscleheads and entertainers. In a way, was even grateful to them for having my beloved’s best interest in heart. I was able to find out what evidence they thought they had against me and moved to ensure that none of it could, in fact, be traced back to me after that night. I divested myself of the technology that I’d used to that point. It took less time to replace them than anyone would have thought. I made sure that I didn’t attend any of the after parties that they would be going to. Instead, I found a hip hop club owned by a friend of mine, that I frequented whenever in LA to play at for an hour or two. Then once I was sure that I had been seen enough, I headed to a spot that was more inconspicuous. I was able to run my experiment with great success. A pretty young Latina may well find herself carrying the baby of one of the seventeen young men who had availed themselves of her body that night while I watched. Before I left LA on Wednesday three more young women would provide me with evidence that my plan would be a success. I was also able to dispose of all of those particular vials of evidence.

Unfortunately, or perhaps it was a good thing, business took me to Europe for the rest of the entire month of February. I wondered if that would give Mercedes enough time to believe me no longer a threat. A distraction would be needed. And I knew just what should work…after all Mercedes was so caring and compassionate, even if she and Ms. Berry were no longer friends, should some harm befall the annoying young woman, I was sure that it would focus Mercedes’ attention elsewhere. It wouldn’t be a loss to the greater world. As much as the girl seemed to feel she was the second calling of Streisand, her singing was not as warm or rich. Yes, an easy distraction and, perhaps, taking time to check on some investments in Southeast Asia wouldn’t be amiss either. When I returned to the states, guards would be down and I could begin my planning anew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to get this out today.  
> Tomorrow will be a very difficult day for a lot of Americans.  
> I hope that it can bring some happiness to all of you.  
> I may not be able to post next week. I'll be in DC on Saturday...Marching.  
> That may well throw my posting schedule off.  
> I'd apologize, but it needs to be done.  
> However, I will be able to check my email...so let me know what you think of this chapter.  
> No for real...leave me a comment, PLEASE!?! :)  
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	28. 4X4 (Miley Cyrus & Nelly) & Circus Envy (R.E.M.) & I Shall Be Released (Bob Dylan) & I Feel Lucky (Mary Chapin Carpenter)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As ye have asked...so have ye received.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Book Reread Rec  
> Zoya by Danielle Steel (Her BEST book)
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!!
> 
> AN: PLEASE KNOW for the bulk of this serious, certain famous singer-songwriters were, quite unfortunately, never born in this alternate universe. Therefore, while in the real world all songs remain the property of their songwriters, singers and labels, in this AU these songs, unless stated as a cover, were written, recorded and are thereby the property of the fictional music group KAMA. Thank you for reading this disclaimer. (Yes, this includes Lily Allen, Megan Trainer and Rachel Patton among others)

4X4 (Miley Cyrus & Nelly)  
Mercedes PoV

By the time, we left the Staples Center I was riding high. As far as I was concerned, I’d had my faith in God and my faith in myself and my talent completely validated. To be honest the closest thing I could say to describe how I was feeling…I felt ten-foot-tall and bullet proof. KAMA was, officially, a Grammy award winning music group. I was a Grammy award winning artist. I was looking amazing if I did say so myself…but I didn’t have to because the Twitter-sphere, and the fashion blogosphere were all saying it for me. I also needed some time with Puck and Sam in the WORST way. We’d not had a moment alone since we left the hotel. I knew that there was a clear and present danger situation happening, but after performing on Music’s Biggest Night, I really needed some time alone with my husbands. Thankfully, Junior and Binkie knew and understood. They pulled Ranger to the side and, after Sam came down from the Eric Church duet, they cleared our dressing room got Puck and the three of us had a delicious little make out session. It was almost embarrassing that we were so hard pressed, that all it took was some kissing, hand jobs and their hands between my thighs and we each came so hard it was hard to muffle our passion. We got cleaned up, refreshed ourselves and got back into our arrival finery, then returned to our seats to watch the rest of the show.

As I listened to John Legend and Common’s performance, I was filled with a feeling of pride and happiness. It always made me proud to see the black struggle represented in a way that brought positive attention to us and, hopefully, furthered the cause. Sam took one of my hands and pulled it up to kiss the back of it even as Puck leaned over on my other side and kissed my temple lovingly. I had been greatly blessed in my loves. I was still trying to figure out what to give them for Valentine’s Day and to give Sam for his birthday. We were going to be ridiculously busy all weekend or I’d have tried to get us up to Chicago for some down time. But, unfortunately, the first weekend we weren’t booked solid was the second weekend in March. and even then, we would be in practice and travel mode for South by Southwest. The simple truth was that we didn’t have time to breathe, let alone chill. But that was okay…I was tired but I was happy.

As we gathered everything and everyone after the show ended, I realized that I was also starvingly hungry. I said as much to Puck, and he laughed. “You haven’t eaten since breakfast and I’m not even sure that a smoothie counts. Of course, you’re hungry. Hell, I did have an entire breakfast and I’m still hungry.”

Sam cosigned with a groaned. “Why did you two have to go and mention food? I’m starving.” His Shaggy impression was really improving.

Fortunately, our PA was a Queen of forethought and efficiency. She had booked us a private dining room at WP24 by Wolfgang Puck. It was in the hotel, which made the entire evening run just that much smoother. We were all ravenous. No one had managed to have lunch and most of the women had only had a light breakfast. Dinner was a-may-zing. But I guess that is what happens when one is dining at one of the best restaurants in the world. Daniel chided us to just eat a lighter entrée because there would be food at the after parties as well. I heeded his advice and ordered the Hong Kong style steamed Atlantic salmon served with baby bok choy, lotus root, garnished with ginger, and drizzled with aromatic soy. Right after I finished placing my order, my phone started vibrating so much it tried to knock my purse off my lap. I had a million and three text messages of congratulations from all the New Directions that weren’t there, all the Jones and Harris family members who weren’t there. Though, unsurprisingly Aunt Arielle was not among them. Santana came over and showed me the autograph book that she’d created for Becky. She had a shit ton of artists represented. “This is going to make her so happy. You got Prince to sign it. I am so jealous of Bex right now.” I laughed. “I’ve got to send her some of the lipstick I was wearing on the red carpet tonight. Well, probably not the same color.” I grabbed my phone back out of my purse. “Help me choose.” Yeah…I should not have said that. Me, Santana, Artie, Brittany, Puck, Sam, Kurt and Blaine literally all picked a different color. After arguing for ten minutes, I just sent her all eight shades of the forty bucks a pop, designer lipstick. I had it sent to her at the school though. Her mom was a serious stickler when it came to things like that.

Dinner wasn’t just great because the food was good. It was great because the company was superlative. We also took the opportunity to divvy up the swag bag. Daniel wanted the book on the life of the Live Nation CEO for Brantley. We couldn’t agree more. We did have three though, so one was set aside for Brantley and Haja took one and Blaine tool the last one. The children’s books, Electrokidz toys and the water bottles were all set aside for the younger siblings and our daughters. The teeth whitening products and veneers gift certificates went to my parents and Xena wanted a set for some reason. Darcy, Ruth and Hudson claimed the specialty chocolates. We kept one Candy Bar gift certificate and set the others aside for Amanda and Riker. The sleep anywhere, travel neck pillows went to BaeBae, Brits and Xena. No one really wanted the trucker hats. That just wasn’t right for any of us. Finally, Jax took one to wear ‘ironically’ when he went jogging. Stephanie took one because, ‘sometimes these curls just don’t feel like cooperating’. The last we decided to give to Ranger just in case it could ever prove useful in an undercover look. I wasn’t sure if they ever did anything that would need an undercover look, but still seemed like a good idea at the time. The Dam Bros each claimed one of the fitness trackers and Cassidy claimed the third.

There were stationary sets and beauty products, three Gibson guitars, and a luxury train trip through the Rockies. That one we kept for ourselves. The Sean Jean track suits…well, we sent one to Sue Sylvester. Then we decided to send another to Coach Beiste and the last we sent to Shelby. Soon everyone had something they wanted and we had to pay, tip our waiters and leave a nice big thank you for them not kicking us out given the fact that we were so hyped up, we were not on our usual good behavior, and get upstairs to get changed for the after parties. The very first thing we did was shower and yes, there was love made in the confines of that shower stall. Both of my husbands had taken great care to ensure, that even at the heights of our passion, my hair did not get wet. I did not have to time to start from scratch on the hair front. When our legs stopped shaking, we got clean and then got out of the shower. I removed all the makeup that I’d been wearing, and it felt like a ton, taking care to moisturize my face before starting again. I used foundation and powder before concentrating on my eyes. Thankfully, I’d been careful enough removing my makeup and the adhesive used had been strong enough that my lashes held. Using silver, black and some deeper purple, I created a dramatic, silvery, smoky eye. I didn’t bother with blush, contouring was not something I ever bothered with. I padded over to the room’s safe, Harry Winston hadn’t been the only jeweler to have made a delivery that morning. We just let the whole world believe that they had. Thankfully, Ranger had been willing to send Hal and Junior to return the jewels I’d worn during the show. I didn’t want to have to leave those in the room overnight since we’d be out so late.

I pulled out what I’d be wearing that evening. I owned one piece…the necklace that had been a gift from Lyor. We’d rented the rest of the collection for the after parties. I laid the pieces on the dresser, and started to get dressed. A clean, black lace, strapless bra with matching panties went on first. That was covered by a one piece, strapless spanx shorts shaper that covered me from chest to knees. Then I stepped into the bright blue, Christian Siriano shantung silk slacks and ruffled, peplum matching top. I had to be careful with the two, almost ornamental, halter straps when putting the top on. It was essentially and off the shoulder top, but for them. I needed help with the zippers. Women’s formal wear always had hidden zippers either at the back or the side, the outfit I wore that night had the top’s zipper on the side and the pants all the way in the back. Sam caught the butt zipper while Puck handled the one alongside my boob. Taking a look in the floor length mirror, I breathed a sigh of relief. I’d been a little worried that the ‘jumpsuit’ would actually make me look dumpy or extra short, but Bubbie’s tailoring was impeccable as always.

While I was there, I took a second to check Sam and Noah out behind me. They were both, already almost finished getting dressed. They were both wearing black suits, Sam a traditional black suit, with a white shirt and black tie…Noah’s was similar, but rather than being made of wool or linen or even a high quality cotton, Puck’s suit was leather. An expensive, pliable, breathable leather, but leather nonetheless. Neither of them were wearing their jackets yet. Puck was tying his shoes while Sam was playing with his watch. They had swapped their watches from earlier. Now Sam wore the Tourbillion and Noah wore the Skeleton. I could tell that while I’d been doing my face and hair, they had taken the time to get most of our stuff together. That would come in very handy in the morning. I knew that time was getting short, so I made quick work of putting on my earrings, bracelet and watch. Sam came over and helped me with my necklace. I had just enough time to switch to a nude Louboutin clutch bag, slip my feet into my red bottomed Gravitanita starry pumps and double check that I had everything I needed before Stephanie knocked on our door. A quick glance, eyes looked great, shiny ‘nude’ lips looked fabulous…hair on point, outfit even better. I spritz on a little of my Hermes perfume, God Bless Uncle Saulie, and I headed out to meet the world head on.

I checked Stephanie out. She was still in Haja’s assistant mode, but she looked beautiful. Her long brown curls were shot through with gold and red and flowed around her shoulders and back. Her makeup was really pretty, understated, as if she was trying not to draw attention to herself. Something told me that was difficult for a Jersey girl. She was wearing a navy blue, La Petite Robe one shoulder ruffle, sheath, cocktail dress. The blue made her blue eyes come alive. She had large diamond drops sparkling at her ears and a traditional tennis bracelet on a slender wrist. The other wrist held a slender, formal women’s watch of white gold. Her shoes though…they were magnificent. At least five inch high with a hidden platform, they were covered in a floral motif material that included white, purple, and blues to create something beautiful. At the exact same moment, she and I both whispered, “I love your shoes.”

We chuckled and let the guys join us in the hall. On the way, down we swung through the twenty-second floor and collected the rest of our crew. I was a little surprised by some of the outfit choices. Santana was wearing an adorable, pale salmon, cold shoulder, ruffle romper that showed off her annoyingly perfect legs. Her black, Steve Madden Dancing Rope, cage sandals had been a find while we were both together…they had them in her size and not mine…or we’d have had a throw down right there in Saks. The black trim on the romper matched the cords of the sandals and the tassel earrings she’d finished the look off with. Artie was rolling next to her in a dark slate suit with a gray shirt. He had forgone a tie and had his hair a little wild. Brittany’s dress was just pure Brittany. It looked like one of those magic eye posters in dress form. The front was cut high while the back was naked to her waist, well not really, thin laces crossed between her shoulders and tied across the middle of her back. A pair of embellished, rainbow crystal pumps covered her feet. A thin, gold and crystal choker rested against her neck and pretty earrings that had the same makeup, but which were much more intricate graced her ears. Like her wife, her hair and makeup were flawless. Either Santana, or Brittany herself, had recreated the look from the performance, but added glitter to both eyes and lips. It was untraditional, but it worked for Brittany S. Pierce. Man, I wondered if I could managed to get a picture of her with Brittany Spears.

JaJa looked hot in a figure hugging, bright pink, off the shoulder mini dress. Her hair was long and stick straight with just a hint of a curl as was its natural state. Her makeup was cute, but you could tell that she was planning to dance all night long, because she hadn’t bothered with much of the stuff. Her shoes were cute too, pale pink, crystal embellished Badgley Mischka pointy toe pumps. She didn’t bother with jewelry beyond earrings either. I checked and she did have a purse, so she’d have her phone with her just in case. I quietly asked her if she needed cash for a taxi. “I’m good Madame Worry-Wart. Don’t worry so much. Jax, BaeBae, Simeon and me are going to stick together. We just want to dance until we can’t feel our toes…then we’ll come back and get some sleep and be ready to go before you are. I promise.”

BaeBae came out of the room as if summoned by Ja’s mention of her. She was in a silver, sequined mini-tank dress, with black crystal coated, peep toe slingback heels. Like Ja, her makeup was simple, her accessories basically non-existent. She must have washed her hair, because it was back in its natural curly state. Her purpose for the evening was to have fun. I was a little envious. Jax, by comparison was DRESSED. He was wearing a sexy, slim fit, navy blue suit with a simple white dress shirt and slightly darker blue slender tie. Simeon was looking like his look was inspired by the Rangemen’s red carpet looks. Black suit over a black shirt, but he’d left off the tie. I asked them if they were covered and, of course, they both reminded me that I was younger than them and they were supposed to be looking out for me, not the other way around.

When I saw Rainbow, I shook my head. “Rainbow…you have gotta like stay way far away from me all night. You’re gonna show me all the way up.” I teased. She was wearing a apricot colored Halston Heritage cross pointe cocktail dress, a pair of Rockstud crisscross ankle-wrap sandals with four inch heels. The color of the dress and the sandals were almost perfectly matched and made her skin glow beautifully. Her jewels, well, she only wore earrings, but they were Graff pave, yellow, diamond earrings. That told me a metric shit ton about how much success she had had as a choreographer and how lucky we were that she’d agreed to work with us.

She looked me over from head to toe and shook her head. “Darling girl, you look amazing. And you know it.” She shot back.

That gave me a certain shot of confidence. She’d been in the music industry for a long time. If she said that I looked more than good enough, than I really did look good. Ruth came over and gave me a long look. She arranged my hair, twitched the ruffles that comprised my ‘sleeves…I don’t know how she just did that but two twitched and suddenly the ruffles fell better and made my boobs look huge. I looked at her and she was working a pair of hot pink Manolo Blahnik pumps…there was a diamond anklet around her ankle. She had a great natural colored, sequined lace, Tadashi Shoji, knee length dress that made her skin look like porcelain and her dark hair look really awesome. She’d worn it pulled back in a bun earlier and I think I wasn’t sure that I had realized how long her hair had gotten in the years since we’d met. The dress itself was cool, the blouson cut gave it an edge, but the lace made it completely age appropriate. Her jewelry was understated, sort of. Pink sapphires twinkled at her neck, wrist and ears. They had been Puck’s gift to her from his and Sam’s revenge spree the day before Christmas Eve.

“You look beautiful, Cede…I’m betting on every outfit tonight making a best dressed list.” She assured me.

“Thanks, Bubbie. You are looking great tonight too.” I replied excitedly. She was family, so I could let her see the tiny part of me that was feeling some minor insecurity. “Bubbie…please tell me that this night has been real. That we really did perform on the Grammys and even won some.” She pinched me. “Ouch. What was that for?”

“Did it hurt?” she smirked.

“Yeah it hurt…you pinched me…with boney fingers.” I grumbled.

“Then, Cede-Baby…I don’t think you’re dreaming.” Ruth’s laugh filled the hallway.

It drew all eyes, especially when my own delighted giggles joined hers. Erika and Cassidy came out checking their purses as they joined us. Erika was in a tight, black one long sleeve, one shoulder number that made the most of her curves. Her strappy sandals, purse and other accessories were all rose gold. With subtle makeup and a halo of curls around her head, she looked beautiful. Cassidy looked chic, edgy and dangerous. Her hair was stick straight down her back. The cocktail dress had some traditional aspects like lace sleeves and structured ruffle accents but with the cut out at the waist, the angled peplum waist and tulip skirt with its flounced hem…it was a rock star of a dress. Her makeup and jewelry went right with her hair and dress, dark smoky eyes, deep wine lipstick and black nails, even the geometric, chandelier, hematite earrings were perfectly hard core. It was funny to me how many of the chicks in our crew, clique, family and friend groups owned the Steve Madden Slithur sandals, and yet other than three of us having them in black, none of the rest had the same color. Cassidy’s that night were red…adding a pop of vibrant color to her look.

Hudson popped out of the room she was sharing with, someone…either Darcy or Bobby from Rangeman. She looked really cute in an emerald green shantung silk, tea length, A-line dress with dark crystal embellishments around the boatneck collar. The dress was sleeveless, so Hudson had added a simple black sweater with similar embellishments along its edges. A pair of modest, almond-toe, patent leather black heels and the pretty watch we’d given her for Christmas finished off her look. She’d had ‘tamed’ her curls back into a thick bun that morning and I didn’t blame her for not bothering to release them that night. Darcy came out of another room with a pair of pave hematite circle drop earrings and passed them to Hudson. She was barefoot and her own curls were down. “Damn, Boss Lady…I’ll be finished in like five minutes.” She shouted as she raced back into the room she’d exited.

Lester was unceremoniously kicked out into the hall to facilitate Darcy’s quick finish. He was wearing black on black Armani, the only Rangeman who hadn’t dressed in their more casual uniforms for the evening. “Apparently, it’s all my fault Darcy’s late.” He said unapologetically.

I found Ranger where he stood talking to Tank nearby. “Yeah, I might need some help making sure we keep Puck and Lester far, far away from each other.” I was only half joking. “Santana too.”

“Believe it or not…we’ve already anticipated the fallout of either of those meetings.” Ranger said with one of his near smiles. “I’m hopeful to avoid Stephanie and Ms. Lewis bonding tonight as well. Maybe in a more contained environment…but not tonight.”

“Good idea.” I said reasonably. I was distracted by Xena’s appearance. She looked beautiful, but kind of deadly in a halter LBD with a long ruffle down one side. It was probably a midi length dress on any other woman, but on Xena, it brushed the tops of her knees. She accessorized the dress with crystal ear climber earrings, and a bracelet and cocktail ring that went with them. She was wearing the highest heels I’d ever seen her in. Probably because she didn’t have to try and not look TOO much taller than Damien. Her hair was still stick straight. I would have left alone too. Her hair was long and so very thick…that blowout had taken hours. Her makeup looked more restrained than I think I’d have gone, but she looked beautiful.

Damien and Adam were the last of the guys to arrive. They were talking with Dave, Justin and Artie. It was funny to me how many different colors and silhouettes were reflected among the women, but even though the guys standing together were three to four different body types, they were all wearing basically the same outfit. The colors changed, but they were all wearing a suit with a dress shirt, except Dave, he was wearing a suit with a v neck, slightly dresser than regular, tee shirt. Damien was in a dark brown suit that looked surprisingly good with his light caramel complexion. The ivory shirt made the look brighter. He wore Stacey Adams, which surprised me a little bit. Those seemed like black dad shoes. Adam was in a bolder than navy, dark blue suit with a dove gray shirt. His shoes looked more like something Puck would wear, dressier boots rather than shoes. If I wasn’t mistaken they gave him an inch or two of height. I was pretty sure that Justin had tried to look more mature. His suit was a staid shade of navy. It was well pressed and paired with a perfectly white shirt. He looked adorable, but a little like a young man trying just a little too hard. So, I went over and ran my hands through his carefully coiffed hair, after tricking him into bending down for me.

By the time I was finished making Justin look a bit more devil may care, Darcy came out looking more than dressed to impress. She had pulled her hair back like Arwen from Lord of the Rings…complete with a silver necklace with a filigree pendant on a chain at the back. Her makeup was soft and rosy, with a vibrant red lip. One always knew when Darcy was feeling super confident…that was when she whipped out the ‘blow job’ red lipstick. Her dress had a deep V neckline that was filled not just with some serious cleavage, but with a ruby statement necklace that drew the attention back up to her glowing face. The same stones floated from her ears and adorned her wrists. The dress itself was a black as midnight and red floral jacquard, sleeveless, high-low frock with layered skirts. It looked great on her hugging her upper curves while showing off her legs…she’d found a pair of red satin strappy sandals that had four and a half inch heels and worked with her pedicure like nobody’s business.

Kurt’s blazer was almost the same wine tinged red. He’d paired it with deep, wood brown slacks and a red micro-check shirt finishing the look with a solid red tie and a paisley red, brown and ivory pocket square. I took one look at his jacket and I could not resist teasing him. “This is beautiful…what is that, Velvet?” I asked as I petted the coat. I was proud of how many of the crew and team and Rangemen chuckled at my joke. Blaine showed his love for classic black cinema and laughed right along with us. He was looking pretty fly himself in a tonal gray plaid Brooks Brothers suit with a super white shirt and solid gray tie. For a moment, I swore I could see them running a fashion empire together pairing Blaine’s business acumen with Kurt’s amazing fashion sense.

Daniel and Haja came over both looking quite handsome. Daniel was in black Armani, probably from the skin all the way to the tie, though his suit was cut different from Sam’s. He looked amazing, and yet nowhere near as threatening as Lester, even if they were pretty similarly built. Haja was in a winter white suit with brown Ferragamo belt and loafers. He was not wearing a dress shirt, just a darker tan vest. It was an interesting look, and he was working it well. They both reminded me that we needed to get the show on the road. A quick head count and we were finally ready to get under way. The limo ride to Chateau Marmont was hilarious. Everyone had a glass of champagne to toast our happy night. There was talking and laughter and I was pretty sure that with the combined forces of Lester, Darcy and Stephanie Plum, even Ranger smiled at least twice. We were a little bit ‘fashionably late, but the red carpet was still active. It was much the same as it was for the Grammys themselves…well, that wasn’t accurate. There were just as many photographers, not as many people shouting questions. The fashion people still wanted to know who we were wearing though. The pose wall was stark white with the Spotify, Deleon and Warner logos on it. I wondered for a second if Bubbie had realized that my ‘jumpsuit’ was almost the same color as the Warner Music logo.

Within minutes of walking inside the party, we were in the thick of things. Deborah had appeared and disappeared with Ruth. Anika had popped up next to me wearing a gorgeous, poppy red lace gown with cutout back. She was so thin, as happy as I was with my body, sometimes I kind of hated her. “Love the jumpsuit…Siriano?” she asked pleasantly. “Your whole crew looks great. Grab Lopez, leave the guys with the rest of your team, there are some people who could be invaluable to her when she goes solo in a few years.”

Anika had me and Santana meet MADONNA. No seriously, I met Madonna. I shook Madonna’s hand. I may have gushed like an idiot at Madonna, but I met Madonna. She was really kind of nice, too. She flirted with both me and Santana…in a way that kind of reminded me of Bubbie Ruth, effortless and maybe even inadvertent. Then Anika took us to meet Nile Rogers. He would be a great resource for Santana when she was ready to be her own headliner. Anika made sure that we spoke to Lyor who introduced us to Cameron Strang who oversaw all the west coast operations for WMG. He in turn introduced us to Livia Tortella his chief operating office. “You guys have hit it out the park with your performances. When are you coming to LA to a big venue? Our A&R department is cultivating some new artists that would be great opening acts for you.”

“Oh, I know that LA is a major stop on our summer tour. We’re actually playing the Staples Center. As for the opening acts, I know that Brantley and Haja are in talks with some local acts. Puck, Sam and I want to stick with singer-songwriters. Our band DJ, DJ Ca$$ will be handling the mid-card slot on the entire tour. We are so excited to be able to give her the opportunity and to showcase talent.” I said excitedly. No way was I going to let our tour become a showcase for some pretty face with no voice. Stephanie poked me and I just knew that she meant that I should give him a chance. “But if you contact Brantley and Haja, we may well be able to give a short intermission set to one of the WMG-LA acts.” I swear Hudson had seriously cross trained Stephanie or something. She reached into her purse and pulled out a credit card holder that had a few cards of everyone on Team KAMA. She handed me one of Brantley’s cards. “Brantley will be at the office tomorrow, you can have your assistant send him names for his evaluation then.” I said giving him the card.

“It is nice to see a young artist who is fully apprised of their career.” Mr. Strang said with a smile.

I gave Lyor a big smile. “Well, we’ve been lucky to have some amazing mentors.”

“Thank you, but you three make it easy to mentor you, you actually listen and you don’t try and behave as if you know everything already.” Lyor said with a small. Mr. Strang excused himself after a few more minutes of chit-chat so Lyor pulled me to the side and his face became more serious. “I read the release that you all put out on Thursday about the voyeur, but I want to make sure you really are okay. I noticed that you’ve got added security.”

I debated how much to say. Stephanie must have seen the indecision on my face. She pulled out a simple black and white card, very different from the KAMA purple ones the Team used. “Mr. Cohen, I’m Stephanie Plum with Rangeman Security. I’d advise Mercedes against discussing the security issue here. If you’d like we can meet Wednesday in Manhattan, preferably at the Rangeman offices…more secure that way, to bring you and your staff up to date on the threat against Ms. Jones.”

“I will have my assistant set something up. Their parents are aware?” he nodded pocketing the card.

“Yes.” She nodded.

“Good, good.” He really seemed concerned. “I will definitely meet with you all on Wednesday. I’d like to know what we can do to help. I’ve also been interested in finding out if Rangeman would be interested in helping us with guarding a few of our other younger clients. I’ve noticed that their military bearing tends to make people less willing to challenge their rights to go places with KAMA.”

“They also pride themselves on discretion.” She assured him. “Oh, and we offer both commercial and residential security services.”

“Really. I was under the impression that you only offered residential security.” Lyor was definitely interested in that news.

Stephanie shook her head. “It is a common misconception. But we do offer comprehensive corporate security services in New York, Trenton, Atlanta, Boston and Miami. Oh and soon we’ll be expanding our services to include the Heartland.”

Lyor smiled deviously. “I cannot tell you how much I am done with Guardsmart. If you can have one of your sales reps available on Wednesday, I’ll have the East Coast COO there. We may be able to use Rangeman not only in New York, but Miami as well.”

She smiled beautifully, “I am sure that we can take care of all your security needs.”

They shook hands and Lyor congratulated me again. Before he moved on to go meet and greet other Warner artists. Not long thereafter Puck and Sam and Ranger joined me and Stephanie where we were talking with Jamie Foxx, who I’d, of course, had to share the ‘Blame it on the Alcohol’ story with. He shook his head and just grumbled. “He called himself a teacher? How did he not know that his class of teenagers were all drunk off their asses?”

I just shrugged. “Mr. Schue wasn’t what one would call, observant.”

A little while later, waiters all appeared with champagne flutes as Lyor and Mr. Strang took the stage. After introducing themselves, as if we didn’t know who they were, Lyor held up a glass and started. “Ladies and Gentleman, we won’t take much of your time. We just wanted to offer our congratulations to all of Warner Music Group’s many Grammy nominated artists.”

Mr. Strang read off a full list of names. Including Charli XCX, Trey Songz, Faith Hill, Hunter Hayes, Neil Young, Paramore, Tegan and Sara, The Black Keys, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead and Coldplay. There were more too. WMG had had a damn good Grammy’s night. “We’d especially like to congratulate, our winners; Beyoncé and Jay Z, Ed Sheeran, KAMA, Kendrick Lamar, and Paramore. We are amazingly proud of all of our artists for the music they create and for being so heralded in their genres.” He held his glass high, “Congratulations and Salut.” We all drank our champagne as one. Then the room was filled with cheering and congratulatory celebration.

From there the party became something of a blur. I remember meeting Ed Sheeran and becoming a member of his mutual admiration society. I remember wondering why the hell Charli XCX was performing in a leopard cat suit. I danced with Sam and Puck…a lot. But I also danced with Pharrell, Ryan Phillipe…who was way hotter than I remembered from True Intentions. He was shorter than I thought too. Jordin Sparks and I got along so well, we exchanged private contact information. She was just plain good people. Trey Songz was a total flirt. Missy Elliot was so cool. There would never be a time I didn’t turn into a fan girl around her. It was almost worse when we met Annie Lennox. I don’t know which of us punked out the hardest, me, Tana, Artie or Puck. T.I., for some reason, decided that Puck, Sam and I were his peoples, he treated us like his younger siblings for like, an hour. He took us around and made sure we met every person of color, who wasn’t ‘a rampaging bitch’ that was there that evening. Taye Diggs was nice. He introduced himself by saying, “Girlie, I was almost your daddy. Malik Yoba beat me out by this much.” I liked the confirmed bachelor immediately. His girlfriend Amanza Smith-Brown seemed nice. I resisted the temptation to ask her about her ethnic background. I was curious, but that would have been really rude.

As awesome as the party was there were a few negatives. A couple of fashion models a few young starlets who thought that I wasn’t hot enough for my husbands tried to convince them to ‘trade up’. There were also a few older women who were rich as hell and liked young meat…and my husbands were the best looking men there. We were all still on very high alert. So, Stephanie had my six all evening. No matter where I went, she was right there with me. I’d have thought it would be remarked upon, but apparently it was kind of a normal part of life for these people. Like, more than one person asked us if Stephanie was Hudson’s assistant. Because that was a thing. When your PA’s life got ridiculously over busy managing your life, you got them an assistant of their own. That wasn’t a bad thing to know. I did think that if we got anyone an assistant anytime soon, it would be Brantley and Haja…someone to liaise between them when one or the other joined us on the road. It was a thought.

We spent a few hours at the Warner Party, then we went to check out the GQ and Armani party at the Hollywood Athletic Club. The very first person we met there was Weird Al Yankovic. He was the single nicest person ever. He must get all his mean thoughts about people out in his songs…that or he liked us, because he was just plain kind. When we ran into Josh Groban there, Sam asked him if he was following us. Then we ended up leaving the two of them chatting while Puck and I went to dance. Apparently, Kevin Hart’s joke about the Kim K sex tape at the Globes, annoyed her sisters. Khloe, Kylie and Kendall tried to make an issue of it. Their body guard took one look at Ranger Manoso, who appeared out of NO WHERE and stared him down…and he ushered the sisters along quickly. Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars more than made up for the bit of rudeness of that encounter. Jason Derulo was the world’s biggest flirt. I was pretty sure that he would flirt with lettuce if it sat still enough. In another life he and Puck would have had a blast scamming on chicks together. We didn’t manage to avoid Bieber. It was hard to remember that he was basically our age, just two weeks younger than me and Sam. He was just so damn, young acting. I thought he and Puck were going to get into it for real. Questlove managed to jokingly diffuse the situation without even drawing attention to the two bowed up white boys. Puck and Miguel chatted for a while, disappeared and came back smelling like weed. I was not happy about that, but Sam pointed out that if he was going to get high, at least he did it when we were in a limo and in California where it was more ‘accepted’ than in New York.

Sam dragged me over to meet Chadwick Boseman, who was getting ready to start filming Captain America: Civil War as the Black Panther. He was talking with Anthony Mackie and Estelle so that was cool. I loved her voice and her accent was so beautiful. She shared that she was getting ready to head to New York to record with Jamal Lyons. I may have been very enthusiastic in telling her how great a person he was. We ran into Blaine and Kurt. Kurt was giddy, he had met Isabelle Wright and she suggested that he should do his senior FIT internship with her. The two of them mentioned that they were starving which made my stomach join theirs in protest of the fact that it was pretty much breakfast time and we’d been awake but hadn’t really eaten in the seven hours since dinner.

How on earth Hudson had anticipated that possibility, I will never fully understand. But she had a list of all night diners and restaurants that we could go to ready when we gathered our crowd that was there. Primarily that was just us, the team plus Blaine and most of the Rangemen, the crew had headed to other clubs and hotspots. As a personal favor, Binkie was shadowing Bartana. Unfortunately, bad people liked to think Artie was easy prey. They usually got proven wrong, but we were leaving in, what was literally, a few hours, and didn’t have time to bail him or Santana out of jail. We got into the Hummer limo and Hudson directed us to the Pacific Dining Car, a restaurant near our hotel. They accommodated us easily seating all of us together at several tables put together. Their late-night menu was great, filled with breakfast for dinner type of fare…but much more high end. The filet and eggs called out to me and it was perfect. A tender filet mignon was bought out with scrambled free range eggs. The proteins came with muffins or toast and sliced tomato. Puck went with the huevos rancheros while Sam built his own omelet. By the time we finished eating, I was more than ready for a nap.

I don’t know how I made it back to the car. I was seriously sleep. In fact, I didn’t wake up until our wakeup call at eight. Sam and Puck had gotten me up to our room and taken off my clothes and put me to bed with them. Thankfully, everyone had made it back in a timely fashion. We were all together and at the airport in time to have breakfast before our flight. We left LA a hell of a lot happier than we’d been when we flew out a few weeks earlier. We were exhausted…but we were happy.

Circus Envy (R.E.M.)  
Rachel PoV

My life had become a never-ending cycle of elations and nightmares. I had a great Christmas, got to know Channing…and I suppose Terrence and Reba too, though those two just didn’t feel as connected to me as my darling little Channing. But then, New Year’s Eve I was slapped with pictures of those former so-called friends partying at one of the most exclusive nightclubs in the entire city. My only consolation was that I found out that the person I had believed was Finn in the pictures was some random human being who just looked a bit like him. Instead Finn was student coaching the Ohio State football team to a National Championship. For several days, whenever I turned on the TV, KAMA or Finn, their names were being talked about everywhere. I found that my grades for the fall had not been as good as I had hoped. Apparently, my performance class grades were undervalued greatly and not high enough to elevate my other less than stellar grades in my core curriculum classes. I did not understand that. I’d always had very high grades in high school.

I may have let that get me a little down in the dumps, but then comeuppance came to KAMA. They released a sex tape. Yes, the always so morally upstanding Mercedes Jones tried to up her cache by releasing pornographic material. That was such a delight to my senses that it completely made up for the fact that they had won two People’s Choice Awards. Add to that their losses at the Golden Globes and I was definitely happier. I floated through the rest of January on a cloud of righteous joy. Not even the reviews of Jesse St. James’ off Broadway role could dampen the feelings of virtuous bliss that I felt every time someone mentioned how senseless it was to try and attain fame through such distasteful and unscrupulous means. No matter that KAMA showed up on the SAG red carpet or that they were pictured all around New York looking young, affluent and exhibiting their lustful, base relationship for all to see. All anyone could really talk about was the way KAMA had debased themselves.

There were a few things that tried to depress my good mood. Dr. Watson was monitoring my appointments with my New York psychiatrist and if I missed or rescheduled more than once or twice, then my fathers paid my rent and utilities but stripped my stipend to the bare bones until I went. I hated that damnable woman. She was so sure that I needed help. I didn’t need any help. I just needed to finally achieve all that was meant for me to reach. I was having to remind myself more and more often that friendships and other relationships were really only needed by the weak. According to that hack, I was forced to indulge my fathers by seeing every week, I was lonely, but I knew better. I was strong. I was invincible. I didn’t need other people to bolster my esteem. Therefore, unless I found a use for a specific individual, there wasn’t a reason to horde them. That had been my mistake with the New Directions. I wouldn’t repeat it again.

Even given the small contretemps in my life, I was riding high…until the Wednesday before the Grammys. I was working on a project for my completely worthless physical science class. When would I ever really use the information taught in a class called Energy and the Environment. “BREAKING NEWS…Breaking News from the entertainment world. An arrest has been made in the KAMA sex tape scandal. Forty-three-year-old Richard Macardo had turned himself in to the LA County Sheriff’s office as of three o’clock Pacific Standard Time. Macardo is facing a slew of charges ranging from simple disorderly conduct to felony fraud and forgery charges. According to sources at the LASD, Macardo has confessed to all charges and provided proof of further charges. At this time he is being held on one point five million dollar bond.”

Maurice DuBois threw to his co-anchor, Dana Taylor. “KAMA has released a statement. We are quite happy that this criminal has been brought to justice. As we have stated all along, we have never made and will never make such a recording. This was done without our knowledge or consent. We call on anyone who may have a copy to destroy said video. Our attorneys are still moving to make sure that the video is not released to the public and anyone doing so will face the full brunt of the legal system. Thanks to all of our team, crew, staff and fans for their continued support.” She read confidently. “I have to say, I am gratified that the truth has come to light. The children, young ladies and girls especially, have really and will hopefully continue to benefit from the example Mercedes Jones has set.”

“That is very true, Dana. Very true.” The light skinned black man said before moving to the next story. “I’m still jealous that your husband got you tickets to their pre-Valentine’s concert.” He joked and they laughed together.

I almost messed up the teeth my fathers had spent so much to keep perfect. As a child, I ground them in my sleep. I threw my semi-completed homework to the ground, grabbed my laptop and went to work. I spent the next hour on Twitter, Facebook and even Tumblr dissuading people from falling back into their stupid KAMA worship. I fell into bed around four catching only a little sleep before I had to head to campus. I turned in the partially completed assignment as if it wasn’t basically garbage. Throughout my classes, I was busy trolling the boards making sure to keep stoking the fires of hate for KAMA…or at least trying to. With the confessions of the bad actor, Macardo, people were very resistant to think poorly of the vindicated music stars.

Thursday bled into Friday. Friday leached into Saturday. Saturday became Sunday…and as each day, each hour passed, I found myself getting angrier and angrier. It baffled me as why people even thought KAMA was worth their positive attention. Mercedes was fat. Sam was stupid and Puck was coarse. I deserved all the accolades they were receiving and more. If the world wasn’t going to give me my due, I would just need to make that happen. As I watched the ridiculously over rated ‘music group’ comprised of three people who should have been supporting me in my rise to greatness walking the Grammys red carpet, my not inconsiderable intellect was racing trying to figure out what the best thing to do to force people to see the three of them for the no talent hacks they really were.

I followed several threads as I watched. As someone posted the designer of her dress, I couldn’t help but remember Quinn’s evaluation of the dress I’d worn by the same designer to the KAMA record release party. With a wicked grin, I quoted her on twitter, ‘designer ugly is still ugly’. There were many who disagreed with me. But I was entitled to my opinion. The purple and black monstrosity may have been cute in a sensible size…perhaps one to fit my own lithe size two form…but on her grossly obese body, it was simply dreadful. I could admit that Sam and Noah both looked well turned out. But the simple truth was that Sam needed to look good to overcome the fact that he was flighty and dumb. Noah…he was Jewish of course he was attractive. But it did cover the fact that he was crude and rough and almost pathetic in his need for the approval of those he considers his friends. It was a weakness that I could exploit, if I could just find a way into their circle.

It was later as I was watching the stupid performance of the group… The waltz was a three-count dance, not a dance for three people. And wasn’t the whole world tired of hearing about how the color had been stolen from her world because a guy was gone. How pathetic! As I was watching, I realized that there were several members of the KAMA band that I could research and perhaps one of them would be able to grant me entrée into the group’s inner sanctum. Once I was inside, it would be easy to lay the seeds of discord. I lost my train of thought again as the group won half of the awards they had been nominated for and Mercedes won both of the statuettes she’d been up for with Jill Scott. My anger knew no bounds. I missed more of the show than I watched and when I came back to myself, my throat was hoarse from my screams of indignation. If not for the reinforced cinderblock walls of the former tenement I called home, there was every chance that the police would have been called. As it was, it took me several hours of cleaning to repair my living room. Thankfully I’d not thrown another phone against a wall. But it was a very near thing.

Monday, I skipped classes entirely. I knew that given that Santana and Artie both were NYU students as well, the stupid Grammys KAMA had won would be all anyone wanted to talk about, just as the arrest of their scapegoat had been on the Thursday and Friday before. Instead I spent Monday working through my plan to connect with one of the KAMA band members. Going over everything I could find about them, I realized that Justin Alexander would be the best option. He was young and naïve. He had very little dating history, according to his social media sites. He was close to my age and was something of a musical prodigy…nothing on me, of course…but good enough to make him somewhat interesting. Yes…he would be my way in and I would exploit whatever I found to make KAMA crumble from within.

I Shall Be Released (Bob Dylan)  
Will Schuester PoV 

Taking April Rhode…French’s advice turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. After carefully examining my actions during my time in teaching, I knew that I’d been stupid and even worse…I had been ignorant. I’d foisted all my shortcomings and insecurities off on kids I actually did care about and as they reflected them back at me, I tried to stamp them all out rather than actually dealing with them in the kids and in me. Even worse, I’d gotten into the horrible practice of letting others think for me. Thanks to all my introspection, I knew exactly when that had started. I’d not excelled in college. In fact, after my sophomore year I’d been on academic probation. Terry had taken over managing everything about my life so all I really had to do was study and show up where I was supposed to be. She managed my life for the next twelve years.

After our divorce, I really did just let Rachel do as much of my thinking as she wanted to. That allowed me to focus on my love life…such as it had been. I’d loved Emma, because she made me think. Don’t get me wrong, she led my thoughts to where they needed to be, but it was leading rather than straight up thinking for me. Another reason I loved Emma was because for the first time in my life, I was the strong one in a relationship. The problem with that was that I got tired of the feeling really quickly. That was why Holly and April held such appeal for me. Both of them were strong…and not the pillow and velvet covered steel that was Emma. They were almost Sue Sylvester level strong. Granted they both used me and discarded me like a Kleenex. Apparently when a woman was that strong when she finally wanted to settle down, she wanted an equal partner just as strong as she was. Victor French, for all that he doted on April…he was strong. A person didn’t survive all he had if they weren’t. I was trying to learn to be strong, to think for myself…I wasn’t sure that I would ever get the hang of either, let alone both.

Two weeks before the Grammys, I was surprised to get a call for another date with Daphne March. She had pre-booked enough dates for the year to be among my preferred client list, so when she called needing a date to a Grammy watch party someone who ranked even higher than her at Colgate-Palmolive was throwing, the date was automatically hers and she wouldn’t be bumped for someone who was willing to pay more for my company. Not that that was really much of a concern for any of my clients. She was kind enough to let me know that the event was dressy casual and that she would meet me in the lobby of her building so we could go together. I arrived promptly at her East thirty-ninth street apartment building at six. I was dressed appropriate for the party, wearing a pair of charcoal, casual slacks, a white long sleeved polo under a navy blue shawl collar sweater. She was uncharacteristically not yet ready and had the security guard bring me up to her apartment. The building was protected both by a doorman and an elevator that wouldn’t work without a key card that was unique to each resident.

Daphne ushered me into a truly gorgeous apartment. “Sorry, I am running a little late. I ran in to the office to speak with the head of our Asian Markets Oral Care office and the time got away from me. I’ll be ready in just a minute.” She explained as she headed into the master bedroom. It took her another twenty minutes to finish getting dressed. I wandered around checking out her art work…some of which I was sure were original works.

“You look lovely.” I told her with a smile. She really did. Daphne might be a bit on the plain side, but she was trim with an almost athletic build. She dressed very well. That evening she was wearing a black dress with white lace detailing at her shoulder and along the neckline with a big medallion of white lace on her stomach. She had paired the dress with a pair of knee high, shiny, black, leather heeled boots. Her brown hair was curled and brushed her shoulders. She’d kept her makeup light, but her lips were a pretty dark coral pink that made her face look more feminine than she’d allowed herself to look for the office party. There was a bold wrist cuff on her arm that looked to be in the same coral pink color family while the dangly earrings in her ears were simply gold. I extended my arm to her and we headed out. The party was being thrown in the mucky-muck’s beautiful, East Seventy-ninth Street mega condo. I mean the place had two floors and was the size of a small mansion. It was very beautiful and I was pretty sure that the welcome mat cost more than I had made the entire previous year.

The canapes were great. Her fellow VPs and the people above even them in the company hierarchy were all personable and, thankfully, none of them were any of my other current or previous clients. However, one of my co-workers was. Herman was there with a tall thin, red head. He and I went with it rather than trying to pretend we didn’t know each other. We simply said that we worked in the same building. Thankfully Herman was using his tax attorney persona and I was Will Schuester, ‘yes,that Will Schuester’ who was now working as a junior accountant in the Herman’s firm. Ever since the article had come out where KAMA stated publicly that I was forgiven…I could be me. Before I had just not mentioned that I was the same guy who’d been such an asshole to the group. I was only myself for this persona. It was the only one that I used my real name with. I may have thought of using something different, but when Daphne had been laying the ground work for my attendance at the office party that was our first ‘date’, she’d used the name that was on the website. There was no changing the persona’s name after that…well not with her or her circle. The very best thing about the admission was that I never had to hear about that stupid sex tape that was all over the news when I was their former teacher. I preferred it that way. I had made sure that I never saw it. I didn’t need to see my kids like that. Besides, Mercedes was a good girl. I knew all along that what they said about it being someone who had filmed them without their consent. I’d been very glad when the person had turned himself in. I would have loved to have a few minutes alone with him to have shown him the error of his ways.

As the evening slowly crept by, I soon realized that the party was less about the Grammys and more about the company heads getting together with the division heads and schmoozing and talking. I noticed that a lot of the beautiful wives of the men present were kind of looking down on Daphne. This was the first one of these types of events that she’d attended accompanied by a date. So, I made sure that I was attentive and charming. By the end of the red carpet preshow, there wasn’t a catty word or look being aimed in Daphne’s direction. Daphne and I both cheered like crazy whenever KAMA was announced as having won anything. I almost wept in joy for Mercedes when she won her two awards with Jill Scott. I was so happy for and proud of her. My date was even more exuberant than I was. Their performances were each met with cheers as our enthusiasm was definitely contagious. They had some damn good performances. Puck looked like a Rock God with AC/DC. And the KAMA performance was just amazing. Their choreographer must have had the patience of a saint. They managed to teach Sam and Puck to dance…even if in that case it was just a waltz that was definitely a feat worthy of note.

At the end of the night, I accompanied Daphne back to her apartment. She had my services for the entire evening. But per our previous agreement, I went home. She didn’t want nor need company on a Sunday night when she had to get up early the next morning. I had to admit I did admire her intellect and strength. When I got home, I emailed congratulations to Mercedes, Sam and Noah. I was glad that we’d gotten to a better place. I found that I felt better about myself since they’d forgiven me. I would never hold the place in their lives that I could have, had I been a better, fairer mentor. But I was very happy just knowing that they were creating amazing music and they were happy.

I Feel Lucky (Mary Chapin Carpenter)  
Lyor Cohen PoV

I had been in the music business since I was twenty-seven years old. Part of the reason that I’d made it to the very top of the game, was because if I had a feeling about something…I went with that feeling. All the metrics and statistics couldn’t really anticipate the human emotional response…and that was where music lived. I had felt something in that small French restaurant three years before when I heard the most unlikely threesome singing of love as if it were a living, breathing being, which for them…their love was strong enough that maybe it just was. I’d let my feelings guide me into making the best deal of my career. There had been many who couldn’t understand why I was offering three teenagers, fresh out of high school the kind of contract we used to lure an act away from a competitor. Others had wondered why I was wooing them so aggressively. Honestly, it had pretty much taken reworking an entire department just to create a place for them in our organization. I’d been facing censure from the board, despite the numbers that their single from the ‘SongBird’ soundtrack drew in and the popularity of the movie that Warner Brother Studios hadn’t promoted as well as they could have. For over a year, the board was, well, skeptical would be the nicest way to put it. However, once the numbers from their debut album came in and the nominations and awards started to amass, slowly they started singing a different tune. With a total of five Grammys won, I knew that there would be no further cynicism from the Warner Board of Directors. Best of all the way A&R now functioned there would soon be more genre nontraditional groups on the Warner roster which would only see our profits increase even further.

Still, as I said, when I encountered a feeling that gave me a direction with which I could move forward and which would seem to bring me some sort of reward, I listened to my gut. So, when I was speaking with Ms. Plum about setting up a meeting to discuss KAMA’s new threat, why on Earth couldn’t those poor kids get a break, I felt that it could be an opportunity to do something our COO had been discussing for almost three months. Replacing our joke of a security agency that ‘guarded’ our building. How they could guard the building when, every time they were called to task they were always asleep? There would be the added benefit of bringing on a veteran run and staffed company. It was good for the vets, it was good for Warner…a complete win-win situation. The next morning, before I flew back to Manhattan, I made sure that Estella set up the meeting and I had her get some nice gifts for KAMA to celebrate their wins. I gave her a firm fifteen-thousand-dollar budget for each gift. She went with more jewelry for Mercedes, earrings that time and she somehow managed to get her hands on a “Golden Age Captain America” number one…in decent shape for Sam. But the shocker for me was that Estella managed to get a sixty-one Fender Telecaster guitar for Puck without going over the budget. That woman was a miracle worker. All I could do to show my appreciation was to give her a small five thousand dollar bonus.

I stopped into the Warner Music Group LA offices just to make sure they all remembered that Strang may be their boss, but I was his. I made it back to New York and made myself dinner in the kitchen of the ridiculously large six bedroom house in the sky I’d purchased after Amy and my marriage ended seven years ago. I’d wanted to make sure that there was enough room for our children to know that this wasn’t my bachelor pad but their other home. It helped that it was just a few blocks from the home we’d all shared and it was near their schools. Both my kids were adults at this point but their rooms were still here whenever they wanted to visit. Once they started having kids of their own, there would be room for them to both visit at the same time without anyone feeling crowded. It was something to look forward to…even if it was a bit lonely in the in between time. I was seeing an amazing woman, however her career was based in Asia and that often meant long stretches home alone. Though, she had been hinting that she might have been ready for a change

The next morning, life resumed. Work was enlivening…there were three A&R execs we were wooing from Universal. I was only nominally involved in the process…but I liked showing my face and letting everyone know that I had my fingers in every pie at WMG. The day and the following one moved quickly and before I knew it Estella was putting me and the NYC office COO, Julia Frasier-Harding, in a car with my PA, Rasheeda and her PA Tommy, to make it to the Rangeman Norfolk Street building. Upon entering their lobby, I couldn’t help but compare their visible security to the one in our building. The gentleman was at least six foot tall with the build and bearing of someone with extensive military service. Our ‘guards’ were usually a little shorter and a lot paunchier. He called up and before I knew it Stephanie Plum was coming out of the elevator to escort us up to the office where our meeting would be held.

“Mr. Cohen, right on time.” She said with a smile. Stephanie Plum was a beautiful woman. She was just above average height with a wealth of dark curly hair. One couldn’t help but notice that she had a nice little figure in her Armani, black, slim cut pants suit. It almost made me smile that she paired the suit with a pair of Louboutin pumps, and a black men’s tank tee shirt. Something, in her slightly careful strides, told me that the only part of the entire ensemble she was really comfortable was the three dollar tee-shirt.

We chatted in the elevator up to the building’s seventh floor. Ms. Plum showed us into a smallish conference room where the company’s owner Ricardo Carlos Manoso introduced himself to myself. Julia, Tommy and Rasheeda were taken on a tour of the Rangeman monitor and control rooms. They would see the services we would be hearing about in action. We took a seat at the table and were brought up to speed on the dangers being posed to one of Warner’s top new artists. “It would seem that the suspect is currently out of the country on a pre-planned business trip. However, we are unsure if he had any plans in place that could be enacted while he is elsewhere, so we’re keeping a slightly elevated presence in place around KAMA as a whole as well as around both of the Puckerman daughters. The gentleman who will be heading up our Midwest operations, Hal, is enjoying his time in Lima providing security for Beth.”

I nodded. “I notice that you’ve been very careful not to state the man’s name, I’d just like to make sure that he isn’t anyone in the Warner Music organization.” I asked carefully.

Ranger shook his head. “The suspect is not affiliated with WMG. He used to have a part in a small, independent label that has been absorbed by Warner. He is an entrepreneur, but most of his money is made in venture capitalism.”

That made me feel a great sense of relief. “Good…I do understand that you cannot give me a name. That would put you in a very actionable place. But if there is anything that I can do to help, please let me know,” I offered genuinely. I also made a point to text Rasheeda and ask her for a list of all the former label partners who fit the ‘description’ of the suspect. I already had a few people in mind who it could have been. If the legal system wouldn’t persecute the dangerous jackass…then I’d just have to make sure that his life became a living hell. He was going to regret trying to hurt one of my signature artists. Ranger must have sent out a text or signal of his own because no sooner had I hit send than the tour guide brought Rasheeda, Julia and Tommy into the conference room. “Thank you for sharing what you could. Now, as I told Ms. Plum Sunday night, we would greatly benefit from a change when it comes to the security in our building. The current company is GuardSmart and we’ve had several unresolved instances of theft in the building. On more than one occasion, they have been found asleep in the lobby reception desk by someone working late. We would like to know more about Rangeman and how you serve your clients.”

Over the next hour, Julia and I learned that we had been getting ripped off by GuardSmart for at least five years. Rangeman offered a whole wealth of services that our current security company didn’t. They did it while charging less than fifteen percent more than we were currently paying. Every single person who would work in our building would have to pass the same fitness requirements as an Army Ranger. Rangeman would install firewalls that would serve to protect our servers as an extra layer of fortification against hackers and intrusion. They wouldn’t just have a hidden presence each shift, but they would have a presence in the lobby, sharing the reception desk with our receptionist and making sure that all of the guests and visitors were correct and proper. That our staff and visitors would be safe. There would be another Rangeman seated outside the elevator bank on each floor of the building, protecting each of our staff and visiting artists. The ones working the desks would be in a Rangeman uniform covered by a black blazer with the Rangeman logo on their left breast pocket. The guardians who would watch the monitors would be in just the traditional Rangeman uniform. Julia raised the discussion of putting them into place at our recording studios around the city. It was a very, very productive meeting. Julia and I left having signed a contract with Rangeman that would kick in eight weeks later when our contract with GuardSmart expired. They would be responsible for security in our New York offices and studios as well as those in Miami. When the Rangeman Heartland opened, if they decided to include Nashville in their region, Julia and I were determined that they would have that office to secure as well.

Ms. Plum walked us down to the lobby and as the four of us returned to Paramount Plaza, Rasheeda and Tommy regaled Julia and I with all our new guardians would have available to protect us. Then Rasheeda told me that Estella was compiling a list for me based off the criteria that I had texted her during the meeting. I also asked that when Estella finished with the list that she make sure it gets into the hands of the person assigning the tickets for the Warner tickets to the Lucky in Love concert that coming Friday. “Yes sir, and as you asked, we’ve already made sure that Steven Friche and his husband Frank Glass both have tickets for the concert.”

“Great, Rolling Stone will run the review in their magazine that comes out on the following Thursday and the summer concert series tickets go on sale two weeks later. The boost in ticket sales from a positive review of their live show…will certainly be worth the two extra comped tickets.” I murmured.

I had a good feeling about the coming concert. It was too bad that Warner hadn’t had a hand in on the planning. Something told me that it was going to be an exceptional money-maker but since it was something that we’d asked them to do without offering to hold it with the same cost division as their contractual concerts…we were not entitled to the profits thereof. It was a hit that would shore up my stand with the board that KAMA was one of the biggest acts currently on our roster. Perhaps it was a little petty to enjoy rubbing their noses in that fact. But the simple truth was that their inability to take any risks at all when it came to signing acts or the contact our acts produced was causing Warner to stagnate. Profits were not made in stagnation. With all the proof in hand, I would be able to cultivate some more diverse acts and, hopefully, get Warner to the top of the big three music labels. It was certainly something that would be a feather in my cap and it wouldn’t hurt my signature act at all. Yes, deciding to sign those three kids I heard singing in that restaurant was one of the best decisions I’d ever made. I had a feelings the contract we’d entered into that afternoon would prove just as beneficial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have a problem. I may be addicted to writing & reading fanfiction.  
> I rode up to the March with my the VP for my dept. Told myself that I wasn't going to write anything in the car...ya know...no need to let the mucky-muck know that I spend all my free time writing Glee fanfiction.   
> I didn't make it out of the state before I had my notebook out working on the next chapter.   
> Told my boss that I was thinking about starting to blog about #theresistance.   
> Oh the tangled web we weave.  
> So to feel better about the lie...#RESIST. Write Pres. Trump a letter telling him to keep his hands out of women's uteruses.  
> Now...please make all I went through worth it...Leave me a good comment.   
> Thank you very much.   
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	29. Love Hangover (Diana Ross) & Everyday People (Sly and the Family Stone)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Book Reread Rec  
> Taltos by Anne Rice
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!!
> 
> AN: PLEASE KNOW for the bulk of this series, certain famous singer-songwriters were, quite unfortunately, never born in this alternate universe. Therefore, while in the real world all songs remain the property of their songwriters, singers and labels, in this AU these songs, unless stated as a cover, were written, recorded and are thereby the property of the fictional music group KAMA. Thank you for reading this disclaimer. (Yes, this includes Lily Allen, Megan Trainer and Rachel Patton among others)

Love Hangover (Diana Ross)  
Brantley PoV

The office was quieter while most of the team was in LA with KAMA for the week. Not that I noticed. I was up to my ass in planning for the dinner concert that following Friday. While everything seemed to be going well, thank God, I was sure if we ever did it again, I was hiring an event planner. Concerts were easy…dinner parties were hard as hell. It didn’t help that we couldn’t get in until after eight on Thursday night and we had to be fully out of the space by noon on Saturday. I had to hire people to come in and decorate the space…thankfully Darcy and Hudson worked with Kurt during some of their down time and they sent me basically how the rooms should look. Yes, I did just say rooms. After selling out of all five thousand plus tickets in minutes at each of the two planned releases, someone, ‘cough’ Darcy ‘cough’ had the brilliant idea to just rent the other large room and expand our plans significantly. We added another thirty-five hundred seats to the tally. The morning of February fourth an email was sent out to all the people who had put their names on our ‘just in case tickets became available’ list. We offered them each a lot of up to six. Of course, not everyone bought all six. The tickets were not cheap. We ended up with two hundred and fifty tickets left thirty minutes after every single one of them had responded by buying at least two of the newly available tickets. Then Daniel IMed me, Darcy and Haja with a great idea…offer Warner Music Group, Sony Music, and Universal Music Group each the chance to buy up to eighty-five VIP tickets complete with the wine option and the unlimited drink option for a thousand bucks each ticket or a table, that actually only sat eight, for ten thousand. All three of them took the bait.

There was some argument as to whether we should give Warner its tickets at a cheaper rate, something more closely aligned with the normal ticket prices since they were our label. But, ultimately, since Mr. Cohen, Deborah, Anika and Christophe had all gotten two comped tickets, we decided that Warner could pay the same prices as the others in the music label big three. Besides price gouging them a little offset the radio station contest comp tickets. It really all averaged out in the end. Besides, to paraphrase the words of Smokey from ‘Friday’, ‘They didn’t put in on this, Man.”

Things were running, comparatively smoothly. The office was pretty quiet. Yasmine, the management administrative assistant, and I were working our butts off. She’d planned a few weddings in her family, and she actually liked what we were doing, so she was such a god send. I was going to make sure that Mercedes, Sam and Puck hit her off with a bonus at the end of the night. In addition to the one I was planning on slipping her. We were working in my office Wednesday afternoon, the week before the Grammys, making sure that all the I’s were dotted and the t’s crossed when Ethan came walking in with a HUGE smile on his face.

“Richard Macardo…the son of a bitch that made the sex tape just turned himself into the LA county sheriff’s office,” Ethan said before we could even ask what was happening.

“Good…why did he turn himself in?” Yasmine asked succinctly.

The smile that crossed Ethan Harris’ face in that moment was really damn scary considering that he was just a lawyer. He really did look like a fucking shark. “Because, Gino Puckett took exception to someone fucking with his cousin and said cousin’s, aka Sam Evans’, husband and wife. He sent Gabby a video of him working the asshole over. It includes a full confession, which would have been released to the public if he hadn’t turned himself in by tomorrow morning.”

“Man, damn…Sam said that his mom’s family was almost like FAMILY.” I muttered pressing my finger against my nose to bring the point home.

Ethan just laughed. “From the video…Macardo definitely has some bruised ribs, bruised spleen…and probably he’s pissing blood for a while.”

“Couldn’t have happened to a better guy,” I said honestly.

Yasmine and Ethan could only agree. Ethan changed the subject after that. “What time do you need us there Friday morning?”

“I’ll be there at like five. All the tables and chairs and everything will be there at seven…the chef and his staff and equipment will be there before six. Their equipment will be delivered and set up before seven. The decorators and their people will be there around seven themselves. And the sound tech people are scheduled to get there before eight. So, I’d like it if the TEAM was there around seven and all of the staff should all try and get there before eight. We’ll only have eight to ten hours to set up. In addition to the decorator team, there will be all the full timers and six of the FRTs, who are exchanging their work for tickets. The bar staff will arrive to set up at five.”

“Darcy sent us a message about rooms at the Magnuson.” Yasmine noted.

“Yeah, there will not be time to go all the way home to change. So, we’ll all have rooms there to change in. I think you’ll be sharing with Brigid unless she is bringing someone," I explained.

“Oh, that works," she said with a smile and we knuckled back down to work.

That Sunday night, I could not watch the Grammys by myself. It would have wrecked my nerves. So I headed to Fiamma41 which wasn’t all that far from my apartment. It was a great Italian restaurant that had viewing parties for everything. Their Super Bowl viewing party had been pretty hype. Besides, their Linguine Fruitti di Mare was so amazing it was worth the headaches I always got if I forgot to specify I wanted the white wine sauce. It was a good thing that I called ahead. There was a wait for those who hadn’t made reservations. When KAMA hit the red carpet, I was filled with pride. My bosses were the bomb. They looked great. Their answers to the interview questions were witty and yet concise. They displayed knowledge of their subject matter without seeming preachy. They didn’t answer anything they shouldn’t. They touted the ‘Lucky in Love’ Concert and the coming South by Southwest and Coachella appearances…and of course the summer tour without seeming like they were shilling. There was a tension in their shoulders that I couldn’t quite place. But that may well have been nerves.

They had been nominated for six of the untelevised awards and won three. Their performance had people in the restaurant swaying and even a few crying. Women were discussing the dancing and fashion. The men were talking about the ladies on the stage and all the different types of sexy that were represented. It would have been easy to assume that Santana, Erika, Cassidy and the dancers would be the ideal. But there were quite a few Italian men there and they were looking at Cede and Xena like they were just as, if not more, beautiful than the ‘ideals’. That was really nice to see. I had to admit, my ideals were somewhere between the three different extremes. I also had to admit that as much fun as my time with Ruth and my time with Ruth and Deborah was…I had reached the point where needed more than just no strings attached sex. Watching all the couples around me that night, I realized that I kind of wanted a relationship. I wasn’t sure if I knew exactly what I wanted in a relationship or who I wanted to be in a relationship with, but for the first time in my life I found myself ready to try the whole relationship thing.

Five far too short days later, I was at the Javits Center as early as they would allow me entry. I’d been so busy in that week, even with Darcy and Daniel back that I’d not had a chance to even consider my thoughts from that night. Thursday evening, we packed everything for the event that we’d ordered and had delivered, all the merch, all the signs and print jobs, the autographed pictures…everything into a transport van that we’d rented from Rangeman. Darcy was driving it to the center. She would be there before eight. I was worried about a lot of things, but I knew that that she would be there on time, probably with Hudson and Lester. She had also gotten several of her Fan Response Team members to meet her there at that time to unload the truck.

There hadn’t been any problem getting into the space. One of the Center’s security guards checked my ID and paperwork and took me right upstairs, unlocking the three quarters of the floor that we’d rented. I was surprised when, just fifteen minutes later, Yasmine arrived. She carried a garment bag with her clothes for later. I showed her the coat closet where I’d hung my own. She also had breakfast sandwiches and she’d found the time to do a final map of the rooms which the decorator had asked us to have ready before the rental equipment arrived. She handed me the portfolio she carried and the two paper-bags before taking off her coat to hang it up. I don’t know what it was about her professional apparel but I’d never realized that she was hiding a body like that. She was curvy as hell. To be real, she was kind of shaped like Nicki Minaj, just more realistically. She wasn’t even dressed provocatively. Black yoga pants, a pair of brightly colored sneakers, and from what I could tell, a couple of shirts under a KAMA Staff Hoodie. Damn, her ass was like, Whoa. Her hair was ridiculously cute in a million plaited Bantu knots. I was so used to her usual bun, or French twist, it just threw me for a minute. I’d known since her first day that she was a cutie…I hadn’t realized that she just let us see the cutie…she was really a hottie.

Turned out that Yasmine was also a beast at event planning. If it wasn’t for her, a million things would have gone wrong before the rest of our people had even gotten there. She had copies of every contract, a printed spreadsheet of all the agreed upon terms. She had the completed map of the rooms I’d mentioned. She had a way of being stern and yet charming. She also had masking tape that we used to mark off places like the corners of the stage and the dance floor and such before the carpenters got there to do their building thing. By six o’clock, we’d marked off the bar spaces, the space for the small merchandise stand and had things ready to go when the equipment rental company arrived. Yasmine had even pre-assigned all of the staff and team to different projects so everyone had a job and everyone knew exactly what they were doing. When we were done, everything wasn’t just done…but looked like we’d been building and setting things up a week or more in advance. It was perfect.

When all was in readiness, there were nineteen hundred and forty tables. The thirty large and five smaller VIP tables were arranged closest to the stage, with their ‘RESERVED’ signs on them. Two other identical large tables were reserved for KAMA’s team and staff. Scattered around the room, which one really could not tell used to be two huge exhibit halls, were six hundred and eighty-nine double tables, four hundred and eighty-four tables for three, four hundred and eighty-five four tops and two hundred and fifty tables that sat five. There were round tables and square ones. Each had a deep purple square table tablecloth that brushed the floor which was topped by a round pale ivory one. Each setting had a large square gold charger upon which sat a beautifully folded purple napkin with a gold napkin ring. A top the napkins sat the amazing menus that Darcy had created. The ivory folded menu presented each person with five choices for each of the five courses; amuse bouche, soup, appetizer, main and cheese course and dessert. Well, I guess that it was more like five and a half courses. The menu allowed people to mix and match between two different vegan, vegetarian, shellfish, non-shellfish seafood, and non-seafood options. Their dinners would be served on square, white porcelain plates that had graceful bands of gold dance across each piece forming delicate hearts. We had matching mugs and saucers for those chose to have a warm beverage with their dessert. 

To the side of each charger was a five-course place setting of ‘gold’ silverware. They were offset by one glass water goblet with a gold rim and a matching wine glass. The other drink glasses were behind the bars. Of which there were twelve. Two smaller ones would serve the VIP area, and ten other, much larger, bars would serve the rest of the concert goers. I’d worked out a deal where we got the dozen full bar packages, twelve mixologists, twelve bar captains, thirty-four regular bartenders and twenty-two bar attendants…all of that for an initial fee of a hundred and thirty-five thousand for the entire evening, including all setup and break down. The way they would make their money was with the bracelets. The NYC Bartenders would get twenty-five percent of our take on the drink bracelets. It was a boon for them and basically free money for us. Between two of the regular bars, was nestled a small, twenty thousand square foot dance floor.

The day went by ridiculously fast. By five thirty, Yasmine and I were there and joined by Flynn McGarry, who had enlisted an army of other chefs, sous chefs and pastry chefs to feed the multitude of expected diners. The kitchen equipment arrived at six. Within an hour, an army of chefs and delivery men turned fifteen thousand of the seventeen thousand square foot hall into a completely, fully functional restaurant kitchen. The sinks were centrally located and, unfortunately, a bit out of the way, but that was where the plumbing was available. Once everything was in place, Flynn and his mother Meg headed to the Union Station farmers market to go and do some serious fresh goods shopping. His head associate chef was ready and able to handle the deliveries that had already been arranged of the bulk of what would be cooked.

Right around the time that the kitchen was being finished, Darcy, Lester, Hudson, the FRT members and the rest of KAMA’s team arrived. Apparently, Darcy had tapped everyone to carry a box up to decrease the total number of trips. They ended up making three trips, while Yasmine and I oversaw the arrival of the party equipment. We’d actually had to utilize three different equipment rental companies to get enough of everything, which meant that we had to rent chair covers too in order to avoid the fact that none of the companies all had enough matching chairs to not need them. For the chair covers we went with a simple ivory linen with a royal purple satin wide sash that was tied around the back of the chair. Then there was the company where we rented the tableware, silverware and drinkware from.

The rented dishes and stemware and everything associated with eating arrived and one of the kitchen staff immediately started running them through the two, big ass, conveyor dishwasher machines. Then they organized it by sizes and function. Later once we got all the tables up and dressed with the table clothes and the short, gold, three tea light holders that were the centerpieces. Each tea light was purple and gave off a subtle, fresh lavender and sandalwood scent. Anyway, once the tables were dressed, the wait staff added the chargers, glasses and silverware. Then the FRT went around and placed the napkins and the menus. To be honest the place looked like a blend between a really high end restaurant and a very fancy wedding reception.

As far as putting the room together, there weren’t just the tables and chairs and stage building and dance floor building…we also had sound people come in and run sound boards that were then wired into the hall’s sound system. The Rangemen contingent, other than Lester, arrived at four. By the time Chet, Ramon, Woody, Junior and Sybo Diaz joined Lester, we had everything in place. The room was beautifully decorated; purple, ivory, gold and red were the colors that transformed the room from an exhibit hall into a very beautiful restaurant that just happened to have a large stage and a big dance floor. The sound system was fully operational, the bars were assembled and waiting to be stocked. The merch booth was assembled and fully stocked, it accepted cash or chipped or swiped credit and debit cards. The stage was completely set up, KAMA’s performance instruments which were kept at the office in the storage room, were all put together and waiting on the crew when they got there for their sound checks.

After Yazz, Brigid and Kurt walked the whole space to make sure that there was nothing else needed, Daniel, Grant and I released the ladies and the younger set to go and get dressed for the evening at a bit after four. Daniel and I stayed until the Bartenders arrived and were all checked in. We’d have stayed longer, but Artie and Cassidy showed up to make sure that sound boards were configured properly for them. Their arrival allowed us to head to the nearby hotel and shower and get dressed. I’d splurged on a new suit for the night and I had to admit that it was a good fucking suit. An Armani, three piece, slate gray suit with a light lavender dress shirt. I’d gotten a new tie to go with it, but I didn’t wear it that night. I wanted to look more casual than I did at the office. A pair black ankle socks went on then I slipped my feet into my black leather Ferragamo drivers. I put on a Cartier watch that Mercedes had given me to thank me for all the work I put into setting up the tour. I put in my lucky half carat diamond earrings and brushed my fade, a small spritz of my Yves Saint Laurent La Nuit de l’Homme cologne…and I considered myself done. I made sure that I had my phone, keys, gum, business cards and Chap Stick before leaving the well-appointed hotel room. The hotel wasn’t super high end, but everything was very clean and it was nicely arranged.

I happened to exit my room just as Yasmine and Brigid were coming up the hallway from theirs. Brigid kind of amused me. She was so Slavic that I was ninety-seven percent sure that she had naturally blond hair. But no one would ever know it. Her hair changed color every two weeks like clockwork. That week her hair was a rich, dark brown with icy white streaks throughout the front of the shoulder brushing bob. She looked cutely gothic, or emo, or artsy or whatever they called it. Her dress was black with a hi-low hem and a floaty, chiffon over skirt. There was a studded belt around her waist and lacing details down over her modest boobs. Her makeup was fierce, stark silver and black eyeshadow with a dark black cats eye liner deal…her lips were slathered in a darker wine lipstick. Her wrists were covered in wide, studded cuffs. And her earrings looked like black horns had pierced her lobes. Her shoes were pretty hard core too. They looked like someone had mated a pair of little girl Mary Janes with a pair of stripper heels. They were hot.

I probably would have appreciated them a lot more if she weren’t standing there with Yasmine. That girl was looking fine as all hell. Over the course of the day working with, aka being ordered about by, I’d learned a boat load about Yazz. She was the daughter of a single mother…who was in turn the daughter of a single mother. She was one of nine, none of whom had the same father. She had grown up in Far Rockaway Queens. She’d made sure that she didn’t get knocked up or drop out and gone to night school to get her AA in marketing. She had broken up with her boyfriend not long after she started working with us. He’d had some fucked up things to say about Mercedes, Sam and Puck’s relationship. Yazz thought he was being stupid, small minded and dumped his ass with a quickness. “It was okay, the relationship was already on the way out. I mean, we were only together for three months and he kept trying to control my every action. I’m not the one for that bullshit.” The more we talked for real, the more I realized that I liked who she was even more than I liked how she looked.

But damn, she looked good. She was dressed for a night on the town. Her rose gold metallic body-con dress had a cool, crackled texture. A deep V-neckline and wrap-front hem flaunt her more than adequate cleavage and thick, pretty brown thighs. It wasn’t a long dress, though it was probably longer on her than it would have been on Xena…then again anything would be. Her skin glowed. Her makeup was freaking flawless. I was pretty sure that she had done that thing women do where they do really complex makeup tricks to make it look like they don’t have to wear makeup because they ‘have naturally flawless skin’. Her lips though were stained a dark apricoty pink which she’d then covered in a glossy wine gloss to make a three-dimensional color that was hot and sexy. Her only jewelry was a pair of large, rose gold and pearl chandelier earrings that were almost hidden in her hair, which she’d released from the plaited knots. It flowed down around her shoulders in waves, ripples and curls framing her face beautifully. Her shoes were cool. They had ‘flowers’ that went from the strap across the toes over and around the foot to the heel. The shoes were ivory and the flowers were ivory, black, peach and lilac. I saw them and knew in an instant that she’d found the shoes first. Her purse was a metallic clutch on a long rose gold chain.

“You ladies look lovely. Got your staff key card. Its how the Rangemen are going to verify we are us.” Both ladies thanked me and held up their purses. Somehow, it was only then that I noticed they were both carrying their coats. I texted Lester to see if he was in the venue. If he was he could tap one of the FRT members there to act as a coat check person. I hadn’t even thought of the fact that, even though the snow was holding off until Saturday, it was colder than a whore’s heart and therefore everyone would have coats. “If you will give me a second to grab my coat, I’d be happy you allow me to escort you over to the ball…”

“Why thank you, kind sir.” Brigid quipped.

Yazz was not playing coy. “You had better go and get your coat…the temperature isn’t even a real number.” She wasn’t lying. I grabbed my coat.

The only reason Darcy had picked the, kind of, run down hotel was its close proximity to the Javits Center. The walk, even with two women in ridiculously high heels was really quick. Daniel had beaten us there. His fiancée had arrived with her partner and her wife, Grant’s sister. I looked around and found Grant in the little hidden part of the unrented space on the floor where we’d stashed all our crates and everything. Apparently, Darcy had brought a few roll of easy rip raffle tickets with her thinking maybe we should do a door prize or something, but that idea hadn’t really been fleshed out so the rolls stayed in the boxes. Once he found them, Grant took them over to the FRT kid who would be operating the coat check with help from Cleotha, apparently. The legal secretary was showing the guy how to best organize the racks that were now in the ‘room’ they had created for best use of space and efficiency. I wonder where they found those racks. Maybe it was better that I didn’t ask. They had used solid partitions from unrented hall to create a contained area for the racks, it looked pretty well thought out and professional. Not at all like we’d completely forgotten to consider the need for the storage. 

I did a last minute walk through to check out the bars and make sure that everything was ready to go. The bar attendants and the dinner waiters were having a meeting. They were dressed very similarly, white shirts, black slacks, purple ties, long ones for the bar attendants and bow ties for the waiters. There were several, maybe as many as twenty older men of every race imaginable, their only similarities were that they were all wearing black suits with purple cummerbund and bow ties. I realized that the men were the Matre Ds and would be showing the attendees to specific tables. I glanced over at Yazz who had joined me in the walk through. “Did you?”

“Yeah, it seemed like it would be too messy otherwise.” She smiled. “When they finish their meeting, I’m going to talk to them and remind them of the difference in the tickets and that we want the audience well mixed otherwise. Go check on our bosses," she said and headed in that direction.

With my marching orders, I headed back to the two thousand square feet at the back of the kitchen hall to find KAMA and the KAMA crew, in their ‘dressing room’. I also needed to make sure that everything was in readiness for when Jermaine Fowler got there. He had his own area curtained off to use as a space to get ready. He wouldn’t arrive until eight. But it was set, a small cooler of bottled water, was already chilling underneath the rudimentary ‘makeup’ table. The lighting was good and he hadn’t stipulated anything more was needed in his contract. But I had spoken with Chef Flynn, and after he arrived a small covered plate of the ten amuse-bouche selections would be brought to him. I crossed the ‘room’ to a hidden movable curtain panel that let me into the rest of the space where KAMA and their crew was getting warmed up and changed. They’d already completed their sound check and tuned their instruments, now they were warming up their voices for real and tuning up their bodies. The dancers had most of the space. The singers were huddled going through vocal scales and playing with trills. Cassidy, Erika, Artie, Justin and Dave were all doing complicated hand and wrist movements. I noticed that Sam and Puck both were as well, they would be playing too that night it seemed. Kurt and Blaine were with Ruth over by two racks of clothes. They were going over everything with a steamer.

We did a quick meeting just going over the time line for the night and everyone was set. I went back out through the connecting curtain to the kitchens then used the servers ‘doors’ to go back into the ball room. It was a quarter of eight, so the waiters, KAMA Team and staff were going table to table lighting the tea lights. Cassidy came out and bothered a few buttons on the sound board and romantic era classical music started to play quietly, creating a pleasant ambiance. Yazz had the Matré Ds assembled near the door. The Rangemen were outside in the atrium nearer the stairs. Attendees would arrive, show either their purple general admission tickets, black gen admin with the wine option tickets or their silver VIP tickets. Once Rangeman was sure that they were who they said they were and that their tickets were legitimate; Daniel and Darcy had created a few special fonts to make the printable PDFs fucking impossible to forge; they could buy the silver or flashy rings to get unlimited soft drinks or would move onto guest services where coat check now lived. The beautiful part was that the set up Cleotha and Ben, I think it was Ben, that they had set up, blocked off a set of stairs. It made all traffic flow through the Rangemen tables. After the attendees checked their coats, they would enter the hall…there were many doors available for exits, but only that one set was open for entrance…all the rest were locked, only openable from inside the hall.

The process went fairly smoothly. Elevators brought people to the Rangemen they checked them out and sent them through. At eight o’clock on the dot, the Matré Ds started showing people to their tables. We hadn’t anticipated the celebrity guests who showed up. Robin Roberts, Matt Lauer, Eddie Murphy, Andrew Farfield and Emma Stone, Tom Hanks, Jim Carrey, Paul Rudd, Kristen Wiig, Q-Tip, Scott Pelley, Charlie Rose, Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis, Andy Cohen, Kelly Osborne and Zendaya and Billy Crystal all showed up with their significant others. Thankfully, they all had silver VIP tickets. I assumed they got them from one of the big three labels. With them in the VIP section, crowd control would be easier. Lester Santos, I really needed Darcy to lay it on him in gratitude for all he did that night. He personally escorted the celebs to the VIP bar and then onto one of the smaller top tables in the VIP section. SIR. PAUL muthafuckin’ MCCARTNEY showed up with the Sony crowd. I kid you not. I swear, none of us knew what to do with that knowledge. By eight forty the hall was full. The bars were hopping and the servers were hauling ass taking the VIPs orders. We tapped a few of the bar attendants to make sure that the real VIPs didn’t have to go and get their own drinks.

Ruth came out in a long, glamorous violet dress and moved through the VIP schmoozing people like the hostess in an old speakeasy. She knew a lot more of those people than I’d have thought, but it made sense. She'd been dressing people on soaps and morning and evening news shows for a long time. The amuse-bouche course came out. That course wasn’t order specific…a small assortment was brought to each table and the servers quickly and efficiently took their orders. The VIPs did end up getting their small bites last, but they got the rest of their food first. Flynn McGarry must have been a spec ops man in a former life, because his kitchen ran with military precision. Despite the huge crowd, all the different orders, no one got cold food. No one had a wrong order, if they did they didn’t complain about it. The food was served with the same almost brutal efficiency the orders had been taken.

At nine-fifteen, I personally went and got Jermaine Fowler and escorted him to the free side of the stage. Waiting at center stage, in front of the purple curtains, was a mike stand and a stool with a glass and a bottle of water on it. He was wearing slacks and a polo…which from all the videos I’d seen when selecting the comedian…that was dressed up for him. He had serious dreads but he had them pulled back from his well shaven face. Bubbie Ruth introduced him giving a few of his accolades, like having been on Craig Ferguson and his comedy special. The Maryland comedian did a full thirty-minute set that was hilarious. Though he was definitely black, his jokes were universal. There were certain ones that were slanted a bit that way, if you squinted and turned your head to the side. His working at Quiznos set had me in stitches. I carefully watched the VIP tables, everyone was laughing. Especially when he talked about his little brother Jamal and his enlarged tongue…which was a lot better than you’d have thought.

After his set, the bus people cleared the tables and the soup course was given out. We’d set the time so that people could enjoy their soup and discuss the comic. Then that course was cleared and the appetizer course was served. Hudson led the crew ‘backstage’. There was a little shuffling as they got into position and readied their instruments. Lyor Cohen took the stage, I hadn’t realized that he was going to do that, I thought that Ruth was going to be introducing them. “Ladies and gentlemen, I am Lyor Cohen, the head of Warner Music Group. Thank you for braving the weather tonight to come and enjoy the music of KAMA. Even after only having tasted the first two courses, I have to praise Chef Flynn McGarry for his culinary masterpieces. I am certainly grateful that he decided to bring his pop-up restaurant to New York and even more grateful that he brought it to us tonight. Now, the time has come that we’ve all been waiting for tonight. Please welcome to the stage, Mercedes, Sam and Puck, KAMA!”

The music intro for ‘Make You Happy’ started before the curtains even opened. It was apparently my hour for shocks. KAMA came through the crowd as the curtains opened. Mercedes was wearing a bright red, slinky dress that slid over her curves and displayed a serious amount of cleavage. Her jewelry was understated and her hair and makeup was sick. Sam and Puck were both in black slacks and pale gold shirts. Puck’s a Henley with the arms pushed up and Sam in a pullover sweater. The three of them were already micced. They launched into the peppy love song as they weaved their way through the tables. By the time they reached the stage the song was over but for the riffs. For the next forty-five minutes, they gave the crowd some of the world’s best love songs. They sang their own love songs and made every cover their own. They took a fifteen-minute intermission where DJ Ca$$ had the crowd dancing in their seats even as they finished eating their main course and their tables were bussed. When KAMA took the stage for the second half of their set, the servers were unobtrusively delivering desserts to the tables.

The second set started out with Mercedes alone in a spotlight with Sam and Puck holding guitars, sitting on stools with the band. She delivered a version of ‘To Make You Feel My Love’ that left not a single person in their seats and not a dry eye in the house. The group performed ‘Stand By You’ live for the first time. Fortunately, all the work was in to make sure that no one could steal their intellectual property. They finished their night with an expanded version of the ‘ColorBlind’ and ‘Believe’ mashup from the Grammys. “Thank you all for coming out.” Mercedes said to the crowd. Then she introduced all the crew, from Dave all the way to Brittany. The audience gave them all nice applause. “Finally, I have to acknowledge a couple of people in the crowd. My Cheerio coach Sue Sylvester and her husband Don Motta are here from our hometown. I’m sorry to sound all girly or whatever, but that means so much to us. Also in the audience supporting us is the lady, and I don’t use the term loosely or ironically at all, who saved our glee club and made all of this even possible is here tonight with her new husband. April and Victor French.” Both couples stood and waved to Mercedes where she stood on the stage.

When she finished her comments, Sam took center stage. “I don’t want to preach at you…you’re all grown folks. But if you’ve had too much to drink please call an UBER or allow one of our staff to call you a cab. There are rooms available at the Magnuson Hotel across to way, just show them your ticket and you won’t need a reservation. Let’s all make it to make the love that our performance tonight has inspired.”

Puck finished the comments off. “Like Sam said make sure that you all get home to bone the one or ones you love. Oh, and shout out to the Polyamory Society, both the National organization and the local tri-state chapter. All love is beautiful and equal. We hope that everyone had a great time. Also, we’d like to thank Sir. Paul McCartney for making time in his busy schedule to come out tonight. We really hope that you enjoyed the show. Now, not to ignore the other major celebrities who have chosen to grace our VIP area tonight, but I think we can all agree that when it comes to star power, Sir. Paul McCartney pretty much rules the room. The only other three who come close are Billy Crystal, Eddie Murphy and Tom Hanks…and thank you both for being here too. Seriously, thank all of you. Ladies and gentlemen, if you feel in any way uncomfortable waiting on your UBER or taxi, the Rangemen will be on guard duty and standing down near the taxi stand.”

“Good Night, Everybody.” They said with a big grin. They returned to the dressing room while the general admission tables were cleared, then they came back out and interacted with the VIPs on the dance floor as the servers and bartending staff started cleaning up. I noticed that Puck and Sam hadn’t bothered changing their clothes, but Mercedes was somewhat more comfortable in a maxi dress that had a black, silk, long sleeved, deep V neck bodice with a metallic, snake print, kind of skirt. She looked amazing…and she was clearly still wearing heels even if they couldn’t be seen. During the VIP reception, Mercedes, Sam and Puck made sure that Haja, Daniel, Ethan, Darcy and I all made contact with anyone who might like to utilize our talents. It was especially important for Ethan and Daniel who needed to build their client bases. At one point, I saw them conversing with Victor and April French, I noticed that they made it a point to leave Daniel there speaking with the couple. At another they were talking with the statuesque blond cheer coach and her ‘wow does he look like a text book mafia don’ husband. But I also noticed that they managed to get selfies of themselves with Eddie Murphy, Tom Hanks and Sir. Paul McCartney, in addition to the other big names who’d come out. I kind of loved seeing my bosses acting like teenage fans.

By one o’clock even the VIPs had cleared out and KAMA, the team, the crew and the staff all kicked off our shoes and pitched in to strip the tables and chairs and put the linens in the appropriate bins. Since Chef Flynn’s payment had come only from the ticket sales, he’d been paid on Wednesday. There were tips to be given. Apparently in addition to, the tips a lot of the attendees had left servers on the tables and on the bars. The Merch booth had completely sold out. The only coats that remained were ours. The people had tipped the coat checkers too and KAMA told the two of them to split their take.

At two thirty we were all told to go home and that we’d have a meeting Wednesday evening to do the wrap up. Yazz and I asked certain people to remain and help us get everything wrapped up so we’d be ready when the rental people got there a few hours later. Thankfully everyone was good to pitch in. Mercedes, Sam, Puck, Daniel, Riker, Ethan, Mrs. Amanda and Cassidy had to leave. They were going down to a family wedding, which Cassidy was DJing at, so we let them go and we finished taking care of the rest. It had been a long day, but given how smoothly the night had run, and how great things seemed to have gone…it was all worth it. I’d be checking the feeds in the morning my damn self to see how everyone who had come out felt about things. When I finally was able to crash in my hotel room bed, I had an interesting thought…could we pull something like that off every year?

 

Everyday People (Sly and the Family Stone)  
Reactions to ‘Lucky in Love’

Twitter Reactions:

@PolyDan: #Lucky in Love=lucky as hell Spent 1G 2 finally b able 2 go and b n public with both the women n my life wo weird looks or some1 pretending to b just a friend. 4 that alone it was WORTH EVERY PENNY

@Justice4Justine: I saw GOD tonite at a music concert Went 2 c KAMA at Javits Ctr Dinner-concert Food was AMAZEBALLS Jermaine Fowler was funny DJ Ca$$ is my new fave DJ KAMA redefined romance PERFECT

@OGLGBT: Great Music Great Food Romantic setting Bit pricey, but w dinner, comedian, DJ & KAMA turned into a great deal. Best night ever. @PuckU did WICUS by Bd Englsh took me back

@JusticeWarrior: #LuckyNLove Spent a GRIP but would totally do it again. Mercy J’s solo of 2MakeUFeelMyLove #Thugtears #Perfect @FlyMcGarry dinner was almost as good as the concert

@EstrelladeOro: $350 for a concert ticket. Can we all say #overrated & #ridiculous. I refuse to pay that much for anyone whose only claim to fame is a sex tape.

@YeahIKNOWILookFamiliar: Gold Star…more like sour grapes. Why r u always hating on KAMA and Mercy J…U mad Bro? That concert was awesome. Would have been worth it if I had 2 sell a kidney to be able to go.

@KAMABIGGESTFAN: $760tix+$300train+$135hotel(KAMA discount YEA!)+$100Merch will b eating ramen til JUNE bt best 1st anniv n history. Night dreams r made of. Prbly expecting 1st kid in 40wks.

@ByeFelicia: KAMA LnL tix w wine option tk my ent bdg 4 d whole 1st qtr D food alone was worth every 1¢ KAMA debuted new luv song saw #SirPaulMc shed a tear at beautiful music Nvr saw love personified b4

@CountryFAN: Took SO to see KAMA last nite. He loves me=meh Spent 2 much on tix bt he=happy. R so I thought. I loved the whole nite. @SamIAm’s version of WUSN@A was country at its finest.

@UKidsGetOffMyLAWN: KAMA did a version of Bonnie Raitt’s ‘Something to Talk About’ that gave me LIFE. Fave song of the night and that is more than saying something.

@Equalityain’tPoliticalCorrectness: #AllLoveIsBeautiful Lucky n Love Concert was the 1st time me & both my boyfriends could go out together without lies or hurt. Perfect food, perfect music, PERFECT NIGHT

@Freedomisn’tFree: Took wife to KAMA dinner concert last nite didn’t expect to finally thank the man who saved my life in 07. The concert was awesome but that moment with 2LT Santos was worth everything 2 us.

@GirlFreedom: KAMA hires vet run security for guards and events. Will never love another group more. 2LT Santos can never thank you enough 4 making sure my husband made it home to me.

@StillTheOneINeed: Took my lovely1 of 35yrs to see KAMA live at Javits. They played our song. #OneMoreTry I nvr thought I could have a night like last night. #AllLoveisBeautiful. Worth more than gold.

@GodsGrace: Was Blessed 2 go 2 LuckyinLove concert last night w my bf of 3yrs. Got to shake hands with Mercedes Jones & got engaged. Best night ever! I love u Nachez.

@FelixtheCat: MusicGroup that cares about its fans=KAMA wine & bar bt had rooms nearby 4 cheap. Same sex couples & poly-ships, had guards to watch us @the cab stands. They have a fan in me 4life.

 

Celebrity FaceBook Reactions:

Paul McCartney: Sir Paul McCartney attended Grammy Award winning music group KAMA’s Lucky in Love dinner concert the night before his two-hour Valentine's Day concert Saturday at New York City's Irving Plaza. “They may be young, but they have an understanding of the beauty of true love and the possibilities of live music that I haven’t seen present on a stage in decades. They will not be able to attend my concert as they have a family wedding on the holiday itself. I wish many years of love and happiness for KAMA and their cousin who is getting married.”

Tom Hanks: Lucky to have been able to attend KAMA’s Lucky in Love dinner concert last night. I honestly cannot begin to say which was better the food or the music. Given how awe-inspiringly good KAMA’s performance was, that should tell you how good the food was. If you ever have the chance to see KAMA live…TAKE IT. Rita and I had a wonderful night and we took Sam and Puck’s advice when we got home.

Billy Crystal: Janice surprised me with a weekend of great music and her wonderful company. Friday night, there was the foodgasm followed by the eargasm that was the KAMA Lucky in Love dinner concert. Found out that the chef was only sixteen…amazing…at his age I couldn’t boil water without a fire emergency plan. Loved comedian Jermaine Fowler. Always enjoy getting to see fresh, young comics. But the highlight of the night was definitely the headliner. Couldn’t have been on purpose, but one of the classics they sang was ‘Love Is Here to Stay’. Love that song, one of my faves…@MizMercedesJones is Ella Fitzgerald, for a new generation. Thanks to all three of them for giving Janice and I one of the best date nights ever. Still have Sir Paul McCartney to look forward to, Love you Janice Crystal. 

Emma Stone: Most romantic music concert EVER. The food was awesome. The comedian was hilarious. The DJ had the place jumpin’. KAMA made us all feel love and joy and beauty and passion. This weekend will go down in history as the best Valentine’s weekend in history. KAMA on Friday and Sir. Paul McCartney on Saturday. A weekend of love where we got to remember that ALL love is beautiful and life is about love. Thank you, Andrew, for making the holiday so very special.

Jim Carrey: My sweet Cathriona and I had a great time at KAMA’s Lucky in Love. Left full of good food and great passion. Wonderful evening.

Olivia Wilde: @JasonSudeikis promised me a weekend of love & he was determined to deliver. A weekend in a fireplace corner suite at the Greenwich Hotel. Friday night, KAMA’s Lucky in Love concert where we ate spectacular food, laughed at good jokes danced to remarkable music. At the end of the night we followed Sam’s advice and ‘made the love that was inspired by’ the beautiful serenades. Saturday night another music event, Sir Paul McCartney at Irving Park. Another night of love making before we headed home to our son, Otis. Jason, you are a funny, funny man…Thank you for loving me so well.

Paul Rudd: I think I may have been the last hero in the MCU to meet KAMA. It’s okay though…I had the best meal, got a full concert/serenade, had @SamIAm Evans and @MizMercedesJones take great selfies with me and my beautiful wife Julie and followed @PuckU’s awesome advice when we got back to our hotel. Great night. Perfect kickoff to a fabulous Valentines Weekend. #ALL Love is Beautiful. Can’t wait to see Sir Paul McCartney tonight.

 

Rolling Stones Review: Steven Friche & Frank Glass

A dinner concert is usually a small, intimate affair where one feels almost as if the performers are there just for you and your table. How do you manage to create that intimate feeling with over eighty-five hundred people in attendance? For the answer to that, one would have to ask KAMA. The Javits Ctr is usually home to car shows and product expos. But KAMA transformed two hundred and seventy-four thousand square feet of empty exhibit hall into a large, but beautiful, romantic restaurant. The event’s tagline, ‘ALL Love Is Beautiful’ set the tone for the entire evening. The tables were arranged for couples, threesomes, foursomes and moresomes. No matter the number of people at the tables or the make-up of their relationship, they were treated with respect and their relationships treated as something to be nurtured and cherished even by someone as humble as a simple waiter. The room was decorated in shades of KAMA’s signature purple, Valentine red, ivory and gold. There weren’t flowers over flowing or any real attempts at ‘traditional romance’. But the tables were well appointed with beautiful ivory and gold settings and a trio of tea lights providing intimate lighting, and a very subtle, but consistent, fragrance of sandalwood and lavender that made the pop-up restaurant seem like a perfect place for seduction.

This event offered a rare opportunity for Rolling Stones. While there have been many music event reviews, the magazine has never before had the chance to offer a food review. As I attended the concert with my husband, a noted food critic, he was kind enough to give me a breakdown of his opinion on the food delivered to us by sixteen year old Chef Flynn McGarry.

“Looking at the beautifully designed menus, my first thought was that the chef was far too ambitious for a pop-up restaurant serving so many people. They offered ten total options for each course. Two each for each of their gastronomic categories: Vegan, Vegetarian, Shellfish, Non-Shellfish Seafood, and finally, Red or White Meat. The server brought out a tray containing two of each to our small tabletop. The covered dome was removed to display vegan quinoa spinach bites with gingered orange honey dipping sauce. They were honestly amazing. Still hot, despite the large number that had to have been made. The quinoa had just enough structure, the spinach was deliciously seasoned. The gingered orange honey dipping sauce was nice with that one bite treat as it was with the red meat option. I’m not a mushroom fan, but in an effort to be fair, I tried the upside-down mushroom tartlets. They weren’t bad. (high praise for anything containing a mushroom from my husband). But the Mussels with Garlic Butter and the Quinoa sushi rolls with salmon and vegetables more than made up for having to suffer the fungus. My favorite was the chorizo and pepper bread tapas. I drizzled them in the gingered orange honey dipping sauce and it was a symphony in my mouth. The fried risotto balls, Mediterranean crostini, oysters Rockefeller, bluefish pâté and baked zucchini and bacon rolls were all impressive, if less so than some of the other offerings.”

“I went with the shellfish category for the rest of the meal. All the seafood was fresh. So lovely and perfectly cooked. The she-crab soup was as good as any I’d had during my childhood in Charleston, the home of the dish. The slight bit of sherry brought the dish alive. The crab meat was plentiful without being overwhelming. The blue crab beignets were a delight. I’d never thought to pair the two coastal staples. Amazingly enough I didn’t get even a tiny piece of shell in either dish, which is almost unheard of. After much thought for my entrée, I chose the brown butter lobster, bacon, crispy kale and fontina pasta over the crab and shrimp étouffée. It was a difficult choice. But I did not experience a single moment of remorse or ‘what might have been’. The lobster was perfectly cooked. The kale had a bite to it that was a little unexpected. The bacon may have been more honestly called pancetta…but it added a perfect bit of salty, smoky deliciousness to the dish. The only complaint I could have possibly have had was that there was not enough. I was pleasantly full after the meal and I would have enjoyed having some to enjoy the next day.”

“For the cheese course, served much as the amuse bouche course had been with all options available on a dish with just enough for the two of us, I was surprised to see vegan and vegetarian choices despite the nature of the course. I didn’t try either. Instead I tried the three ‘real cheese’ choices. Lavender honey drizzled over pungent Stilton accompanied by candied almonds, a Parmigiano-Reggiano, drizzled with a just enough drops of aged balsamic vinegar that were paired with warm pistachios Camembert drizzled with white wine and rosemary reduction opposite figs and grapes were all very delicious. The serving had been enough, but I still found myself wanting a bit more. However, the meal’s proportions had been designed to allow room for dessert.”

“I’d been ridiculously happy to see a chocolate marquise on the menu and ordered it immediately. When it was set in front of me, I was as giddy as a school boy. A square ‘cake’ displayed on the small white and gold plate was about the size of the palm of a dainty hand. Two large strawberries were sliced and along with a generous amount of pomegranate seeds was arranged atop the treat. A pomegranate and strawberry sauce had been drizzled artistically over the entire dish. It was rich and the dark chocolate ‘cake’ was brightened by the fresh fruit. As suggested by our server, I went with a small glass of a Chilean cabernet sauvignon over a more traditional coffee. It was a perfect paring. All the wine pairings were good, but the final one of the night was honestly superlative. I find it almost impossible to believe that the kitchen was run by a sixteen-year-old and it wasn’t a fully functioning restaurant at all times. There was nothing at all I would change about the meal…except maybe the serving size. But I was comfortably full at the end of the evening, and able to take Sam and Puck’s advice when we got home, so that was probably done by design. I found myself hoping that the ‘Lucky in Love’ dinner concert could become an annual event.”

To appease your curiosity, this music reviewer will also say that upside-down mushroom tartlets (vegetarian) were actually the best ever, the carrot and ginger immune-boosting soup (vegetarian), Southeast Asian lamb skewers with spicy cucumber relish (red or white meat), steak Diane with Barigoule of spring vegetables (red or white meat) and rosewater and raspberry sponge cake were all so good that would be my new favorite restaurant if it was going to be there for more than just that night. The non-dairy smoked Gouda (vegan) was an abomination that shall never again be discussed.

Beyond the food, the night was primarily about the performance of KAMA. The evening’s entertainment started off with comedian Jermaine Fowler. He was quite young, and it came across in his material. That wasn’t to say that he was not funny…just that his material was still fairly superficial. Later in the night, a short intermission was filled by KAMA’s resident spinner, DJ Ca$$. DJ Ca$$ got her start in the Atlanta party and club scene. Though only in her early twenties, this DJ is making a real name for herself outside the KAMA sphere of influence. When not working with the music group, she can be found spinning in some of the harder underground NYC hip hop clubs blending hardcore rap with lighter music and beats from far and wide. She has also been known to do weddings and Bar and Bat Mitzvahs if the price is right or the story compelling enough. It is rare to find someone who seems so ‘real’ in her world…but DJ Ca$$ seems to be the real deal. She will be acting as the mid card act on KAMA’s coming ‘Aesthetic Enjoyment’ tour. Tickets for the seventy stop North American tour go on sale through Ticketmaster on March first.

The night’s main musical even started promptly at ten thirty, as stated on the ticket. In dramatic fashion, live music started to play, replacing the romantic, classical, instrumentals that had been playing at a level that encouraged conversation, whenever the stage was empty. The curtain opened to reveal the band, but not KAMA. They actually came in through the tables. Singing ‘Make You Happy’ from their first album, the trio worked the crowd, stopping to shake hands and even, on several occasions, give hugs to happy concert attendees. Mercedes Jones was every inch a DIVA. She worked the room wearing a lipstick red, Lela Rose, plunging V neckline satin gown with a cutout at back. The dress was sleeveless with moderate shoulder coverage. Her signature cleavage was accented by the dress’ band across the Empire waist. The mermaid silhouette followed her curves from shoulder to straight hem. The slight train at the back just added to the drama. Her hair was alive with curls and pulled back to show off her gorgeous Sevan Bicakci yellow and white diamond drop earrings that Warner Exec Lyor Cohen confided were his gift to her for her Grammy wins the previous weekend.

“KAMA really feels like they are my babies. If that makes any sense. I found them, I brought them into the WMG family. It has been my pleasure to watch them bloom and grow.” He said when asked about the rather unusual move. It was rare for a label head to directly give a gift to an artist. Even more so when one considered that the earrings cost roughly fifteen grand. “Besides, it was a drop in the bucket compared to how much they made for the label in the last month alone.”

Sam and Puck made their own ways, singing through the crowd. Each of them in black slacks and pale gold shirts. Neither was as dressed up as Ms. Jones and yet, when they joined each other on the stage they looked as cohesive a unit as humanly possible. The entire ninety minutes, broken down into two forty-five minute sets was nothing but love songs. They offered us new material. Four songs which will not be available until their sophomore album is released in April-May of this year. Every single song, whether one of KAMA’s or an old classic or a more modern torch song, was masterfully performed vocally by Evans, Jones, and Puckerman with amazing background vocals. The vocals were supported by magnificent musical accompaniment provided by Artie Abrams on guitar, Justin Alexander on piano, Erika Chance on bass, and Dave Briggs on drums. My favorite KAMA song of the night had to be their much-anticipated Elton John cover, ‘Believe’. The world was treated to a mashup of it, and KAMA platinum selling hit ‘ColorBlind’ at the fifty-seventh annual Grammy awards, however at the end of the evening each song was performed in full, giving us all an amazing cap off to a perfect date evening.

However, the group also gave us a glimpse of Lyor Cohen’s dream. Imagine attending a KAMA concert where not only do you get to see an opening act, and a mid-card, plus the headliner…but also a solo performance by each of the trios amazing leads. During the first set, Sam Evans treated us to a warm, loving rendition of Keith Whitley’s iconic ‘When You Say Nothing at All’. The nineteen eighty-eight hit song had been previously rereleased in two thousand and two by Allison Krauss. Sam’s version differed from both the original and the cover in that it lacked the traditional country steel guitar in favor of three regular guitars and a bass…and in the fact that the song seemed somehow more deeply personal coming from the young crooner. Later when returning from the intermission, Mercedes Jones showed us all how she and Jill Scott took two Grammys everyone believed to be basically in Beyoncé’s hands. She stood in the center of the stage accompanied by her husbands’ guitar and Justin’s piano only. Her version of Bob Dylan’s‘To Make You Feel My Love’ was gentle, romantic…it was compelling and wrenching. By the end of the song, there was not a dry eye in the house and no one remained seated as they gave their appreciation. The fact that they followed it by introducing us to a beautiful song ‘Refill’ that was a very touching tale of the early stages of love. Not long before their remarkable finale, it was Puck’s turn to treat us to a solo performance. It had been many years since hearing ‘When I See You Smile’ many of the concert’s younger attendees may not have realized that the song was, in fact, a Bad English cover. The KAMA Badass made the song his own so much so that many of the older attendees may have forgotten that it wasn’t always his.

The evening was a musical and gastronomical delight. I would have preferred a smaller venue, but given the rarity of KAMA performances and the high demand for them may have been behind the vast and mysteriously intimate venue choice. All in all, this reviewer gives the evening four and a half out of five stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With the state of affairs in America beginning to affect other countries around the world, we could all use a little happiness. I hope that this chapter brings you all some joy.
> 
> I'm praying. I'm advocating. I'm marching. I'm writing by snail mail & email. I'm calling. I'm fighting every way I know how. But I have to say, I am so sick and tired of people who have only read the bits and pieces of the Constitution included in middle & high school text books, telling me...who has had to study it extensively to get my undergraduate degree...that I'm wrong about what is and isn't unconstitutional.
> 
> Thank you for listening/reading my little rant.
> 
> Please give me a little Joy...drop me a review to tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, what you'd like to see in coming chapters.
> 
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	30. Father Figure (George Michael) & My Life, My Love, My All (Kirk Franklin)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of Valentine's Weekend  
> and did you ever wonder exactly what happened when Hannah finally told her mother about Hawk and Hart?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Book Reread Rec  
> Phantoms by Dean Koontz
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!!
> 
> AN: PLEASE KNOW for the bulk of this series, certain famous singer-songwriters were, quite unfortunately, never born in this alternate universe. Therefore, while in the real world all songs remain the property of their songwriters, singers and labels, in this AU these songs, unless stated as a cover, were written, recorded and are thereby the property of the fictional music group KAMA. Thank you for reading this disclaimer. (Yes, this includes Lily Allen, Megan Trainer and Rachel Patton among others)

Father Figure (George Michaels)  
Hannah PoV

My life was a dream come true. I was deeply in love with a man so perfect for me that it seemed as if he couldn’t be real. Of course, then he left a wet towel on the floor of the bathroom and I knew he was very much real and flawed and human. Franklin Jones just happened to be a superlative human being. When we met at Devon’s wedding, it wasn’t supposed to be a real relationship. It was the magic and love floating in the air. But after making love with him twice, I knew that I had certainly not had enough. He was big and strong. He was kind and caring. He treated me as if I were the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Best of all he was unequivocally incredible in bed. I had been having sex since I was thirteen years old. I had never experienced sex that good in my life. So, when we returned to DC, we exchanged numbers and decided to continue to see each other. One of the very first things Franklin insisted on, before we even knew that I was pregnant was that I either get counseling or reach out to Duane Tucker. Even I knew that my fascination with older men bordered on the unhealthy. Though my closest cousin, Greta, was quick to say that it was more than unhealthy…not simply bordering upon.

Over the years, I’d thought about reaching out to my father a million times. My mother always convinced me that it would only lead to pain. I guess that was true…I just never realized that the pain it would lead to was hers. I even knew how to do it. He and Uncle Bryant were friends. They followed each other on social media. So, one afternoon, the week after the reunion that happened just a few weeks after I met Franklin, I private messaged the man I knew as my father on Facebook.

“Mr. Tucker, my name is Hannah Arielle Harris-Tucker. My mother is Arielle Denise Harris-Tucker. I was born March fourteenth nineteen-ninety-two. I’m not sure what happened between you and Mommy that you didn’t stay with her after you found out that I was on the way. Over the last twenty-three years, I’ve longed to have a father. I’ve thought of reaching out to you at least a million times. But Mommy always said that it would only lead to pain, to heartbreak. Nevertheless, the simple truth is that I have spent the last ten years of my life seeking relationship of a sexual nature with men far older than myself, perhaps in a warped effort to try and achieve the approval that I was sure a father would give a daughter. I have just begun what has the possibility of being the best relationship I’ve ever had…but I need to end a cycle that was really begun before I was born. Mommy will not help me with this. I have never been able to bring myself to ask Uncle Bryant. Can you please tell me, was it me? Did you just not want me? Sorry…I meant to ask if you didn’t want children. As you can see…it is something that I need to know. Thanking you in advance, your daughter, Hannah.”

I was shocked by what I learned when he responded. “Dear Hannah, I have to say that I really expected to hear from you about five years ago. In an effort to bring you the comfort you need and deserve, I will answer the questions you have openly and honestly. I grew up in a typical, affluent black household of the time, perfect on the outside, full of secrets inside. No one, not even your mother, knew that my mother and three of my sisters all had schizophrenia or, and in one case and, what we called at the time, manic-depressive disorder. I never wanted to have kids because I lived in fear that I too would develop the mental illnesses, or worse pass it on to my children. At twenty-one I had a vasectomy. Your mother and I were together at the time but not yet married. We married later after I completed law school. Your mother didn’t even mention children for years after we were married. Yet, when she decided that she wanted one, she became bound and determined to have her way. I had not told her about my voluntary sterilization. About a year after she decided that we should have children…she came to me with the news that she was pregnant. There was no way that I was the father. I had made sure of that fact and was tested to ensure that I had no active sperm in my semen every year during my annual physical. I was that sure that passing on my genetics was not a good thing. Seeing the lives my sisters and their children have had to live dealing with a broad spectrum of mental illnesses, I am even more sure that I made the right decision.”

“When your mother told me that you were coming…I admit it. I didn’t handle it well. I told her that she was a lying, cheating, controlling bitch because I’d made sure that I could never have children. As you can imagine that led to a very, very, very massive fight. By the end of it, I had to fight to retain my bar membership and my freedom. (I have never hit a woman in my life, not even your mother.) But in nineteen ninety-one, if a woman called the police saying that she was beaten by her estranged spouse and had bruises to show off…well, let’s just say that the burden of proof shifted to the point that it was incumbent upon me to prove my innocence rather than my guilt. Ultimately, I was so angry with Arielle Denise Harris, that I was determined to never see her again. However, it took us years to dissolve the marriage as she refused to sign the paperwork. I was her husband when she got pregnant. I had no proof that she’d cheated on me other than my surgery and to this day they are not considered infallible by the courts. Arielle would never allow a DNA test. So, legally, you are my child. I have paid child support for you to your mother until you finally graduated college. When she was unable, or perhaps unwilling, to pay your tuition, I did so. And by the way why did it take you so long to graduate? And why didn’t you finish at Howard? The University of DC is not a good school. Sorry…but not really. Howard is one of the preeminent HBCUs in the nation. As I was saying. You are legally my child. However, it wasn’t until you were around eight that I realized that you were the closest thing I would ever have to a child and you existed without having a legacy of insanity. I tried to get your mother to allow me visitation. Given the supposed spousal abuse, even though I was found not guilty, it was still amazingly easy for her to block me from being able to interact with you. In fact, legally I could not reach out to you at all. Until you contacted me, I could have no contact with you.”

“Bryant has always been a wonderful friend. I’ve seen you grow up through school pictures and his memories. Unfortunately, he painted you as a smaller version of your mother. Were you really horrid to your cousins at the family reunions? Your cousin Daniel always swore that you were far worse than his father would say. Still, I treasured the pictures and the tidbits he shared with me. I swear my dates and partners at the firm where I worked got so very tired of hearing all of your accomplishments. Especially since they could never meet you. I said worked because I retired last year, a bit early yet, but thanks to my inheritance, wise investing and my own work, I have far more money than I will ever be able to spend. What is the point of continuing to have to wake up early every morning? All of that is said to say that while genetically, you are not my child, legally, and somewhat in my heart, you are my beautiful daughter Hannah. Thank you for finally contacting me. Your ‘father’ Duane.” He included all of his contact information and followed it with a friend or follow request on all his social media outlets.

We started conversing. I actually told him that I was pregnant the same day that I told Franklin. He and I were not father and daughter, exactly, but we did become friends almost immediately. Friends with a paternal leaning to all of our interactions. I learned that he had been proud of the same accomplishments that my mother held in such disdain, my ability to cook, my abilities in gymnastics and more energetic forms of dance, were all lauded by him. Apparently, it was even ‘his fault’ that Mother had pulled me from gymnastics. When I was nine, I’d made it to a regional competition and Mommy had told Uncle Bryant who told Duane. Hoping only to see me with his own eyes, Duane had come to see me compete. Mommy was outraged. Well, after she realized that he still didn’t want anything to do with her.

The longer we talked back and forth, the closer we grew. Franklin supported and encouraged our relationship. But he did still talk me into counseling. “Look, there hasn’t been a Jones divorce in my generation…I’m not going to be the first one. On paper we look entirely wrong for each other. I just want to make sure that we have a strong enough foundation to our relationship that it can weather any storm.”

He was right. And there were storms. My pregnancy wasn’t as hard as it could have been, but it sure as hell wasn’t easy. The first few months, my morning sickness was so bad I was almost an invalid. Any movement at all between the hours of nine am and seven pm led to nausea that was such an understatement for what I experienced that it was like saying that Hurricane Katrina was like a minor inconvenience to the citizens of New Orleans. I was lucky that the one of my female cousins who didn’t truly hate me at the time lived in the city and was in law school, at Georgetown. It didn’t hurt that Greta was dating my college roommate, Courtney, who was one of the few women I’d always been honestly me with. Best of all Greta wanted a summer internship at Patton and Boggs in the worse way. Franklin could easily make that happen. She helped us out a lot around her class schedule. It was Greta that convinced me to invite Duane down to actually met him face to face. His birthday was Halloween, so I invited him to celebrate it with us. He happily accepted, “I’d like to bring someone to meet you…I’ve told you all about Maxi. Well, she would like to meet you and I’d like you to meet her.” He said cautiously.

“Duane, you’ve been dating her for two years, of course she wants to spend your birthday with you.” I laughed. “I look forward to meeting her. You have the address. I’ll make dinner for the six of us. It will be me and Franklin, you and Maxi and Greta and her girlfriend, who also happens to be one of my best friends, Courtney.”

He came and we talked about everything. Maxi was a fitness guru with a popular online gym where people paid her to watch videos of her working out while they supposedly exercised along. She also did weekly question and answer sessions and in person personal training for those who could afford her. She was seriously funny. I’d been worried about the dinner I made. I had gone all out. There were cocktails for everyone not gestating. Including a perfect storm cocktail that was dark and warming. For the soup course I served a pumpkin-chestnut soup that was a richer soup made with butter and heavy cream. The appetizer was savory autumn leaf pies, which were shaped like autumn leaves but didn’t contain any. They were okay from a fitness stand point, lots of good vegetables in the filling, if the outer dough was a carbohydrate mine field. I paired a crunchy green bean salad with a pork loin with apple-cornbread stuffing for the main course and then offered both a molasses spice cake and sugared Seckel pears for dessert. When I apologized to Maxi for not considering her work when I prepared the dinner, she laughed merrily. “Hannah, doll, I work out so I can eat whatever I want on occasion. Now, I’m not saying that I could do what I do and eat like this every day, but I can indulge at least once a week.” She soothed with a smart explanation.

“That makes sense.” I responded. “Sorry, it’s just that my mother…growing up meals were always very much about fueling the body and never allowing anything that might cause an ounce of weight gain. She always pointed out Mercedes and Benton as gluttonous and lazy and so…anyway…still trying to get her voice out of my head.”

Greta laughed. “You should have started working on that years ago. I don’t know how you didn’t noticed, Mercedes might be a plump girl…but she has never been lazy. God, at the Reunions she was always running around and playing. Made me tired to watch. And Benton might not be cut, but he sure as hell ain’t fat.” She laughed.

“Danica and Benton were always kind and loving people.” Duane said with a nostalgic smile. “They actually wrote the judge on my behalf when I tried to get to see you.”

“Benton is a damn fine man. He raised three good kids, and the next two will probably be just as great. But that MeDe…she is doing more than any Jones or Harris ever has.” Franklin said proudly. “Duane, did you know that her album, with her two boys, that bad boy was certified platinum already.”

“The Mercedes Jones from KAMA…that’s Danica and Benton’s daughter?” he asked a little surprised. “But she’s just a…well, I guess she isn’t a baby any longer. I don’t think I ever would have put it together…which makes no sense because, now that I think about it, she has her daddy’s smile. I’ll have to make sure I buy a copy.”

Maxi rolled her eyes. “I already told you to buy one. But you were stubborn, ‘Maxi, there hasn’t been any music worth paying for in the last decade’.”

“Well, even if it were bad, Benton and Danica supported me, of course I’m gonna support their baby.”

I chuckled. “Mercedes isn’t the baby any more. They had twin daughters last April. Amara and Amaea…those little girls are so cute.” I almost squealed. “If they weren’t related, I’d already be hoping that these two were boys so they could marry them when they are all grown up.”

Greta and Franklin threw me a long look and just shook their heads. I could dream. The conversation turned to the babies I was carrying. We all knew that Franklin and I were expecting twins. But we didn’t yet know gender. We were scheduled to find out at our next appointment. Greta was still surprised that my mother didn’t know I was even pregnant. “Mommy hasn’t come to see me since the last reunion. When Aunt Amanda went off on Mommy, I didn’t stand up for her. I personally thought that Amanda had a point, but even more, she was pregnant. I wasn’t going to stress out my pregnant aunt. I’m not a monster. Anyway…she’s mad at me and I haven’t done anything to beg for forgiveness this time because, thanks to Franklin and Dr. Gerardy, our counselor, I refuse to believe that I did anything wrong when I know I didn’t. I talk to her on the phone a couple of times a week, but Mommy punishes me by staying away…eventually she will come around. Then I’ll tell her. Besides, I kind of expect her to try and convince me to end the pregnancy, since it doesn’t fit into what she considers my life should be.”

Duane took my hand and smiled, “And what do you want your life to be, Little One?”

I almost made something up. I knew how people felt about women like me. But I needed to be honest. I needed to have the people at that table, perhaps more than anyone else, accept me for who I really and truly was. “I actually just, I want to be a stay at home wife and mother. I love the idea of helping Franklin advance his career by throwing the best dinner parties in the District. In a few years, hosting play dates and juggling a whole bunch of carpools.”

Courtney nodded. I think she figured that out our freshman year at Howard. I’d really only done well in classes like interior design and culinary nutrition or art and music. Maxi smiled encouragingly. She was a woman of a certain age, even if she didn’t look it, she probably knew more women who had chosen to stay home than I did. Duane was the one to speak up first. “Hannah, you look like you think we’re going to jump down your throat, but it’s not a bad choice. If those things make you happy then be the best at them that you can possibly be. Franklin is a lawyer and a lobbyist. Having a more traditional spouse who can do the behind the scenes shmoozing that he cannot…well, I for one know the impact that not having a hostess can have on a career such as ours.”

Greta smirked. “Yeah, but you’ve gotta have more kids. Not just because being a stay at home mom with one set of twins is wussy,” she teased, “but because Cousin Dani and Benton have shown the world what the genetic combo of Harris and Jones can be. It is your and Franklin’s civic duty to make more Devons, Kevons, Mercedeses and Maras and Maeas.”

We all laughed. Maxi was the only one at the table who hadn’t met any of the people Greta mentioned. For the rest of us, we knew that Greta had a good point. Franklin actually took the moment to answer. “Hannah has made me promise that we’ll have a couple more after these two. We reached a compromise that we can both live with.”

Maxi looked intrigued. “Really, how so? If you don’t mind my asking?”

I didn’t mind. It wasn’t a secret. “Well, Franklin hopes to have all of our children attend either National Cathedral or preferably Sidwell Friends School. I want at least four children, and if we’re going to send that many kids to either of those schools and on to college, we will certainly need to save funds as much as possible. So rather than send them to private schools from kindergarten through graduation, I’m talking classes online to get my early childhood education degree. Courtney, remember, that was the one I came closest to actually completing before I left Howard, I only have to take two semesters and pass the testing and I’ll be a certified teacher…so that I can homeschool the kids until middle or high school.”

Greta nodded. “That’s not a bad idea. Plus with the way public schools are constantly watering down their curriculum, you’ll have a better chance of your kids being able to hang at the level they would need to for either of those schools if you are teaching them and getting them ready for that kind of educational environment.”

“Exactly.” I gave her a wicked grin. “And if my beloved cousin and best friend ever decide to have children, I wouldn’t mind adding them to the class once they are old enough.” The looks on their faces was hilarious. The rest of the evening flew by and Duane and I were closer than ever.

Time moved quickly once I was no longer spending ten hours of every day wishing I could die and only knowing that I wouldn’t to make sure my babies didn’t. Yes, it was that bad. Thanksgiving wasn’t really a holiday Mommy celebrated. She usually worked it, creating lavish events for corporations to allow their clients to celebrate. Every so often, we would spend it with Aunt Danica and Uncle Benton, but those delicious holidays were pretty rare. That year, Franklin and I enjoyed the holiday in Kansas City with his mother Lola Marie Jones. Mrs. Lola was a wonderful woman. A widow, she was in her later sixties and Franklin was her only child. Her hair was gorgeous, almost as long and thick as mine, but a shade of white that I hadn’t realized could occur in nature. She was a retired librarian who had three bedrooms in her home with their walls lined with floor to ceiling bookshelves. Mrs. Lola was very happy to meet me and she reminded me a lot of Aunt Amanda in personality. It was one of the best Thanksgivings I could remember.

As was her recent practice, Mommy worked the holiday Thursday and then went to Barbados on Friday and stayed there for a week. When she got back, she informed me that she was renting a place in California for Christmas and I would be joining her for the week of the holiday. She bought me the ticket and I knew that I didn’t really have a choice. I didn’t really understand why she was so determined to spend Christmas in one of the warmest places in the country. But I knew that there was a conversation that I had put off entirely too long that needed to happen. So a little over a week before I officially began my third trimester, I packed and Franklin took me to Reagan. “Are you sure that you don’t want me to come with you?” He asked for the millionth time. He really didn’t like me taking the trip and having the confrontation with my mother all alone.

“Frankie, you have given me all the strength my mother has tried to wean out of me since the day I was born. But this isn’t something that anyone but I can do for me. As much as I love having you with me at every possible moment, you need to stay in DC until the congress goes home for Christmas…and your presence would only make things exponentially more difficult," I reminded him.

He kissed the back of my hand. “I know. I know. I just…I worry. You are very much stronger than you think you are and I know that you can do this. That you need to do it…but I still worry.”

“I don’t expect you not to worry. But have faith in me,” I pleaded quietly. I did need him to let me do it alone for all the reasons I’d said but also for a very important reason that I hadn’t. I wanted to protect him from my mother treating him like she has always treated Benton.

“I have all the faith in the world in you, Hannah. I just have none in your mother," he said bluntly. “I still remember her looking like she was at a funeral at Benton and Danica’s wedding. Speaking of weddings…when are you finally going to agree to marry me?”

I should have expected that. “You’ve said yourself, in your position and with what we hope to build together, a large, lavish wedding will be needed, and we both know that it is what we both want. I’m not going to be able to fit my dream dress for a long time. So we’ll just get married when I can,” I replied reasonably. “We’re in love, we’re happy, we’re engaged, and we’re expecting twins. So for now that will just have to be enough for your commitment-philic heart,” I told him, though I had a plan to make him very happy on Valentine’s Day. I knew it was cliché, but I loved the cliché of it all.

We said our good byes at the car. Franklin needed to get to the office and it wasn’t like he could wait with me at the gate. The flight was fine. DC to LAX wasn’t a short flight, but I’d taken all the pregnancy flying precautions my doctor had given me. I even had a letter from her saying that I could fly and that no matter what I looked like, I was only twenty one weeks along. I didn’t have much with me, just the rolling carry on and my purse, so I didn’t have trouble getting off the plane and to baggage claim. I saw my mother waiting for me. She barely looked up from her phone, at first, but then I pulled off the coat that had been a necessity in DC but was completely unneeded in LA. She kept up the appearance of being happy to see me until we got into her car.

“What the hell is that?” she grumbled angrily, glaring at my stomach.

“Those are your grandsons, Mommy,” I replied as I put my seatbelt on.

“Why didn’t you get rid of them before you were this far along? Now all you can do is find a family who wants children and hope and pray that they haven’t destroyed your figure too much,” she said snottily.

I had known that this would be her reaction, but a small part of me had held out some weird hope that I would be wrong. “Mommy, I have no desire to give my babies away. Their father and I love them," I said simply.

She looked at the carat and a half of perfect clarity, cut and color princess cut diamond in its platinum setting resting in its spot on the third finger of my left hand. “Well, I suppose that you found an acceptable way of getting your Reginald to make a proper commitment. You know he comes from one of the best families on the east coast.” She shifted focus to something that would make my pregnancy acceptable in her sight.

“Reggie is a dear friend and he always will be, but he and I are nothing more than friends. Haven’t been for a long while.” I told her.

She looked at me like I was crazy. “You two were together this summer, you brought you to the family reunion. You look like you were pregnant then.”

I sighed and admitted that I was already pregnant at the family reunion. Probably about two weeks along since that was how long was between Devon’s wedding and the Harris Family Reunion. “But Reggie came with me to the reunion just for appearances sake.”

“Well, why didn’t the father of those children come with you?” she asked snidely. “Do you even know who he is?”

“Of course I do, Mommy. He and I have been seeing each other for quite some time and we are engaged.”

“Why haven’t I met this man, it is a man right. You aren’t one of those Lesbians like your cousin Greta. I know that you had that roommate who was.” Mommy sounded like that was a fate worse than death.

“Yes, he is a man. You haven’t met him because you wouldn’t like him.” I said bluntly. “And there is nothing at all wrong with Greta and Courtney. They are very happy together and have been for over a year. If Courtney’s family didn’t have plans that weekend, she would have been at the reunion.”

Arielle Harris-Tucker was very small minded in a lot of ways, but homophobia wasn’t really one of them. “I didn’t say there was anything wrong with it. Cousin Jamesques and his wife are fine with it. I just wouldn’t want that for you. It is hard enough being a black woman, throw being gay on top of that…that is an uphill battle you just don’t need. Though at least Courtney and Greta are both continuing their education and will be able to get highly profitable careers. I suppose that you’ve fallen for some young idiot without a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of.”

I laughed. “Mommy, nothing could be further from the truth. I have never dated anyone who could ever be considered young. My fiancé is a lawyer who works as a lobbyist for the automotive and insurance industries. He is a man who is intelligent and strong. He treats me amazingly well. He is, in fact, working as we speak.”

“Oh…well, I suppose you think that it’s my fault that you only date old men.” She ignored the hints I gave her to Franklin’s identity. Her driving was, to be quite honestly scaring me.

“Mommy, let’s get to the place you rented. Getting upset negatively impacts your ability to concentrate on the road.” I said soothingly.

She shot me a dark look, and then had to quickly change lanes to make sure that she didn’t hit a slower moving truck in front of us. For once she didn’t argue with me. The drive was really nice. The house she finally drove up to was a beautiful beach house on Malibu Beach. I wanted to ask how on earth she could afford the rent on such a place. But I had other and better questions I wanted to ask her. She showed me around the three bedroom, three bathroom main house that she had rented. “I’ve rented it until March. I will be back in DC before your birthday, of course. But I have a very lucrative contract out here for the next little while.”

“Well, that’s nice. My due date is the twenty-fourth…but with twins, well, as long as I make it to the third or so…they will be fine.” I said happily.

She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure that they will be fine. I had a horrible time with you. I was all alone in the delivery room…”

Wait, I thought. “But you said that Aunt Danica came and was your coach and then stayed with you for two weeks after I was born.”

Mommy nodded. “Yes, she did…poor Devon and Kevon were left alone with that man. But she came and she helped me. I’d not even held a baby since Danica was a child. She had to teach me how to use the new version of diapers. They had changed a lot since the seventies.”

“Then why were you alone?” I asked confused.

Mommy sighed. “I was living in DC. Even flying Danica didn’t make it to the hospital until I had been taken into the delivery room. You were not an easy birth. The doctors almost had to do an emergency C-Section but I refused. Danica had had both Devon and Kevon naturally. I couldn’t not do the same.” She acted as if there was some kind of competition involved.

“If it makes you feel any better, I had a very hard time with morning sickness.” I told her. The worse part was that she did look as if it did make her feel better. I didn’t unpack, though, after texting with Franklin to let him know I’d arrived safe and sound, I did put my suitcase and purse in the room Mommy said would be where I would stay. We had lunch. And Mommy finally asked about the pregnancy. I told her that the babies and I were doing well, that I was taking prenatal yoga and a prenatal water aerobics classes. I talked about the dietary changes that I’d made. She asked about my blood pressure and my glucose levels. It was really nice. I showered and got ready for bed. It was really early but trip had tired me out. 

By the time I woke from my nap, Mommy had already seen to dinner. “I ordered something for us. I’ve found a great vegetarian restaurant that I’m in love with, but I know that you have broader dietary needs now. So I got you a rotisserie chicken to accompany the meal.”

“Thank you, Mommy.” I said honestly. Over dinner, I asked something that I wanted to know. “What brought you to LA? You’ve always said that it was too uncouth out here.”

“I was offered the opportunity to organize a series of bridal expos for several cities from LA to San Francisco. It is quite an opportunity. Not only did they arrange for this rental, they are paying two thirds of the monthly rent. I will be running myself ragged for the entire month of February, but it will be more than worth it. Especially if I am able to turn this into a year-round contract. The same company does Expos around the country over the course of the engagement season.”

I didn’t have to ask about that, the engagement season went from before Christmas through mid-February. “Well, congratulations. I’m sure that they will love everything that you do.” I surprised us both by yawning.

“You should go on to bed. Carrying one child is hard work…let alone twins.” She sounded maternal. “But really, this is your own fault. If you had told me that you were pregnant, I’d have put you on a later flight.” I just sighed. “Do you think you will be up to some shopping tomorrow? I am in desperate need of some west coast appropriate suits for all my meetings and the events themselves. And I suppose that you need some maternity clothing.”

I thought that that meant that she had accepted my pregnancy. I should have known better. What she called shopping turned out to be an excuse for five hours of interrogation. She even hinted a few more times that I was too young to have children and should put them up for adoption. It would have continued but when she asked me if I was ashamed of the babies’ father, I shot back, “Are you ashamed of mine? I mean, we both know that it isn’t Duane Tucker…so who is it? Do you even know his name? Did you just hook up with someone who shared physical traits with Duane?”

Mommy looked at me like I had slapped her, but I was hormonal and hungry and tired and she kept saying just one more store, then we’d have lunch. She’d even had the nerve to admonish that I should be careful and not gain too much weight. “Hannah Arielle Harris-Tucker, how dare you speak to me like that? I am your mother.”

“You are my mother. You are the woman who gave birth to me. But now I know that the man whose name is on my birth certificate is not my father. You’ve known that since before you ever told him that you were pregnant. So why have you allowed me to cry and hope and wish and dream for him for my entire life. Maybe if I had known that he wasn’t my father my life could have been so much different. I lost my virginity at thirteen to a married man who was almost thirty. I wanted to have the approval of a father figure so badly that I would do anything…anything…to get it. Maybe I could have had that from Uncle Bryant or Uncle Christophe…but you refused to let that happen. You never let me spend time with Aunt Danica and Uncle Benton. You always made sure to keep me isolated and completely under your thumb. Why Mother…why have you spent the last twenty three years trying to destroy me? Duane said that you wanted a child so much, when he couldn’t give you one, you went out and got pregnant anyway. If it was so important to you to have a child, why was I never allowed to be a kid? I spent more time in classes; piano, harp, violin, ballet, gymnastics, contemporary, so many classes I could never keep track of them all. But I know that I spent a hell of a lot more time in them than I spent with you when I was little. Hell you had me in sewing and knitting classes with women who were retired before I was old enough to drive. I never said a thing against them because it seemed like the only time I got to really spend with you was on the way to one of them or at the family reunion.”

“Of course, I wanted a child. I had been married more than long enough and it was time. People were beginning to talk. As for the rest of what you just said…none of it is any of your business. How do you know any of it?” she finally sputtered.

I smirked. “You thought I would never find out…right? You knew the Uncles, Aunt Danica…they would always tell me it wasn’t their place. I don’t even know if Uncle Ethan knows the whole story. You made sure that Duane wouldn’t be able to contact me. Not if he wanted to keep his ability to practice law. You tried to take that from him when he called you on the fact that there was no way I was his, right. How did you do it? Did you manage to hurt yourself? No, you’ve never been a fan of pain…you couldn’t inflict it on yourself not even to fill your need for vengeance and control. Did you pay someone to beat you up so that you could have Duane charged with domestic violence? Let me guess, you were going to drop the charges in exchange for him coming home?”

“Duane got to you. You listened to him? I will have him back in court. He was never supposed to contact you.” I watched her face as she realized that she wasn’t going to win with that tactic. “Is Duane still claiming that he’s never touched a woman in anger in his life? That he was a model husband? Did he tell you that he had a habit of disappearing for two or three days every year? He made me seem like I was a whore when…”

“When he was doing exactly what he told you he was doing. It was two days every time. Always a Sunday and Monday and he came home on Tuesdays. It was because he went back to Woodmore, his hometown, to see his primary care physician and a family doctor.” She didn’t need to know that the family doctor was actually the psychiatrist who oversaw his mother and sisters’ treatment plans. “The only time he was gone longer was when his sister, Muriel had an accident while walking him to the car and he didn’t come home until the next day because by the time she got out the ER and he helped her get home he didn’t feel like fighting traffic. The visits were to make sure that his vasectomy didn’t heal in such a way that he, well, put out any active swimmers. He always spent both nights in his childhood home with both his mother and his father. His father died in ninety-four and his mom died ten years later. His older sister, Barbara, still has the house, and while he doesn’t like the way she remodeled it, he tries to visit at least two or three times a year. If you really thought that he was cheating on you, you could have called your mother in law and checked out his story.”

“Oh please, that woman hated me. She would have lied for him in a heartbeat.” Mother shot back.

I laughed. “You know, Mommy, you are always telling me how you are beloved by all the people you work with. Then you turn right around and bemoan how so many people who should love you hate you…but you never seem to realize that its only people that get to know you well who can’t stand you. At a certain point one has to wonder if you’re ever going to realize that it isn’t them, it’s you.”

“You are an ungrateful little bitch. I’ve made sure that you had the best of everything. The best schools…the best training…the best clothes…everything.” She hissed angrily.

I smiled. “Yes, you got me the best of everything Duane’s money could afford.” She looked aghast. “He told me everything, Mommy. I know that when I was little you got just over thirty thousand a year for my support and care. But as he made more and more money every year, you made sure that he paid more and more every year. By the time I turned twenty-one you were getting over a hundred and thirty thousand a year…and he still paid the tuition you refused to pay at UDC. Now, yeah, a lot of that went to me…but would you really want him to call for an accounting of your spending the last three years I was eligible for child support? Because I would like to know what happened to the extra money he sent through the agency for all of my birthdays including the last two years and all those Christmases…Oh and of course, he’s given me my Christmas gift directly this year. It was a pearl necklace, his mother left for me. He showed her pictures of me and told her the stories Uncle Bryant told him. She loved me…even if she never got to know me and she wanted me to have something of hers to let me know that I was loved. You see Mommy…all you’ve ever done is keep me from people who could do what you never could. People, like Aunt Danica and Uncle Benton, and Uncle Bryant and Daniel and Melliscent…and all my cousins…like Duane…and maybe even whoever my biological father was…people who could love me for me…without conditions or restrictions.” I stood up and put my bags at her feet. “You can return those. I don’t think that I have any further need of your conditions.”

“If you don’t have any need of my conditions…then you can get the hell out of my house. You’re no damn daughter of mine. You ungrateful brat," she snarled.

“That’s fine by me Mother.” I grabbed my purse and managed to catch a cab back to her rental. Thank goodness she had given me a key. I let myself in, made sure to only take my carryon and my purse, left the key hanging on the coat rack by the door and had the cabbie take me back to LAX. Mother had gotten me a non-changeable, nonrefundable ticket. So I’d had to buy a whole new ticket. Short notice flights weren’t cheap. Both of my credit cards all still had the spending limits Mother had insisted upon on them so I couldn’t afford one to DC. I could have called Duane or Franklin, but I wanted to get the hell out of LA in the worst way. So I got the ticket to the closest family I had, the main place I needed to start re-building bridges. When I got there, I was able to rent a car. I’d had to use the GPS to get to their house, but it was alright because I remembered the address. From the moment Aunt Danica opened that door I was welcomed back into the heart of her family.

That Valentine’s Day, I talked Franklin into taking the afternoon off and we drove to Arlington and had a small ceremony with an interesting Justice of the Peace named Jeff. Duane and Maxi flew down and they served as our witnesses. Franklin and I were ridiculously happy. We agreed that since the babies were due in a month, we’d have our official wedding on our first anniversary and that would give me several months to get back into shape before we had to walk down the aisle. I spent that year taking care of my babies, planning our wedding and Franklin began the process of getting his townhouse ready to be sold so we could move the following summer. We were looking at Stone Ridge, Virginia, and Clarksburg, Maryland. Franklin had a very definite idea of what he wanted in a home. Seeing Mercedes and her boys’ house in Lima really only cemented it. I let him handle that. We wouldn’t start actively looking until the spring after our dream wedding anyway.

And the wedding was a dream. I’d told Duane and Uncle Benton that I wanted one of them to walk me down the aisle but I wasn’t sure which one. Eventually they asked me if I would like it if they got matching tuxedos and both escorted me to Franklin…how could I refuse? Maybe I should have because as soon as I agreed that that was the perfect solution, both Uncle Benton and Duane offered to help us pay for the wedding. And at first Franklin and I said no. But apparently, neither man was willing to take that as an answer. Uncle Benton and Aunt Danica literally pulled a Jedi mind trick on me until they knew exactly when and where I was going to look for my dress. It was a miscellaneous Saturday, and when I got there with Greta and my other three bridesmaids, Aunt Danica was waiting with the lady who was going to help me with finding a perfect dress. When the lady asked me my budget, Danica Jones stepped in. “She can spend up to ten. Her uncles and I will be buying it.” I started to argue with her. “No…Benton, Duane, Bryant, Christophe, Ethan…we’ve all talked this over. If you find a dress that you love, then we don’t want you to worry about the cost. If it cost five hundred, if it cost five thousand. You are not allowed to let cost be the determining factor.”

I just gave her a hug and thanked her…because I could tell when I wasn’t winning a fight. My mother had long ago taught me the Harris heels digging in face. But I was in no way prepared for what happened in that appointment. I tried on maybe five dresses before I finally tried on the Demetrios ball gown that I’d fallen in love with online. I wanted to try on different styles and shades, before I put on the romantic beaded lace ball gown that featured an illusion scoop neckline with sheer embellished long sleeves, and beaded waist-line. The back of the dress was amazing with an open sheer back with beaded lace applique embellished with button closures and a Chapel train. Then I tried on seven more dresses and came back to it again. It was the one. It was perfect. As soon as I said that it was the one, Aunt Danica smiled and asked the assistant if she had a similar look in a short dress, “for the reception. Hannah is an amazing dancer…but the ballgown will be too much for her to really move in.”

Greta, Courtney, Monica, Dylan-Laura and I looked at each other and just couldn’t believe what we were hearing. I ended up being a Barbie doll for Aunt Danica but then I put on a short dress from Christian Siriano that was all-over lace with illusion sleeves and a high neck…I knew that it was just as much my dress as other one. It just felt right and since it was a mini-dress there wasn’t a dance known to man I wouldn’t be able to own. Aunt Danica paid for both dresses, and wouldn’t let me see the receipt. She literally had the woman print out a gift receipt for me. Then she and Uncle Benton must have told Duane all about how they had worked their way around my stubbornness, because as soon as I was sure that I wanted to have the reception at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, the only venue that I’d seen and loved the caterer and all the vendors that I had no choice but to utilize. Like I had to use their event caterer and florist. But I could bring in my own DJ, photographer and videographer. I had talked to Duane and Maxi about it the night Franklin and I were sure that was the venue…and the next day when I called to reserve it, the woman refused to take our credit card information. “Your father called an hour ago. You are to make all the arrangements, but he has already prepaid for the event. He is such a nice man. He said that you and your fiancé deserved the best of everything. You are such a lucky young lady.” She gushed.

He didn’t just prepay for the venue cost…nope…he prepaid for the premium wedding package. A package the woman never would tell me the cost of. But it included, and I knew exactly because every time I asked the cost she just went back over the features of the package, “a five hour open premium bar, a cocktail hour with your selection of passed hors d’oeuvres, a three-course dinner with wine service and champagne toast. As well as all tables, fine china, silver, glass and votive candles, Your choice from our collection of table linens and napkins, complimentary Chiavari chairs with your choice of cushion color, one bartender for every 100 guests. And of course, since we know every bride wants her special day to be remarkable, we will also work with you to create a custom menu that compliments your taste and is sure to exceed your expectations.”

I had to say that he was definitely making up for lost time if that was what he was trying to do. All I could get out of either him, Uncle Benton or Aunt Danica was…“The bride’s family pays for the wedding.” I didn’t understand how they managed to keep ahead of me at every turn. Except the DJ. I’d been looking all around the DC area and couldn’t find anyone that I actually…well, I wasn’t as into music as Mercedes, but I didn’t want to only have Earth, Wind and Fire and disco. My problem was solved by one of my bridesmaids. Monica Lewis-Mayes and I had been friends since I pledged AKA. Monica had been a senior and our rush captain. She and I had become such good friends that we never went more than a week without talking. Now twenty-seven, she worked on the hill as a clerk for the House Ways and Means committee. When I started planning the wedding she had been a no brainer for one of my bridesmaids’ slots. She actually instituted a weekly lunch so that I could give them duties on a weekly basis, or they could let me vent and blow off steam, which was how it usually turned out.

Time was definitely running out. At our first luncheon after the start of the New Year, I was lamenting the supposedly great DJs that I’d been interviewing and she looked thoughtful. “Remember that guy I was dating over Christmas?”

“You mean the old man’s answer to Pretty Rickey…what ever happened with that?” Dylan-Laura, our other soror and friend asked teasingly. 

Monica rolled her eyes. “I broke up with him as soon as we got back. Girl, when we got there, half of nobody knew he had invited me. He didn’t get us a hotel room, no…we stayed at his parents’ house. Then he kept trying to get me to let him get it in in his childhood bedroom. Of course I said no. I’m telling you. If his Daddy hadn’t been there, I think that fool would have tried to press the issue. Strike one, right? Then his daughter, Cassidy…who is the DJ I’m gonna tell you about in a few minutes. She got her grandparents who raised her some awesome Christmas gifts…like dream gifts. He got his hip on his shoulder because she spent more on them than on him. Even though he wasn’t really what anyone would call a ‘present dad’. His whole family made it pretty clear that he was the type to steal their gifts, whether for money or spite, couldn’t tell…but yeah. Strike two. Then the younger of the sisters, she gets me alone and gives me a number for a domestic violence hotline and her number and was all concerned that I might need to call her to get away from him. Turned out DJ Ca$$, her birth mother came and dropped her off with the grandparents when she was an arm baby and other than Christmas and birthday cards, hasn’t been heard from since. She was that scared of Rocky. Oh and did I mention that Cassidy is, like twenty-two or something…That was all she wrote. When the guy’s family likes you more after knowing you for five minutes than they like him after knowing him for his whole life…it is legit time to dip to the muthafuckin’ left.”

“Hell yeah it is. He’s trying to make a sister catch a case.” Dylan-Laura returned. She was a true social chameleon. She’d grown up dividing her time between her mother’s home in an affluent Atlanta suburb and her father’s apartment in Fairfax Virginia…and not the good side of town. She could make the quickest switches between educated professional woman of color and straight up hood rat of anyone I had ever met in my life.

Looking around the table, I realized that given that our physical similarities greatly outweighed our differences, the greatest of which was height, one might think we were real sisters, rather than just sorors. Greta's voice actually knocked me out of my inner musings. “Isn’t DJ Ca$$ the name of the DJ that rolls with Mercedes’ band?”

I smiled huge. “Is that her?” we Googled her and it turned out that she was the KAMA DJ. “She is good.” I said happily. KAMA hadn’t come anywhere near us in DC last summer, but I had watched their live streams religiously. DJ Ca$$ was awesome and best of all, she was as good as family. I reached out to her through her website and when her quote came back, I jumped all over it. I was a little surprised that she wasn’t already booked. But then I realized that she may have only taken me on because of Mercedes. I was actually quite good with that. I made sure to pay her fee before I told a soul that I had found my DJ. I felt ridiculously victorious.

That sense of victory wasn’t as long lived as it could have been. That very next day, when I took Greta, Courtney, Monica and Dylan-Laura to go find their bridesmaids dresses, Maxi turned up with a prepaid visa. They each tried on one of the dresses that I had it narrowed down to. We all loved the La Petite Robe di Chiara Boni long-sleeve woven-back Ponte gown in a shade of cobalt blue that fit my colors perfectly. Maxi had them ring up the four, nine hundred dollar dresses…thank God they were on sale…and she paid for them before my girls came back out of the dressing room. Then she asked me what I was doing for their gifts. I didn’t say a single thing. They weren’t able to do much with Franklin. But then again maybe they didn’t really try, it is traditional for the groom to pay for his and his groomsmen’s things, so maybe they were only slipping in on things the bride’s parents traditionally handled.

Or so I thought. Until one evening Franklin came in with a Macy’s box. “I should never have told Benton what I decided to get for the groomsmen.” He grumbled. Sure enough, inside were enough of the AX Armani exchange bracelet watches for Franklin, his four groomsmen and Uncle Benton and Duane. Plus a cute little blue Goofy watch for the ringbearer, and two more for the Twins, when they were old enough. “The problem is that MeDe keeps paying for shit that Benton had planned on paying for and so now, he and Danica are shoveling their excess off on us.”

“Well, they are your family too…so don’t try and blame this on me.” I just pointed out with a wicked grin. He’d been reminding me that I should be happy about the love and forgiveness their wedding antics implied almost constantly. It felt good to see him on the receiving end.

We managed to plan most of the wedding without their monetary interjection…and it was always just money. Oh Aunt Danica may have decided that I needed two dresses, but she hadn’t forced me to find a second that I loved. And both dresses were to my taste and fit my vision for the wedding. The same with Duane and the venue. He paid but all the decisions were mine and Franklin’s. I decided on my colors, which had been hard. Most AKAs have the sorority’s colors represented somewhere in any major life event kind of deal…or at the very least they manage to avoid the colors of any of the other black sororities. Yeah, ultimately, I managed to break both rules. I didn’t want pink anywhere since it was a Valentine’s Day wedding…I wasn’t loving the cliché that much. I looked horrible in green. And yeah, I wasn’t wearing it, but I didn’t want it around me at all. Yeah, we picked everything and made all the decisions ourselves. We did everything for the invitations. We did all the selection for the decorations. So I guess, the interference wasn’t horrible or degrading like I knew it would have been if Mother was involved.

Since I had taken care of all the choices and knew my day inside and out, I was actually fairly relaxed as the week of the wedding arrived. Early Monday morning, I made calls to all the vendors, and went over the day’s timeline with each. I went over all of that once again with my Week of Coordinator, super-efficient event planner named Fallon Carter. I had actually chosen her at random from a list of coordinators Mommy had never had a good or bad thing to say about. I knew she must be good if Mommy felt the need to ignore her very existence. I was shocked to get an email from Mercedes not long after Franklin got home from work.

Hannah,

While we’ve always been family, we’ve never been friends. I am more glad than I can say that that is beginning to change. You’ve proven over the last year or so that the person I grew up calling ‘cousin’ wasn’t who you really are and I have to say I like you a hell of a lot better now that you are out of your mother’s shadow. I wish that I was available to sing at your wedding, but since we cannot make it to the rehearsal, we’ll leave that to Franklin’s buddy…(How did he never tell me he knew Kenny Latimore? Tell him how wrong he was not to share that tidbit of info.) Still, I wanted to do something to show you that you’ve earned my forgiveness.

So attached, you will find five e-gift certificates to the Spa at the Ritz Carlton in Georgetown. Yours is for a thousand. The appointment is already made and you’re having the bridal package. Facial, relaxation massage, body balance treatment and waxing EVERYWHERE. Greta’s is the eight hundred buck one. She gets less waxing than you do. Love her, but she isn’t the bride. She can pay the difference if she wants to…as for your other three bridesmaids, they get even less waxing. I don’t know them well enough to know if they get more than their legs done…and it would be creepy if I did. Still the opportunity is there for them to add services on their own dime. Your appointment is for Thursday at four. Mom will be there earlier that after noon and she is good with watching Hawk and Hart for you. Enjoy your spa visit. I will see you Saturday. 

It’s nice to finally be able to say…

Love you cousin,

Mercedes

I may have cried. I may have cried so hard Franklin had to get me ice water to cool me back down. I showed him the beautiful thing our shared cousin had done. “Frankie, I don’t deserve this. I was horrible to her for so long. I don’t deserve her forgiveness.”

He pulled me close and rocked me gently. “Hannah, Honey…if MeDe did not think you deserved her forgiveness, you wouldn’t have it. She is every bit as much a Jones as she is a Harris, maybe even more. There is a lot of good in her heart, but she can and will cut a bitch if it calls for it. I can guarantee your mother hasn’t gotten anything from her…not a single, solitary dime. Nor will she, not if she doesn’t realize how wrong she’s been.”

We stayed there, cuddling and talking until our ten month on twins decided to remind us that they didn’t want any siblings for at least two more years. I sent her an immediate thank you and reminded her that I completely understood why she and our family members in her camp couldn’t make it down until Saturday morning. “Work it MeDe, every single time you do something big I know that Mommy is dying inside. I may be wrong, but I am still loving that fact. I’ll see you all Saturday. Break a leg, Friday.” I think that was the last time I took a deep breath all that week. Thank God I was extremely well organized or I would have lost my shit for real. The printer was supposed to deliver the programs, place cards, all of that kind of deal on Tuesday morning. The final programs had to be approved by our Pastor’s executive assistant…and we needed time to make any changes she said were necessary. Not that I was expecting any. She had helped me create them. On top of that the place cards and final seating arrangements had to be delivered to the event coordinator at the RRB, ITC by Wednesday afternoon.

We were getting married in the church I’ve gone to my entire life. Mom had been raised AME, like most of the family still was, but Shiloh Baptist Church had been the black church that everyone who was anyone…but didn’t want to seem like they were latching on to the huge churches…went to. It had since grown into a huge church but it was also old and it was active. Since there was a certain prestige to the church, Mommy had never switched.

I had been dedicated in that church, baptized there. My Girl Scout troop was through that church. I’d even been on the praise dance team all through middle and high school. I still went every other Sunday. Arielle Harris-Tucker only really ever went to be seen. That was more my church than it was Mommy’s so that was the church I was getting married at. Dr. Smith, our pastor, fully agreed with me. So much so that he offered Franklin and I the church fellowship hall for the rehearsal dinner. Franklin was technically a member but he really only started attending with me. He even paid his tithes…but before he and I got together, he only went at Christmas and Easter. Even Mommy made it more often than that. Despite the pastor’s kindness, Franklin had already made the arrangements. He rented the Gigi room at Joe’s Restaurant near the White House.

By Thursday morning, between myself and Ms. Carter, everything was all straightened out. She and I met with the florist, the caterer and the venue event planner and went over everything one final time. The tablescapes were elegant and the customized lighting scheme was unique, but not gauche. The final tasting of the dinner and the passed canapes proved everything to be exactly as I wanted it. We spoke with the baker in Arlington, Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe, and went over the final delivery walk through. By two, we were completely done and I was free for the day. I even managed to grab a quick shower before I took Hart and Hawk up to Aunt Danica and Uncle Benton and the twin’s Ambassador suite in the same Ritz Carlton at which Mercedes had made my bridal party’s spa appointments. We chatted for a few minutes before she and Uncle Benton took the twins and their bags and pretty much shoved me out the door.

When I got down to the spa’s lobby Greta, Dylan-Laura, Monica and Courtney were waiting on me. Greta looked at me and smiled. “I’m not gonna lie. You should be really glad that it was Mercedes you bullied for all that time, because I’m not this forgiving a soul.” She teased.

“You should be glad too. Because if she didn’t forgive me, none of y’all would be going to the spa today.” I shot back. The next four hours were filled with laughter and relaxation. I both had to drive and I was still pumping six times a day to keep Hawk and Hart in their preferred liquid refreshment, so I limited myself to just one glass of champagne. I made up for it with the chocolate covered strawberries though. After all my treatments were said and done, Greta and I went up and talked with Aunt Danica and Uncle Benton for a little while. I was supposed to have left with my sons, but Aunt Danica swore that she got to see them so rarely, she just had to keep them over night. Franklin and I didn’t waste the night either. It was good that we didn’t. The next night, after a clock work run through of the service and an amazing seafood dinner, Duane surprised me with an ambassador suite all of my very own. Christophe, and his girlfriend Parvarti and her husband Thomas…I swear Mercedes started a nationwide trend of people saying ‘Fuck it, I love who I love’…they kept the twins for me and Franklin. Maxi handed me a basket of treats, including bubble bath and chocolates and even a sleep mask. Franklin helped me pack up everything I needed for the night away from home. We gathered my dress, lingerie, shoes, jewelry and every single thing I even thought that might need, including my pump and the little cooler case I took with me whenever I had to pump away from home. The room had a refrigerator in the pantry so I wouldn’t need the cooler for anything but transport, but it was good to have.

I made sure that I had the gifts for my girls and a few really great products that had been saving for a time when I could find a few minutes to myself. Which hadn’t really happened in the previous thirteen or more months. I was shocked when I got to the hotel and found all of my bridesmaids with their things waiting on me. Courtney laughed at the expression on my face. “Don’t worry…this is not going to be like the night before graduation. Your father said that you are to be in bed no later than eleven and we’re to let you have the night you want. He just told us that we needed to be here early for breakfast. I don’t know what all he has planned, but it is going to be good.”

Her words were certainly true. When we got to the room, we did chill, relax and I had a nice bubble bath, all by myself. But when I got out, I had my girls to laugh and clown with. It was a great evening. At ten thirty we all piled into the huge bed and watch movies until we dropped off. The next morning, we were awakened at nine by the arrival of a breakfast fit for a queen. A lady came up and steamed all of our dresses right there in the room. She even took care of my reception dress. After visiting my boys and taking Uncle Christophe the milk I’d pumped the night before, I came back and had a nice relaxing bath. When I came out, it was to find that the dining room of the suite had been transformed into a salon. All five of us were treated by having our hair, nails and makeup done. Best of all the ladies were so efficient, that we all looked perfect and were totally ready to head to the church at noon.

Duane had gotten us a limo and the seven of us, including Aunt Danica, who would be taking my mother’s place for the day and Mrs. Lola, our twelve dresses, eight pairs of shoes and seven rolling luggage pieces containing our accessories were unloaded into the bridal ante chamber. The ceremony photographer and the videographer were already there waiting on us. We all helped each other dress for the ceremony and made sure that the makeup artist’s hard work wasn’t undone. There was orange juice in champagne flutes all around. It was almost perfect. I crushed that small bit of melancholy. Mommy had ordered me out of her life for wanting to live my own…I refused to allow her to ruin my wedding day. I only wish I’d been able to resist the temptation of sending her an invite.

My Love My Life My All (Kirk Franklin)  
Mercedes PoV

I was one of those people who had a birthday on a gift giving holiday. It wasn’t as cool as people usually thought. First of all, there were the combo gifts…which were only acceptable if it was a very expensive gift. Second of all, it was often overshadowed. I was luckier than those poor people who were born on Christmas, but I was kind of used to my birthday being someone else’s anniversary. Or worse the day they got shot down by every girl they had ever liked. Poor Artie. I was so glad he was happy now. Having to spend my whole birthday at the wedding of someone I was just really starting to actually like was definitely a unique experience. Third of all, a lot of times even the people who were giving you something only remember one reason or the other. Take Kurt for example, he always remembered to give me a small token for Valentine’s Day…but most of the time he forgot that it was also my birthday. Tina was the opposite. She’d always remember my birthday, but she never acknowledged the whole holiday side of things. To be honest, I didn’t mind that one very much. We didn’t have a romantic relationship so things, in my mind were as they should be.

Both Noah and Sam were exceptions to the rule. Even before we got together, Sam gave me a purple lollipop and a red one on my birthday junior year. When he handed me the purple one, he smilingly said “Happy Birthday”. The red one came with a smile and a “Happy Valentine’s Day”. I remember being surprised that he even knew when my birthday was, let alone had gotten me something for Valentine’s Day. He was letting Santana be his Mistress at the time. Puck’s gifts were a little different. A kiss on one cheek for my birthday and a kiss on the other for Valentine’s Day. Both were closely monitored by Lauren…so I’d had to be very careful not to show my reaction to his skin on mine. No matter how I had felt about the two of them together at the time, Lauren was my girl. It always struck me as strange that I could think two people were each totally awesome, but when coupled up, they both started displaying dickish behavior. It was weird. Then again, I was convinced that Finn was an asshole with moments of genuine kindness. Turned out that he was just a good guy who took on the assholey traits of whoever was leading him. People were strange.

But no time in my life did I realize exactly how strange people could be until my cousin Hannah called me to ask me if I was okay with her having my mother and father act as the parents of the bride when she married my cousin Franklin. “I know that it might seem, I guess it seems as if I’m still…Look, Aunt Danica and Uncle Benton have been my dream parents since I was five years old and realized that my daddy didn’t ever want me and my mommy only wanted me when I was perfectly, exactly how she wanted me to be. Now, Mommy refuses to even talk to me and to be honest, it’s still kind of a nice thing. But as I’m planning this wedding, Aunt Danica and Uncle Benton are just…MeDe,” Boy did it feel weird to have a Harris call me that. “They are being so great and even though Duane is in my life now, I can’t ask Aunt Danica and not Uncle Benton…”

“Hannah, take a deep breath. Hold…two…three…Release. Now, are you calm? Okay. I don’t have a problem with you asking Momma and Daddy to sub for your mom and your dad. I mean, not to be mean, but if I had your mother I’d daydream Momma was mine too.” I told her honestly. “Momma and Daddy have loved helping you. But on the real, they are just repping all Momma and all our uncles. Uncle Bryant and Uncle Ethan and Uncle Christophe are all behind you and want you to have the perfect wedding of your dreams. Now that you aren’t such a, well the nicest word I can come up with is, bitch…we all want that for you too.”

She chuckled. “That’s about the nicest way I can think to say how I used to behave too. Thank you, Mercedes. It means a lot to me that you’re okay with it. I just had to make sure of that before I asked them. I have one more thing that I want to ask you. I know that you can’t be a bridesmaid because your schedule is really ridiculous and maybe I was asking as a way to seek forgiveness or whatever, but I would still love it if you wore the royal, cobalt blue that Greta and the girls will be wearing. You are still coming, right?”

“Yes, Hannah, I promise that I will be there. And I will find a great dress in royal or cobalt blue. ” I told her sincerely. I knew how much my presence would mean to Franklin and to her. She changed the subject to tell me about running into Uncle Christophe and the married couple he was dating, Parvarti and Thomas. We laughed at how Aunt Arielle would swear that I, the family disappointment, was corrupting her impressionable younger brother. Despite the conversation, I think Hannah was still a little worried about it because when the invitation, and that was a really gorgeous invitation, came it had a note with it that said Sam, Noah and I could each bring an extra person each just as long as we came. That actually worked out great in the end. It allowed us to bring Woody and Junior with us to the wedding and reception. Chet and Caesar would have to stay in the hotel, but they would be available in DC if the need arose. Hudson opted out of going. She instead was going to help Melliscent with watching the babies and EJ.

Saturday morning, we all were at the airport by six. It was a very good thing that we packed before we headed to the Javits Center. Because when we got home after the concert, Sam, Puck and I made love in the shower and in our bed, and then again in the chair in our sitting area before we showered, got dressed and flew the hour or so to DC. Cassidy’s stay was actually set up by Hannah so she had to check herself in, but her check in went quickly. She had driven down in a rented van that contained her equipment. But she must have left a lot earlier than we did, because she texted me that she arrived at the hotel near the reception venue shortly before we got to our hotel. Despite the fact that it was a four-hour drive from Manhattan to DC. Hudson had made the arrangements for us. So, in her wisdom, she had actually arranged the room for the entire weekend, and Momma and Daddy had checked us in the evening before on their way out to the rehearsal dinner. We were on the fifth floor in a presidential suite while Hudson had her own deluxe room and the four Rangemen shared two premium rooms. Daddy was waiting on us in the lobby when we got to the hotel a bit before eight. His hug let me know that despite the fact that he’d said all the right things when it had come to staying in Lima over the last couple of weeks, he had been ridiculously worried about us. It was strong and comforting and I knew that I was safe in my father’s arms.

After checking me over, twice, he passed out the room keys. Since he and Momma were on the same floor we were, he escorted us all the way to our room. After we put our things away, we went and kissed Momma and Maea and Mara. We only had the time for a short nap, but we definitely took that nap. I was up at eleven to shower and start my hair. It turned out to be a good thing that I did get up. I had just finished setting the last of my steam curlers when my cell phone started going crazy. I was getting emergency texts from Hannah and Greta and Momma and Cousin Lola and Daddy. The lady from the church who was supposed to sing the religious song on the program had to cancel. She was sick and could not get to the church. On top of that Grandma Mae was helping Daddy get the twins ready to be Hannah’s flower girls and they had forgotten the almost two year olds’ stockings. And ‘maybe’ they had run out of the special shea butter stuff Momma used on their curls.

I sent Aunt Amanda out to get the stockings and the hair stuff since I knew she used the same stuff for Avery and wouldn’t have to look too hard. I pulled up the song and went to work memorizing it and getting the melody straight in my head. I lotioned everything I could reach. I woke Sam and Noah up so they could start getting ready. After I got Sam to moisturize the parts of my back I couldn’t reach, I ordered us some lunch and sent my dress and their suits down to be steamed. I promised the guy a hundred buck tip if the hour they said it would take was actually how long it took. I raced back into the bedroom of the suite and put on the black long line convertible bra with the low back that matched the panties I already had on under my robe. We kind of wolfed down lunch since I definitely needed to get to the church early enough to figure out where I came in the program and everything else. As we put the lunch cart back into the hallway, the guy was returning with our clothing. The fact that he brought them back in under forty-five minutes saw me slipping him the hundred and an additional fifty.

After that the time flew by in a flurry of my putting on my place, all three of us putting on our formal apparel. Hannah had originally wanted to have a black-tie event, but Franklin and Greta had talked her down to just formal. So, both Sam and Noah were in dark suits. I was feeling playful…not surprising after having had such a successful event the night before. “So, Samuel Evans, who are you wearing to this afternoon into evening wedding?” I teased using a hair brush as a microphone.

“Well, I’m wearing a Boglioli, two-button Alton suit, with a bright white, Stefano Ricci, crystal-trim silk, French-cuff tuxedo shirt, cobalt and charcoal silk tie…I think it’s Brioni. And my shoes are black, Salvatore Ferragamo, Laurent calfskin, lace-ups with rubber soles…fit for dancing with my sexy husband and my amazing wife," he said, posing like the model he had been for a short time.

Of course, Puck was just as bad. He didn’t even wait for me to put forth the question. “And you are wearing it well, Sammy boy. But not quite as well as I am wearing this charcoal gray, Cifonelli. Marbeuf Birdseye one-button suit. I paired my suit with an ice blue Isaia cotton poplin shirt and charcoal and royal silk stripped tie. I went with a pair of Tom Ford, Gianni patent leather lace-up shoes. I’m also wearing a silver, Nixon mission watch.” We all laughed at how he and Sam had both butchered a few of the names that hadn’t yet been drilled into their heads by Bubbie and Kurt. He stopped and looked at me suddenly. “Hey, Mercedes…Sam…I think I want to get my ears pierced. Both of them…then maybe start gauging. I like that.”

“That’s some rock star shit right there.” Sam replied.

I shrugged. “They are your ears. But I heard that that gauging shit hurts.”

He smiled. “I found this great site on line that tells all about how to do it safely and so that it doesn’t hurt or cause permanent harm to anything but the earlobes themselves.”

“Well then, you should do it.” I smiled. “You’ll look good with those shiny black gauges you see on some guys. In the meantime, you can get some diamond studs to get them pierced with.” I happened to see the time. “Shit. I’ve gotta hurry. We still need to check on the toddlers.” I finished getting dressed quickly. Noah zipped me up, even as I was putting in my platinum and diamond hoops, he helped me get into my little black shrug. Sam helped me with my watch and necklace. There was a knock on the door and Hudson, Woody and Junior came in to see if we were ready. I hurriedly put on my bracelets, and shoved my feet into my uggs. I carried my open toe, strappy, silver, sparkly Jimmy Choos, and would put them on at the church. It was cold and they were sandals. I passed those and my purse to Junior while I quickly wrapped up in my fur trimmed, wool and alpaca blend, hooded cape.

I checked and I looked great. My hair was perfectly curled and looked voluminous, shiny and very much red carpet ready. My makeup was lightly applied, but the colors were bold enough to transition from the afternoon wedding to the evening reception. I checked Sam and Noah over and they both looked very handsome and perfectly appropriate for the occasion. As we headed down to the rental, I allowed myself to think about my own look for the evening. My cobalt blue, Monique Lhuillier hi-lo dress, with a wide band of lace trim around the entire hem of the skirt was very different from the bridesmaids. I had done that on purpose. Just as I had made sure to spend less on the dress than I usually did at that point. I’d spent what I would have spent on a wedding guest dress for my Cousin Franklin’s wedding if I had never gotten a record contract. I didn’t spend a lot on my accessories either. The shoes I was wearing were ones that were already in my closet, the necklace, earrings, bracelets…they were all already in my jewelry box. I made every choice with a single purpose. The day wasn’t about me…it was about Hannah and Franklin. I wanted to make sure that I didn’t do anything to take away from that.

I stopped in Momma and Daddy’s room and made sure that Daddy, Grandma and the twins were ready. It took us a little bit of time to help Grandma Mae and Daddy finish up with the twins, so that each of them could finish getting dressed. Once everyone was dressed and ready…we left them to get to their rental car and get the girls in their car seats, while we headed to Ethan and Amanda’s room to see if they needed some help with EJ. Avery was staying with Bubbie and Nikki, she was just too little for all of the hubbub of a formal wedding and sit down dinner reception. EJ was with them because he was the flower boy, but he would be coming back to the hotel before the reception. He looked like a handsome little man in his little tuxedo with his bright, light blue tie. EJ’s tie matched the blue flowers in Amara and Amaea’s hair and the ribbons around their waists and the hems of their white poofy flowergirl dresses. Grandma Mae and Daddy had followed us, so we got some great pictures of the three of them together looking adorable. I sent them to Momma and Hannah with a smiley face emoticon. By the time I hit send, I realized that I needed to get the lead out for real. So we rushed on to the SUV, the Valet had already brought it around, Hudson was awesome because I knew for a fact that I had forgotten to call down for it. 

When we got to the church, I noticed that it was beautifully decorated. The pew decorations were lovely. The end of each pew was decorated with dried branches that were dipped in silver paint. A big bunch was tied together and a wide band of cobalt blue ribbon went around the swaths of white tulle that bound them and both the tulle and the ribbon cascaded from the bow. Cobalt blue pillar candles in large, crystal clear, hurricane candle holders with silver around the base and rim sat among the tulle pooled at the base of the pews. The front five pews on each row were designated for the family. They were signified by the fact that the pillar candles were white instead of blue. The pulpit at the front of the church had a large silver cross wrapped the way the branches and sticks were and a fixed to the front of the pulpit. The pulpit itself had been pushed back and large matching wood structures curved out from its sides to create a simple altar for the ceremony. Behind the altar off to the left a string quartet was getting set up. It was only an hour and half before ceremony was set to start and everything looked to be in readiness. Sam and Noah introduced themselves to the wedding coordinator while I headed to the bridal suite to see if there was anything I could do to help.

Duane Tucker had made sure that everything that I might have been able to pitch in with was done. Hair, makeup all of it. So, I went back out and when the quartet finished tuning their instruments, they helped me rehearse the Maurette Brown song the church lady was supposed to have done. By then Daddy, Grandma Mae, Uncle Ethan, Amanda and the flowergirls and ring bearer had gotten there. Sam, Noah and I helped Grandma with the twins while the rest headed to the back with Ms. Carter to be ready when things got started. By one thirty, the ushers were in place and some of the older guest started to arrive. By two o’clock the ushers were constantly on the move, showing people to where they needed to be. Hannah Harris did not play and at exactly two thirty, the pastor moved to the front of the church and Franklin and his first cousin on his mother’s side, Carlton were standing at the altar. The only space left on our front pew was where Momma and Daddy would sit. The rest of the pew contained me, Puck and Sam, Uncle Brantley and Nadia, Uncle Ethan and Aunt Amanda. Traditionally Uncle Christophe and his dates would have had our places, and we would be, at best on the second row, but with me singing, Hannah asked him if he would be okay with the switch.

I was more than a little surprised when Aunt Arielle was shown to the second row, to the seat next to Christophe. She was accompanied by a taller, light skinned guy who looked about her age, maybe a little younger. He was very attractive. Something about his seemed kind of familiar. Aunt Arielle had changed her hair. It had been dyed a honey blonde color and I had to give it to her, the cut and style was fierce. But as she sat there in a long, black dress that covered her from collarbone to toes, at least as far as I could see, all I could think was…I really, really hoped that she didn’t plan on causing any trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This week is one of those weeks that defines the statement & feeling "I can't even...". I have no words to say about Greed, Incompetence & Racism or our country's newest Presidential Cabinet members.  
> All there is left to do is pray & #RESIST  
> You can definitely cheer me up by leaving me a great comment telling me what you enjoyed most about this chapter.  
> Oh and I will put up pictures showing off the clothes & everything at the Yahoo group and at our site(eventually).  
> https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/IllyandAnni/info  
> http://herosupportsociety.com/
> 
> Thanks for reading, enjoying & reviewing.  
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	31. Paint It Black (The Rolling Stones & Ciara) & From This Moment (Shania Twain)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Book Reread Rec  
> The Other Brother by Brandon Massey
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!!

Paint It Black (The Rolling Stones & Ciara)  
Arielle PoV

As I entered the church that cold, if rather pretty, Valentine’s Day to see my only child, ungrateful brat that she was, get married, I couldn’t help but think about all that had taken place in the previous eighteen months. Once I was able to find out his name, it was easy to figure out when and where Hannah had met ‘that man’ Franklin Jones. He was Danica’s husband’s cousin and had attended Devon’s wedding to that dreadlocked, dark skinned woman he’d been seeing for most of his life. I wasn’t sure how I had missed the fact that my daughter had spent that weekend whoring herself to the lawyer-slash-lobbyist, but I hadn’t noticed a thing between them. Then again, I’d been so disturbed by what Devon and ‘that girl’ considered a proper wedding ceremony, that I had been quite distracted. I was still surprised that their relationship hadn’t already soured.

Over the course of the months that followed, I was busy with work and just living my life. Hannah and I spoke on the phone once or twice a week and that was enough for both of us. It had been since she ruined her chances at having any real type of career by flunking out of Howard. Usually I tried to stop by and actually see her face to face at least once or twice a month, but I could admit that I was hurt that she took the side of Ethan’s shrew of a wife over mine at the last reunion. As if our family traditions weren’t as important as Mercedes’ little movie. Though, in all honesty, the movie hadn’t been as bad as I was expecting. Mercedes' performance was even good enough that I willingly acknowledged that she was my niece.

It wasn’t unusual for me to punish my daughter for her transgressions by absenting myself from her life. To be honest, she was very lucky that I kept paying her monthly rent. Perhaps I should not have. It would have allowed her to see how difficult it was to try and live on the barely above minimum wage job she’d been able to find with that joke of a degree she’d managed to scrape together. She would never be able to afford that studio apartment in NoMa on what she made in that silly little art gallery. Still, I decided that it was enough that I didn’t invite her to join me in the islands for Thanksgiving. I didn’t really realize how long it had been since I laid eyes on Hannah until a few days before Christmas. I was in LA working on updating and improving the bridal expo circuit in the area and decided that Hannah had been punished long enough and that she could come and see me and we would spend Christmas together.

I was blindsided when I picked her up at the airport. She was ridiculously pregnant. Perhaps it was ill advised that I immediately chastised her for not doing away with the burden before it became such a disastrous problem. Her poor body would never be the same. It had taken me years to recover from my pregnancy and labor experience. I could never understand how Danica put her body through all that so many times. Then again, my sister had always had an inferior body type. With her wide hips and larger than necessary breasts, Danica was positively built for birthing babies. That was even more true for her daughter. Perhaps when Mercedes; I’d never liked that name at all, too ethnic. Still, when her music career failed, as it inevitably would, novelty acts never lasted long…she could take a job as a brood mare for a more affluent black family.

But Hannah was tall and lean. She was built like a dancer or a model…not a midwife. The more we discussed her pregnancy, the more I realized that she must truly be ashamed of her actions and the children’s father. Twins…that was almost unheard of in our family. It must be something that was a part of ‘that man’s’ genetic makeup. While the ring on her finger was very nice. From the comparables I was able to find online, it cost anywhere from six to eleven thousand dollars. IF it was a real diamond and platinum ring as she stated upon further inquiry. Still she wouldn’t tell me his name. She wouldn’t tell me where he worked. She wouldn’t answer any of my questions about him at all. She claimed that he was her choice and she loved him and that he loved her. Then, when I finally called her out for being ashamed of him, probably rightfully so, she started asking questions I told her long ago were none of her business and would only lead her to pain and heartache.

I was appalled to find out that she had contacted my ex-husband, her father. And Duane Tucker was her father. As far as every legal entity in the United States of America was concerned. As for genetics…well that didn’t really matter. I could not believe that my own daughter had chosen to believe a stranger over her own mother. Even if what he was saying was technically the truth, where was her loyalty? I had done whatever it took to have her. I had fought hard to save my marriage…I had literally physically bled in my endeavor to keep him with me. I had raised her, alone after he left us. I’d made sure that she had the best possible education with a wide range of afterschool activities and clubs. She was a Girl Scout and she tried everything at least one season, ballet, tap, jazz, gymnastics. When Duane showed up at one of her gymnastics meets, I tried to put our family back together. Duane suddenly wanted to be a father to our daughter. But he didn’t want to be a husband to me. There was no way on earth that I was going to allow that. Hannah and I were a package deal.

He tried to assert his rights to visitation in court, but while he had been acquitted, he had still been tried for spousal abuse. It was far easier to find a judge who would see things my way. Especially since the judge also had a daughter who was soon to be married and she had already pissed off four wedding planners with her indecision and inability to stick to a decision once one had finally been made. Not only had I had my way on Duane Tucker seeing my daughter, but I’d earned one hell of a tip at the end of a beautiful wedding and reception. It was around that time that I became rather bitter about the whole thing and decided that I was done with Duane Tucker and I would make sure that Hannah never reached out to him at all. It was easy to do. My daughter was very biddable and always listened to her mother. Until that day she showed up for Christmas pregnant by a man I’d never even met.

I was sure that he would leave her high and dry…especially after I cut her off. When her lease was up that January, I canceled it. I was sure that in a day or two she would be on my door step begging me for help. But I later learned that she had been moving in with Franklin Jones since half way through the first trimester of her pregnancy. It amused me greatly that she had suffered such debilitating morning sickness. Perhaps if she hadn’t been hiding the fact that she was pregnant from me, she would have been able to benefit from my advice…or from Danica’s vast experience.

After I kicked her out for being ungrateful and disrespectful before that horrible Christmas, Hannah had gone running to my sister and her family. I had to give her credit. She managed to damn me with her version of the truth before I’d even thought to damn her with mine. She managed to reconcile with the rest of the family who had been so cruel to the two of us at the last family reunion. During the spring, she gave birth to twin boys that she named Hawk Fairfax and Hart Findlay. The idiot had given the boys only the Jones last name. I was so angered that she only notified me by a birth announcement she emailed to me. As if I were just some stranger, one of her Facebook friends, one of her high school classmates that she hadn’t seen in years. She had called and left me a voicemail telling me what hospital she was going to when she went into labor, but she hadn’t asked that I come and help her. She didn’t bring the boys to see me. In fact, if not for Danica’s and Bryant’s and Ethan’s and Christophe’s Facebook post, I wouldn’t have seen my grandsons at all until July.

Somehow Hannah managed to beat me at my own game. By the next family reunion, she and those people, Benton, Mercedes, Franklin…they were accepted and my family was telling me to leave and not to come back unless my attitude changed. How dare they? How dare they push me out and exclude me from my own family. I was excluded so much that I wasn’t even allowed to be a part of planning my own daughter’s wedding. When I returned home that Christmas from a lovely trip to Miami, I found that I had received an invitation to her wedding. My name wasn’t included as a parent. Instead she had stated that “The Harris, Tucker and Jones Families joyfully invite you to celebrate the Love and Union of Hannah Arielle Harris-Tucker and Franklin Alexander Jones.” It wasn’t a traditional wording for a formal wedding, though I could find no fault in the invitation itself. I tried but it was perfect. If I remember correctly, Hannah had talked me into dissuading a bride I’d shown them to as an option from picking that specific invitation package because she loved it so.

I did not love the fact that she was using the Zeta colors for her wedding. We Harris women were proud AKAs. I could understand avoiding pink since it was a Valentine ’s Day wedding and that would have been trés gauche…but emerald or Kelly green would have been lovely. Still, I made a decision and RSVPed for myself and a guest. It was not a fabrication to mess with her seating or catering numbers, as I was sure she would have assumed. While I rarely dated anyone long term…I sound most men very unsatisfactory as lovers. Why bother with them if they were unable to provide gratification. But Nicholas was entirely different Three months after the blowup Hannah caused before the Christmas of her pregnancy, I had begun seeing a gentleman of my long standing acquaintance shortly after the disastrous family reunion. In fact, he had been the one to take me to the islands for Thanksgiving and to Miami for Christmas the preceding holiday season. Nicholas M. Buchannon was exactly the man I’d always deserved. He was handsome. He was rich. He was amazing in bed. Unfortunately, when we first met he was married and so was I. We’d never lost touch since we met twenty-five years before. I had attended his wife’s funeral when she died of ovarian cancer in two-thousand. If things had been different perhaps we’d have married years before. But we had never been single at the same time before. Though there were many occasions that we’d not let that stop us from enjoying each other’s talents in bed. He had happened to be in Reagan when I was returning to DC from LA. We talked for a while, continuing the conversation via text, email and facetime until he got back from his business trip to Chicago. We’d been seeing each other ever since. He knew the whole story about Hannah and her father. He understood how my daughter had hurt me. He was lucky, he and his wife had never been ‘blessed’ with children.

Over Christmas he had surprised me with a gorgeous two and a quarter carat solitaire with a beautiful French pave setting. We were planning on a nice, simple ceremony in a warmer climate, some time before the family reunion in July. When I received the invitation, Nicholas immediately told me that he would be happy to accompany me. I had RSVPed for two, even being nice enough to let my darling daughter know that we needed one vegetarian meal and one steak, I had not included a name or return address. It wouldn’t have done to have caused her undo worry or anxiety. The day before the wedding, Nicholas treated me to a couple’s spa day at the Mandarin Oriental. I had gone blonde when in LA, a nice honey blond with a shorter style. The wonderful hot oil treatment I received at the spa enlivened my hair. Our couple’s massage led to us make love in the spa’s showers. He was such a delicious lover. I was very much a lucky woman…I just needed to talk him out of that pesky prenuptial agreement. But it would certainly be worth it.

The morning of my daughter’s wedding I woke early and immediately started putting myself together. I needed to look as good as possible. I had spent six hundred dollars on a black David Meister cowl back jersey gown that left most of my upper back and showed off my still svelte shape. I plunked down another two hundred on a darling pair of Manolo Blahnik embroidered suede d’orsay pumps that were black with gold embroidery. I’d had a mani pedi done at the spa. I took my time getting my hair and makeup perfect. Nicholas looked fit and handsome in a black, Brioni suit. It wouldn’t be remarkable that he wore black. I would be a completely different story. I timed our arrival perfectly. Almost bit through my tongue when I realized that my ungrateful little bitch of a daughter had hired Fallon Carter as her coordinator. That damn woman was my biggest competitor. The only DC area event planner who came even close to being as good as I was. It must have made her giggle like a loon to be working with my daughter, without my knowledge.

Still, she was good. Calmly and without a hint of smugness, as if this was a preplanned for contingency, Nicholas and I were shown to the second row and seated next to Christophe. As soon as we were seated he took my hand. “Nice rock…does he know what a rampaging she bitch you are?”

“Nicholas has known me for over twenty-five years.” I simply said. Then I almost cursed to myself. That was too much information for any of my siblings to have. None of us were dumb. Christophe and Ethan perhaps least of all.

He just smirked for a moment. Then he reached around me and politely introduced himself to Nicholas. “Nicholas Buchannon…the venture capitalist?”

“Yes.” Nicholas gave Christophe a charming smile. “You must be Christophe. Arielle has told me so much about you.”

Christophe just returned with how it was nice to meet him. However, while that was all he said to Nicholas, my younger brother still had more to say to me. “Your daughter is marrying a man who loves her more than any sane person could hope for for their child. He is from a family that is good and that has more good, kind and caring people than ours has ever even come close to. If you do anything to ruin this day for her. The next ceremony held here will be your funeral.” I looked at him in shock. “Do not test me Arielle. Hannah is strong now. She is getting better every day from the weak-willed, special little snowflake you tried to bend her into. As her uncle, I refuse to let you hurt her. I failed to protect Mercedes from you. I’m not going to fail Hannah too…not now that we know that she is worth saving.”

I rolled my eyes. But was interrupted before I had a chance to comment. “Uncle Christophe…we’re good, now.” Mercedes turned back and whispered. “I know that you were having your own issues.” She smiled at the Indian woman and Asian man seated on my younger brother’s other side. “Besides, adversity breeds strength. If it weren’t for Aunt Arielle…I might be some limp little flower with no back bone…you know, like she tried to do to Hannah. But Hannah’s like a weeping willow…she bent and let you believe that you had broken her to your will. But she did exactly that so that you wouldn’t actually break her.” Her brown eyes focused on me as if measuring me and finding me wanting. They dipped down to my hands now folded in my lap. “I’m very happy that you found someone up to your exacting standards Aunt Arielle. I hope that he loves you every bit as much as you love yourself.”

I couldn’t even rebut. Before, I could say a word string quartet accompanied by the church’s pianist began the opening strains of an instrumental version of ‘Somewhere Only We Know’. Danica was escorted to one of the empty places on the front pew. She wore a mermaid formal gown with a shallow V neckline. The dress was in a word, gorgeous. It fit her like a dream. It had lacy jacquard-woven flowers which added a lustrous texture to the regal evening gown. The silvery flowers were given even more bling by having the dress belted in rhinestones. Her shoes also added some sparkle…and height. The usher escorting her was in a traditional black tux, with a long cobalt blue tie. He looked very presentable. For some reason, it took me a second to realize that it was my nephew Devon.

His brother Kevon escorted a woman I could only assume was ‘that man’s’ mother. She looked close to seventy, though still fit and upright…that was something at least. The difference in ages between Danica and the other mother was also taken into consideration with their dresses. This dress was a darker silver, almost pewter color. It had cap sleeves and had a regal charm. The fetching, timeless gown combined a sparkling corded-lace bodice with a more sculptural mermaid skirt designed to shore up curves that weren’t quite perfect any longer. The mother of the groom wore a pair of pointed toe, cobalt blue shoes with bows on the vamp. While the shoes were very nice, they were a little too high for a woman of her years. She could have fallen and broken a hip. I thought snarkily.

Both women wore truly lovely accessories. Danica’s earrings, were contemporary, but not out of place with the traditional dress. Her choker was silver and crystal it too was contemporary…but slightly retro as well. Both her wrists bore lovely bracelets. Her long, barely graying, damn her hide, hair was artfully colored, not to hide the small bit of gray but to highlight the vast amounts of black left. It was arranged beautifully in curls, and pulled back at from behind her ears, to the crown of her head and fastened in place with silver flower pins. The mother of the groom’s hair was completely white. A gorgeous, thick, riotous waterfall of bright white curls gathered together into a formal, low ponytail held in place with a wide silver, pearl and crystal clamp that matched her necklace, earrings and bracelet well, but not exactly. Everything about both women screamed polished in a way that only a really, really great hair and makeup person could achieve. Each ‘mother’ wore an artfully done wrist corsage of mini calla lilies and lily grass.

The music changed to Andrea Bocelli’s ‘La Vie en Rose’ for the bridesmaids and groomsmen. I noted that she had chosen her former roommate who was currently dating her cousin, Courtney Walker. Courtney was escorted by someone I was startled to realize knew the groom. Laz Alonso was an actor even I recognized and I rarely watched television or movies. I’d known that he was a Howard alumni, but I hadn’t realized that he was a compatriot of ‘that man’. From the murmurs through the audience, it was easy to see that Mr. Alonso was a bit unexpected by many. But given the fact that the groom’s side of the church had several senators and congressmen scattered about…I suppose that the actor wasn’t the most famous person in the room.

They were followed by her soror Dylan-Laura Robertson. She’d been a year or so ahead of Hannah at Howard. They had found a shared love of cooking when they lived together in the AKA house on campus. She was escorted by someone who was clearly a relative of Benton and Hannah’s soon to be husband. He was even taller than Dylan-Laura and she had attended Howard on a basketball scholarship. His skin was a rather unappealing dark chocolate brown. His shoulders broad and yet his figure was trim. I would have guessed him to be in his late thirties to early forties. His features were much too Nubian to be handsome, but some people might find him attractive.

Her AKA ‘big sister’ Monica Lewis-Mays, was the next bridesmaid. She had been one of the sorors running the pledge class that Hannah had been in. Monica was a very driven young lady. She was already working on the hill, though she wasn’t yet thirty. Her escort wasn’t as dark as the man who escorted Dylan-Laura, neither was he as tall or as broad. I was also pretty certain that he was closer to Monica’s age than the other two gentlemen were to the young women they were escorting. When Monica was in place, her escort crossed to the other side of the pulpit. Hannah had them come in and start building from the center out so Monica was closest to the audience. There was a space closest to where the bride would stand that was waiting to be filled. Yet all the spots on the groom’s side were taken.

That meant that my second cousin, Greta Kent, walked down the aisle all alone. While I wasn’t best pleased with the contemporary church decorations, I had to give credit, I suppose. Hannah had done a wonderful job choosing both her bridesmaids and their dresses. All four young ladies were beautiful. They each had long, thick curls that, when unbound, fell down their backs naturally. For the day, their curls had been French braided horizontally from left to right, leaving the greatest length of their curls to cascade down their right shoulder. A crystal and silver hair accessory was pinned into the end of the braid above the curls. The style left the back of each girl cleared. Which allowed the audience to see the back of the beautiful designer gowns they each wore. Other than the color, the gowns were perfect. Floor length, with a trumpet silhouette, long sleeves and a rounded neckline, the dresses flowed over the girls’ lean curves beautifully. Their backs were the true point of beauty though. The woven open backs added visual interest to the dress and showed some skin without being inappropriate or distracting from the bride.

Greta took her place as Maid of Honor and I smiled at the sight of the four of them standing there young, beautiful, with their shoulders straight and wonderful posture. The beautifully cut out back of their dresses allowing their beautiful light brown skin to glow in shades of darker tan to deeper caramel. Their bouquets were lovely. Mini white calla lilies with lily grass bound in a wide cobalt satin ribbon with crystals at the tops and bottoms of the stems. The flowers were mirrored in the groomsmen’s boutonnieres. Each woman wore a simple large, round, ‘diamond’ in a halo setting on a silver chain long enough to rest at the point where sternum became cleavage. Their earrings matched the pendant of the necklace. The drop style simple yet elegant. Each girl wore a tennis bracelet that looked similar, but the stone were asscher cut rather than round. I even found that I liked their shoes. Sparkly silver sandals with a larger double bow at the heel, a thin ankle strap and a wider, but not too wide vamp strap. Each girl was showing off pedicured toes done in AKA pink. I should have known that they would find a way to get some pink and green in on things.

Ethan Adam Harris, Junior had grown into a very adorable little boy, far cuter than his father had been at the same age. He looked too cute in his little tuxedo with his tie and shiny black shoes. The pillow he carried was sterling silver with blue and white ribbons. Hannah had thought of everything. He was followed by Devon and Kevon rolling out the ice white aisle runner with blue and silver embroidery in two-inch-wide swathes down each side. It extended all the way to the pulpit-slash-altar. I was a little surprised when neither Kevon nor Devon move even as Pachelbel’s ‘Canon in D Major’ began. I soon realized why…twin little girls, almost adorable with their thick, inky black curls done to match the bridesmaids and yet mirror each other came down the aisle. It took me a second to realize that these were Danica’s late life babies. I should have realized it was those two. The identical toddlers were not light enough to ever be truly beautiful…but at least they were lighter than their father and sister. However, Amara and Amaea…I still wasn’t sure about those names. They each wore a pretty little flower girl dress and carried baskets that matched EJ’s pillow. The petals they were throwing were blue and silver and fragrant. They looked like rose petals but smelled like lavender. It was a very lovely touch. They made it all the way down the aisle as they were focused on their big brothers who only moved and took their place next to their wives on the first pew on the right, next to the mother of the groom.

We all stood as the doors of the church opened. They had been closed behind the twins. Hannah entered to the soft strains of Wagner’s ‘Here Comes the Bride’. Looking at my daughter, I couldn’t believe that I was not going to be praised for how well she had turned out that day. I would not be allowed the usual celebrations and congratulations that mothers of the bride were due. She looked so very, very beautiful. Her dress was a princess ballgown with a fitted bodice. The sleeves were sheer, and lace embellish as was the top layer of the bell rounded skirt. There was a silver beaded waistline and as she passed us the back of her dress was open to the waist covered only by the same lace embellished sheer silk as the sleeves. A line of buttons highlighted her straight spine. Her makeup was light and simple, highlighting her shining eyes and pretty smile. Her hair was curly, but pulled back into an elaborate, but fairly loose bun. Three strands of diamonds glinted at her neck. They were repeated in the three graduated ovals dripping from her ears. Even more shown on both her wrists and that solitaire I’d only seen once before was just as bright. I was angered by the fact that DUANE TUCKER and ‘THAT MAN’ were escorting my daughter down the aisle. The gall of either of them to take credit for the child I raised.

Though I would never admit it to a soul, I could see in her groom’s eyes that she was everything to him. It really looked like she was all he’d been waiting for and so much more. As much as I may hate her choice…she had at least picked someone who loved her wholly and completely. Granted if that man was worth as much as Nicholas said he was, she hadn’t made a horrific mistake. Though I was sure ‘that man’ had made her sign a prenup they seemed to be the done thing in modern marriages.

Their ceremony was fairly traditional. When the pastor asked who gave the bride to the groom, Benton and Duane didn’t stick with the traditions at all. In fact, Bryant, Ethan, Danica and Christophe all stood. Asshole that he was, Christophe subtly hauled me to my feet as well and the six of them stated proudly, “Her family gives her into this union.” Then ‘That Man’ and Duane took their seats on the pew in front of us. Mercedes and her little boyfriends scooted down and Duane sat next to a woman I’d assumed was a friend of Hannah’s that I just didn’t know, while ‘That Man’ sat next to my sister.

In my anger, I could only castigate myself for the surprise. I knew that I should have snuck into the rehearsal the night before. But I had not wanted to tip my hand. I did smile…only because I was wondering how she was going to cover for the absence of Patricia. Patricia Grimes sung solos at pretty much every wedding held at Shiloh Baptist. She had agreed to sing a song for this travesty as well. But the poor dear had gotten suddenly ‘sick’ that very morning. Actually, she got a spa day at Mandarin Oriental’s spa, if and only if, she went that particular day. She had jumped all over that offer.

Pastor Dr. Smith gave the congregation of well-wishers a short speech on the union of marriage and how it should be sanctified. Then he finished with, “I dedicated Hannah. I baptized Hannah. I’ve watched her learn and grow into the beautiful young woman before us today. Many of you know that Franklin is Shiloh member, even if he only turns out for Easter and Christmas…he does regularly tithe and he helped us get that new roof four years ago. I never would have thought of them for each other…but together their love is real and true and palpable. I believe in this union or you know I wouldn’t be performing the ceremony.” The church chuckled appropriately and he moved into the service.

A pretty young woman with almost acceptable brown skin took the podium and did a reading from Genesis chapter two. At the pastor’s next words, I almost ground my teeth together in anger. “Unfortunately Sister Patricia got stricken with illness this morning. However, we shall not go without the blessing of our Father through music. The bride’s maternal and the groom's paternal cousin has agreed to bless us with her voice. You all might recognize her, she was in California last week this time winning a Grammy. Here with ‘The One He Kept For Me’, Ms. Mercedes Jones.” Pastor Smith crowed so proudly you’d have thought Mercedes was his niece. To be brutally honest, he was welcome to her.

The thing I hated to admit most of all when it came to Mercedes Antoinette Jones was…she really was just that damn good. I’d heard that song every wedding I’d been to since I joined Shiloh Baptist…it sounded better than it had ever sounded before. I had heard Maurette Brown sing it. I had heard it done by a choir, and yet none of them held a candle to that one, solo, performance. She made the song sound as if it had been written specifically for her. Her voice was clear and echoed through the expanse of the not small church…probably everyone would have been able to hear her without the mic which she held fairly far down her chest. I hated how damn talented she was. It just wasn’t right that she was so much more gifted than my child. I was so angry, I barely heard Nicholas lean over and whisper, “I thought you said that those two hated each other.”

I just shrugged. I had tried to ensure that Hannah hated all the right things and people, but she was just too weak. “I guess they made up,” I sighed.

Bryant took the stage and read First John fourth and ten for the second reading. All the stupid, sappy love readings were rather irritating. Nicholas and I would certainly have a more secular service. The pastor again looked fit to bursting. “Now to offer another solo to our lovely couple. Here is Franklin’s good friend, Mr. Kenny Latimore with ‘For You’.”

How the hell does ‘that man’ know Kenny Latimore? I had to know. I quietly pulled out my phone and googled the vocal artist. Another contemporary of his from Howard apparently. Hannah’s husband knew actors, singers, congressmen and senators what was next? Were the two, military looking men who checked to make sure we had an invitation actually Secret Service? I sighed angrily. I paid no attention to the exchange of vows, no one ever kept them. Nor to the blessing of the rings, if there was a God, He would stop the travesty that was taking place in front of my eyes. I didn’t really care about the exchange of rings, though I was surprised that Franklin seemed happy to wear one. We all stood and repeated The Lord’s Prayer then remained standing while Pastor Smith gave the prayer of blessing. Hannah and her spouse had chosen not to do a unity candle ceremony, instead they turned and read a poem by Roy Croft to the audience and each other. It was a pretty poem, too bad the love they spoke of didn’t exist.

Pastor Smith gave a brief talk on the meaning of marriage and gave well wishes and a bit of advice to the couple before announcing them husband and wife. It was only as we all stood for the recessional that I realized that he had never asked if there were any objections. I may have been imagining things, but when Hannah and ‘that man’ went down the aisle, I was fairly certain that she smirked at me in victory. She could have her little moment of pleasure. Because if life had taught me anything, it was that for every moment of pleasure, you paid for it with double the amount of pain.

 

From This Moment (Shania Twain)  
Danica PoV

Hannah’s wedding ceremony was a truly beautiful affair. We’d taken quite a few pictures before the ceremony. We took a lot more after. Then Benton and Mae took Mara and Maea to join Hawk and Hart with Melliscent, Hudson and the two Rangemen at the hotel. There was an hour and a half break between the end of the ceremony and the beginning of the cocktail hour. For me that was filled with checking making sure that the babies and babysitters were golden. We had Laz Alonso, God I loved him in ‘The Mysteries of Laura’, take charge of getting the groomsmen together to decorate the limo while the bridesmaids took Franklin’s overnight bag to the suite they had shared with Hannah the night before. It also allowed them to get their things out of the suite and set it up with champagne and a few other goodies that the couple would enjoy. Greta was on some mysterious run back to the house for Hannah…so she would meet everyone at the reception. Mercedes was doing me a huge favor and helping Ms. Carter to get all of Hannah’s things for the reception to the next venue. She was also going to be the family’s eyes to make sure things were perfect over there. Hannah had done a really amazing job with all the planning of both the ceremony and she didn’t freak out when something went wrong.

It was hilarious to me that no one realized from the way the ceremony was framed and the vows they wrote that Hannah and Franklin were already married. I’d suspected since one of the nurses had slipped and called her Mrs. Jones when she was in labor, but that could have been an erroneous assumption made by the healthcare professional. But in watching and listening to the words chosen and the statements made, I was sure. It made a definite kind of sense. Franklin would have hated to have his kids born out of wedlock, especially since they were boys. The truth was that Jones men felt that part of how their sons learned to be men was for them to see, every day, how their fathers treated their mothers. It had definitely worked for my sons. I was so very proud of them. They were married to wonderful women. They had advanced degrees and great jobs. When I think about all their and Mercedes’ successes, well, it was more than a mother could ever wish for. I was so very grateful.

I was also getting really tired of the photographer. It seemed like he was taking every single picture twice. Finally, Hannah beautifully maneuvered him into wrapping up. She did it quietly and with grace. Franklin tipped him and we finally managed to get over to the reception space. The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center was a truly beautiful venue. When we got there all was in readiness. The cocktail hour was going well. Of course, we all had to use the facilities which were nice and clean. Greta and I had to help Hannah take care of her business. I knew she was grateful that she had managed to hold her water until Greta got there. A woman can love her friends and they love her, but that was a bit much to ask anyone who wasn’t family. When she was done, she went and washed her hands while Greta and I used the restroom ourselves. We heard the door open and close but I didn’t think anything of it at first.

“Hannah, your ceremony was lovely. I was particularly pleased by your dress. You looked like a princess,” Arielle started off sweetly. “It would have been nice to be asked to be a part of everything…”

“Really Mom, because the last thing you said to me was that I was no longer your daughter. You cut off my credit cards. You canceled the lease on my apartment.”

“You had already moved in with ‘that man’ so it was no hardship to you.” Arielle shot back.

I could hear Hannah’s eyes roll from where I was. “First of all, I still had stuff there. I just lucked out that my old land lord liked me and gave me time to get it. I spent a lot of time at Franklin’s because I was so sick during the first trimester and he took care of me. Second of all, you could have called me and asked me that yourself…but the simple truth was that you wanted to punish me because you didn’t like the fact that I would no longer allow you to control me. You didn’t like that I wasn’t your little clone anymore. That I have thoughts and loves and a life of my own.”

“I suppose that you think you can talk to me like this because you’ve got ‘that man’ and because my brothers and sister have taken your side.” She scoffed.

I rolled my eyes. There she was ‘That Man’ing Franklin like she’d done Benton for the last thirty damn years. “You know Mommy, as long as Franklin treats me half as good as the other ‘That Man’ has been treating Aunt Danica for longer than I’ve been alive…I think I’ll be just fine.”

Arielle chuckled meanly. “Oh please. Your precious Franklin will leave you, just like Duane left me. You’ll be even worse off. At least I wasn’t burdened with a prenuptial agreement like you are.”

“Franklin and I don’t have a prenup. We don’t need one. Joneses marry for life.” Hannah sounded confused.

“But he’s worth millions. Nicholas told me that his investment portfolio was exhaustive.” Arielle shot back.

I flushed and came out of the stall. “Yes…Franklin has done very well for himself. He’s worked very hard as a lawyer and then as a lobbyist. He makes sound investments. But he is a man who understands that he has chosen to trust Hannah with something far more important than his money, he has trusted her with his heart and his love and his name…why would he withhold his money from her?”

“Of course, you’re taking his side.” Arielle huffed. “He’s related to your precious Benton. You have three daughters of your own, why are you trying to steal mine?”

I laughed. “I’m not stealing Hannah. I didn’t have to. You gave her to us. When you told her she was no daughter of yours, and kicked her into the street knowing she was pregnant, where do you think she went? Did you think I was gonna let my niece and my great-nephews just languish because your feelings were hurt because a grown ass woman isn’t hiding behind your apron anymore? She has a family of her own.”

“Until ‘that man’ gets tired of being a Daddy and leaves or gets tired of her and decides to cheat on her and give her AIDS.” She shot back tenaciously.

“Duane never wanted to be a Daddy in the first place…once he did want me, you refused to let him see me because he didn’t want you. And Mommy, we both know that Duane doesn’t have AIDS…if you keep trying to lie on him, I’m gonna tell the world the truth of who cheated on whom.” Hannah said quietly.

Greta flushed and came out of the stall to wash up too. “Arielle, I’d say good to see you, but I’d be lying. You know, I am actually happy that Hannah finally got her head out your ass. She’s happier and stronger, better off, and quite frankly, more likable than she’s been our whole lives. She’s got a great husband, amazingly cute sons…and Franklin said that when they get back from their honeymoon, they’ll be buying a new house. He’s thinking of either Stone Ridge or Clarksburg. He says that it is his job to make sure that Hannah has exactly the life she, not you, wants.”

Arielle looked stunned. Rarely did the younger people in our family actually go head to head with our generation. Most of the Harris kids were good about at least showing respect to their elders. For Greta to even put in on the conversation, it meant that she had no respect at all left for Arielle. Rather than letting Arielle go on the defensive, I finished the conversation. “Arielle, I hope that you have a great time tonight, but like you said, Hannah is my daughter now. You know how staunchly I defend my children…even against you.”

I ushered us out and down the hall to the Atrium Ballroom that had been decorated beautifully in blue, silver and white. We were just in time. The cocktail hour had wrapped up while we were doing pictures and getting cross town…and relieving our bladder. In the center of the room was a good sized dance floor surround by the beautifully arrayed tables. The centerpieces were gorgeous blue and white orchids submerged in tall hurricane candle holders with crystals in the bottom hiding the light source that gave them their ethereal beauty. They rested atop an ice white table cloth surrounded by six table settings of pure white chargers, shining silver flatware and pure crystal stemware. The napkins were cobalt blue atop the chargers standing and creased so they fanned out. The Chiavari chairs were still their natural pine color, but the cushions were the perfect shade of cobalt blue. The floor of the room was usually a rather nice…if soon to be dated green and beige carpet, it had been completely covered with pretty blue and silver ‘carpet’ that looked like it had always been there. MeDe, Sam and Puck’s DJ did a great job introducing the bridal party. She was even nice enough to introduce Arielle who came in at the tail end to show that she was the Mom. It probably caused more questions than she wanted to answer, but she got her acknowledgement. Franklin and Hannah danced their first dance to KAMA’s ‘You Send Me’. Then Hannah and Benton danced to ‘Hero’ from Mariah Carey. Duane took over about half way through and finished the song with her. Then Franklin and Lola Marie took a turn around the floor in a beautiful ballroom waltz to Celine Dion’s ‘Because You Loved Me’. For the last of the expected dances, the bridesmaids paired up with their dates, the groomsmen paired up with their wives, Benton and I moved into each other’s arms as did Duane and Maxi and Arielle and her gentleman. I was surprised that it wasn’t a recording played. Instead DJ Ca$$ handed Mercedes, Sam and Noah microphones. They sang a beautiful version of ‘Unchained Melody’ that well…it honestly blew me away.

Once the formal dances were complete. Everyone was directed to find their seats for dinner. The head table was rectangular as per tradition, but it was smaller than one would have expected. There were only seats for six. The bride and groom were in the center. On Hannah’s other side sat Greta and her wonderful little girlfriend Courtney. On Franklin’s side sat his best man, Uncle Bunny’s youngest son Ambrose and his pretty wife, a nurse named Kelly. Immediately to either side of the head table on the regular floor level were the tables that contained the bride and groom’s immediate family and the rest of the bridal party. Our table held Benton and I, Lola Marie, Grandma Mae, Duane and his girlfriend Maxi. Opposite us sat the other bridesmaids, and their dates and at a table immediately next to them sat the other groomsmen and their wives. At the table next to us, sat Bryant and Nadia, Ethan and Amanda, and Daniel and Riker.

I looked around. Mercedes and her guys were seated with Christophe and his girlfriend and boyfriend Parvarti and Thomas. They were very nice. Parvarti was an anesthesiologist at Walter Reed, while Thomas worked at DataSync Technologies. They ran IT services for most of the federal offices in the city. The three of them had actually met at an event for that Polyamory Society that had become KAMA’s biggest champions. I’d known since I was a teenager that Christophe was at the very least bi-curious. Finding out that he was truly bisexual didn’t come as a surprise. I was happy that he had, seemingly, found a good relationship. It was fairly early going and I wasn’t sure if they were looking for a permanent relationship or not. But I did like them and they were easily able to keep up financially with my plastic surgeon brother. So, I would give them a chance to make him happy.

It was quite funny to me sometimes. The most image conscious one of us, the one of us with the most need for adulations and money and power…had the least education, the least prestigious job, the least of all she wanted most, out of all of our parents’ children. She had been so certain that she had found the man who would take care of her and she would be set for life that as soon as she had her undergraduate degree, she’d stopped. My elder sister had always felt that she should be a ‘lady who lunched’. She had no desire for a career, though she didn’t really want to be a stay at home wife and mother. Usually the only way to try and figure out what would make Arielle happy, at least for a moment, was to look to whatever was trendy and considered de rigueur. More than anyone else, I understood why Arielle had been so determined to have a baby when she did. Her female friends had all had at least one child. They were all starting to pull away from Arielle, putting their children and husbands before their friendship with her. Even, in several cases, putting their friendships with each other, other women who could understand the problems of juggling careers and spouses and children rather than the woman who didn’t have all the same responsibilities they did…and that made my older sister feel inadequate. When Arielle felt less than, she became…well she was willing to do any and everything it took to level herself, if not rise above how others perceived her as compared to themselves. I always thought that if she had more actual self-esteem than having a completely external locus of identity, she would have been a much happier person.

Arielle was seated with her date at a table further towards the middle of the room. I didn’t really recognize the people she was sitting with, probably some of the people from the church Hannah had grown up in. Hannah had done a great job with the seating chart. Many of Franklin’s friends and contacts from the political sphere were in attendance. I saw Senator Corey Booker at a table with David Axelrod and his wife. I had noticed Bryant talking with someone I recognized from CSPAN, I was pretty sure that he was a moderate conservative political pundit. Those were kind of thin on the ground so that was probably why he was at least somewhat memorable to me. Of course, there were large contingents of both the Harris and Jones families. I waved at Uncle Bunny where he and his wife, Sherry, were sitting with Uncle Joseph and his wife, Cheryl. I noticed that Benton’s uncles and aunts were sitting with my Great Uncle Woodrow and his caretaker-slash-girly-friend, Nina. They thought we didn’t know…but we all knew. Nina was half Woodrow’s age and they had been together longer than he had managed to stick with either of his wives. I wasn’t sure if the less formal relationship had been the reason they worked out, or if it was just that at almost ninety, Woodrow Harris couldn’t cat around like he once would have…but Nina had been by his side for almost a decade.

Hannah and Franklin’s pastor said a very nice grace then the dinner service started. I noticed that he and his wife were seated with Benton’s Uncle Alfred and his wife, Dianna. As our appetizers were brought out, so too was the Roederer, Rosé Brut champagne served. That signaled to all that the toasts would begin soon. Sure enough once every one had their flutes, and their appetizers, a microphone appeared as if by magic in Ambrose’s hand. His toast was touching, speaking to who Franklin had been and who he was with Hannah. It was nostalgic and invocative and sweet. We had a chance to enjoy our appetizers for a moment. Which was great because that ridiculous photographer had made us miss the entire cocktail hour. The mini crab and goat cheese quiche was delicious. Benton and I both enjoyed it. We both enjoyed his short rib burger with caramelized onions as well. Then Greta stood and spoke of how happy she was that her cousin was so very happy and how much she ‘loved their love for each other’. It wasn’t a long toast, but it was definitely from the heart.

Hannah and Franklin waited until the first course was served before standing up for their toast. It had been well planned because as we were being served our amazing blue crab bisque with brioche crouton and aioli and Bibb lettuce and baby spinach candied pecans and marinated cherry tomatoes salad with its delicious pomegranate vinaigrette, Hannah and Franklin stood to address their guests. “We would like to thank all of you, our friends and our family, for giving up your Valentine’s Day to help us celebrate the love we share.” Franklin began with a sincerity and earnestness that warmed almost every heart in the room. “I met this beautiful young woman at a wedding. It was actually the wedding for the eldest of our shared cousins. She brought me hope and love when I had given up on ever finding either. I hope that she loves me enough to forgive me for the secret I’ve been keeping. I know that it has been driving her crazy. You see Hannah planned our entire wedding by herself. So, I wouldn’t let her touch the rehearsal dinner last night or our honeymoon. I kept her up to date with all the planning for the rehearsal dinner. But she…even now has no idea where we’re going when we fly out tomorrow evening.”

Hannah laughed. “I’m genetically nosy. It is not my fault that this is driving me crazy…I don’t even know what to pack.” She defended happily.

We all laughed. Everyone in the room who knew, loved or was a Harris knew that she was not lying about being genetically nosy. “Well Hannah-Doll…I guess now I can let you in on the secret. Benton and Danica have been kind enough to take the boys home with them when they go home tomorrow evening. They’ll keep them while you and I run away together to the beautiful Bali Hai Resort and Spa on Cable Beach in Broome, Western Australia.”

I was very glad that Franklin held the mic far, far away from Hannah. She squealed in delight. Seriously, it was so loud and high pitched that it was possible all the dogs in the surrounding area were probably barking their heads off. There was some kissing and joyous jumping. Then Hannah got herself under control. “Sorry guys, I’ve just…I have always wanted to go to Australia. Wow. He listens to every one of my hopes and my dreams. Is it any wonder that I love this man?”

The only person among the approximately four hundred people in that room who didn’t look happy for them was the main person who should have. I was going to have to have words with my older sister. She was so miserly and miserable in her own self that she couldn’t even be happy for her own child. Benton must have felt the anger rolling off me “Let it go Dani-Baby. Arielle has got her issues. Don’t let her make them yours. If you want to have words with her. I’ll watch all the kids while you go by her house tomorrow morning. Don’t let her ruin this evening for Hannah or for you," he advised wisely.

I kissed his cheek and tried to get my anger under control. Our entrées came out and my fillet of salmon served with roasted fingerling potatoes, sautéed green beans and a drizzle of purple mustard sauce was exactly perfect. Benton’s pan seared balsamic marinated beef tenderloin which came with crushed fingerling potatoes and asparagus tips with caramelized onions and topped with a shallot cabernet reduction was good too, but it was just too heavy for a night of dancing…at least for me. He was happy, though. Probably because his doctor had him cutting down on the red meat. It was becoming a special occasion only food.

There was music playing gently all around us but it was so soft that conversation was easy and the food was great. The crowd was even polite enough to not clink their glasses every five minutes…giving Hannah and Franklin a chance to do what few brides and grooms actually had a chance to do at their wedding receptions…eat their meal. After a very light dessert of exotic fruit parfait, an exotic fruit cremeux, pineapple confit, lime daquoise, five spice florentine cookie layered in a small but pretty glass; DJ Ca$$ announced that the bar and the dance floor were open. Within minutes everyone under twenty-five was up and on the floor.

I helped Hannah and her girls find the room where we’d set things up for them to change into their reception dresses. While Hannah had picked the ceremony dress for all four girls, she had allowed them to do what they wanted to for their reception dresses. All she had asked was that they stuck with the cobalt blue color scheme. While they did a quick change, I helped Hannah out of her huge ballgown and into the mini dress. We let down her hair and let her curls have some freedom. She left her makeup alone, just slicking on some red lipstick. Off came the ceremony jewelry and she put on the leafy looking long earrings and let that do her. She looked great as she changed out one set of heels for a different pair that was scored on the bottom just enough to decrease the chances of a fall, but not so much that she couldn’t spin as needed. I shooed them back to the party and took a few minutes in the quiet to clean the room up and put all their things back together. There really wasn’t much that needed doing. They were women grown, not the sixteen year olds Greta and Hannah would probably always be in my head.

When the room was completely clean and the girls’ thing could be grabbed in seconds, not minutes…and Hannah’s ceremony jewelry was in my purse…I headed back to the Atrium ballroom myself. I stopped short when I heard three very familiar voices talking. “Sexy Mama, I know we’re all happy for Hannah and Franklin, I just kind of wish they hadn’t done this on your birthday. The whole day as been dedicated to this when Sammy-Boy and I should be worshiping you.”

I heard my daughter laugh. Then I heard kisses being exchanged. “Noah, you and Sam worship me every single day and twice on Sundays. Do I wish we could have spent the weekend in Chicago like we’d planned before Hannah set her date? Of course I do. But it’s not a big deal. We’ll get back to the hotel and we’ll make love and sleep in then make love in the morning. Our flight isn’t until like two. When we get back to Harlem, we’ll celebrate both me and Sammy’s birthdays and exchange our Valentine’s gifts.” more kisses.

“You are going to love what we got you.” Sam teased. He knew he was wrong for that. Noah was almost as nosy as Mercedes.

“Not as much as Babygirl is gonna love what we got her.” Noah’s laugh was not one I needed to hear.

I knew that I needed to make my presence known before they started down a road I didn’t want to see. “My Babies! Look at how handsome the three of you are looking.” I came around the corner and gave them all hugs. “Mercedes…look at my beautiful twenty-one year old young lady. I know I’ve said this a million times on the phone…but congratulations.” I hugged her and both boys again. I was just so happy for my baby. “Your first Grammys and you guys won three together and MeDe you got two. Your father and I…all of us parents are just so proud of the three of you.” There may have been more hugs, but I’d not seen them for a while and barely got to hug my daughter when I did see here earlier.

“Moms D…Bent better watch out. Looking like you do, those shady DC politicians are gonna be tryin’ to push up on you all night.” Noah complimented as he snuck in an extra hug of his own.

I laughed. “Well, you know…I am fine.” I accepted the compliment with teasing cockiness. “But you guys better keep watch on each other too. Here the wives are often as bad as the husbands. I rubbed my hand through the lush, black fur of MeDe’s shrug. “You know if you keep wearing fur, PETA is gonna come after you.”

My daughter shrugged. “Let them. I like animals as much as the next guy, but there are more important places to advocate and fight than animals bred for their fur. I mean, minks are pretty, but they are still rodents.”

I could admit that I saw her point. But the truth was that there were people out there who felt that all life was to be respected and that wasn’t a bad attitude to have. I said as much then moved on. “Now, before your father and I head out tomorrow morning…we’ll come by your room. We brought your and Sam’s birthday gifts from the family with us and Beth sent you all Valentines…oh and Stacey did too. Sarah and Stevie are both entirely too cool to bother with Valentines cards.” We all shared a smile. Stevie and Stacey may have been physical twins, but he and Sarah thought so much alike it was almost scary.

Sam blushed and thanked me in his sweetly humble way. “You didn’t have to get me anything. You gave us Mercy. But thank you. Hey, I thought Dad said something about the stores starting to move in this weekend. How is that going?”

I laughed. “He did. George and Sander are having a blast. Bent and the guys did the final walk through before we flew out Friday. Burt said that he will be ready for the big Grand Opening that is scheduled for March first. I’m just hoping and praying that everything goes as well as it did for him when we move into the new space next month ourselves.”

“You four are not standing out here talking business when there is dancing to be done in that ballroom.” Benton’s voice washed over us filled with laughter and joy. He gave the kids his own hugs and congratulations.

Together, the five of us headed back into the ballroom laughing and chatting about everything and nothing at all. I don’t know about the kids, but I danced until my feet hurt and my back was sore. DJ Ca$$ was on point. The music was a great mix of songs that appealed to black and white, forty-somethings and twenty-somethings. She had us doing the Electric Slide, the Wobble, the Cupid Shuffle, the Cha-Cha Slide…all of them. She played Al Green and D’Angelo, Etta James, and, of course, KAMA. Rather than save all the program points for the end of the night, Cassidy took small breaks and called people together for the garter toss, then a few songs later for the bouquet throw. Then she played Janet Jackson’s ‘Anytime, Any Place’ for Bryant and Nadia to dance to. We all about fell out when she mixed the end of that with Next’s ‘Too Close’. It was hilarious. It was one of the livest wedding receptions I’d ever been to before. But then again, my kids had picked her…that meant she was good. One of the greatest compliments was that this was the second wedding that I’d attended that she had DJed at…and the two event were so different that I almost forgot they were both done by her.

The bar was closing at ten, so after last call we did the cake cutting ceremony. Franklin wasn’t a stupid man, there was no cake smushing that night. Hannah’s cake was just about the best wedding cake I’d ever had. It was gorgeous. Five square tiers of white with blue and silver lines and borders. She had gone with a vanilla bean butter cake that had a dark chocolate mousse filling and was frosted in lavender infused mocha buttercream. It had a layer of white vanilla fondant on the outside to give the perfect field of white to act as the backdrop for the silver and cobalt fondant ribbons of decorations. By the time the cake had been distributed, the only thing that remained was the top layer and the pretty, sterling silver, entwined F and H of their topper. Those were for the bride and groom to keep. Probably, since this was their first anniversary, they’d have a great midnight snack. The waiters brought us the cake as well as the hot beverage of our choice. After the final event of the night, we formed two lines leading out the door of the room and Hannah and Franklin ran through a bubble salute, we all blew bubbles from those little bubbles at them.

When they were gone, others started to head out. Greta, Courtney, Monica and Dylan-Laura made sure that everyone left with a silver sixteen-ounce Thermos travel tumbler that was inscribed with the date and occasion on one side and a beautiful quote from Maya Angelou on the other. “Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” That quote summarized the love my niece and Benton’s cousin shared wonderfully. Time, age, disapproval, nor the expectations of others had been able to keep them from the love that was meant for them. I was so happy for them.

That night I was really happy with the love Benton and I shared too. Thank God for the suite. The twins actually slept through it on one of the beds in the bedroom while Benton and I got up to all kinds of good in the living room with the door closed. Of course, morning came as it had to and with it, the need to do something that I’d been putting off for far too long. Still I put it off a little bit longer. I helped Benton get the twins their breakfast, then we washed them up and got them dressed. Once that was done, he and I packed everything, but the older kids’ birthday and Valentine’s gifts. We had given Devon and Kevon and their wives their gifts Friday night. Once we were all packed, and everyone dressed and ready for traveling later, we loaded the car. I sent Mercedes a text to let her know that we were coming down the hall to their suite with their gifts. I waited until I got the come on over text back and we made our way to their suite.

My daughter may have been a world-famous music star, but she still wrapped her hair in the same vibrantly purple scarf she’d picked out when she got her first weave. She looked so adorable. Especially when she saw Mara and Maea. I didn’t even get a hug. MeDe just took her sisters from me and her father and almost closed the door in our faces, she forgot about us so completely. Benton smirked down at me as he pushed the door open and let us in. Sam and Noah were just as bad as MeDe about playing with the babies. “You three…I’m glad you love Maea and Mara, but we’ve got to go get Hawk and Hart and don’t you have a flight in just a couple of hours.” I reminded them gently.

“Sorry Momma,” Mercedes said and came and gave us kisses. “I just miss them so much.”

“I know Sweety.” I murmured. “If we weren’t all on a time crunch, I’d let you guys have fun. You know that nothing makes me happier than seeing you all together. Which reminds me, do you think you can make it home for Passover-slash-Easter? We’re going to do it up pretty big because we’re going to have the Harts joining us. Including Jake’s grand…great grandmother. I’ll be honest, I kind of didn’t understand whether she was his grandmother or his mom’s grandmother. Oh and Happy Birthday, Sam…how does it feel to legally be able to have a beer?”

“I don’t know. Still haven’t had one yet.” Sam answered with a chuckle as he leaned over to get his phone. He pulled up their calendar, “I don’t see anything on our calendar that weekend.”

“And we could use some serious family time. I mean, we’re at Coachella that next weekend. Then we have the prom at whatever school wins it,” Puck said in a baby’s voice as he was playing with Maea.

Sam typed something on his phone. “I’ve added it to the KAMA calendar. I’ll get Hudson to make the flight arrangements.”

“Good. We’ll make sure that your house is ready for you.” Benton assured them. “Now let’s get this show on the road.” He handed them each their Valentine card from us and the ones from the other parents. They weren’t much…just a card that told them we loved them and a food box subscription for six months for each of them. Mercedes got one that would contain French delicacies every month. Sam’s would receive artisan cured meats every month and Noah would get the Mantry box every month which would have themes that varied a lot, but would always be manly. George and Becah had done something similar, but different enough to be fun. They gave Noah and Sam each a Birchbox Men’s subscription for a year. Mercedes got a beauty box subscription called BoxyCharm. Gabby and Sander thought those were good, but she wanted something better. Sam got a comic book club subscription…every month he would get five of his favorite comic books delivered to his door and a digital copy to his devices. Puck…he got a whiskey of the month club subscription. While MeDe opened her card to find that she would get a new purse every month.

They showed each other what had been in their cards from their parents and thanked us profusely. Then they opened their cards from Beth and Stacey and just the small little cards and lollipops meant more to them than all the designer purses or artisan meats or anything else they had opened thus far. “Ooooh…Beth wrote her own name. She’s getting so big.” MeDe crowed proudly.

Only after careful examination of the Tootsie pops Stacey had given and the Jolly Rancher pops from Beth, did they finally move on to their birthday gifts. Which, were far less entertaining. Mercedes did love the diamond studs Jake and Tessa had sent. Sam fell in love with a jacket that all five of the teenagers in the family had gone in together to get him. The parents had also gone in together to get both of their gifts…mainly because no one wanted to force Benton and I to have to carry even more luggage. We’d found and purchased Sam a mint condition copy of Iron Man number fifty-five which contained the first appearance of Thanos. Sander’s guy said that it would be worth three times what we’d paid within two years and ten times it by the time all the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies came out. There were a couple of others in the package…including a comic called Locke and Key from Steven King’s son…who went by Joe Hill and the entire five book Extremis arch of the Invincible Iron Man. Sander had waxed poetic about how awesome the books were. The rest of us just smiled and nodded and let him pick out thing we really knew nothing about. For MeDe, we’d gone with something fashionable…but collectable too. A vintage, new in box, Hermes fifty-four-inch square cashmere silk blend "Tyger" shawl. Hand rolled edges. Its original box was a little yellowed with age, but it only added value to the scarf. I was pretty sure that when Rebecah and I were waxing poetic about that, the rest of them returned the favor we’d paid Sander.

Once everything was oohed and awed over and appreciation delivered, we collected all the valentine cards for the Lima family. Then Benton and I had to gather our youngest babies, say goodbye to three of our oldest and let them go and pack. Benton drove the rented mini-van to Georgetown and let me out in front of my sister’s townhome. Only after Arielle opened the door, looking shocked to see me did he pull away to go and get Hawk and Hart. Franklin and Hannah had gathered their boys and returned home to get them packed up for their week in Ohio and to pack themselves up for their week in Australia. “I guess you’re here to yell at me too?” she pretty well snarled.

“Too?” I said as I stepped into her foyer and removed my coat. I was surprised myself when I saw Bryant, Christophe and Ethan all sitting in the living room. “Well, I guess the gang’s all here.” I hugged my brothers.

Ethan laughed. “Bani, did you come to find out about that Nicholas guy and why Arielle didn’t tell Hannah about her biological father if she’s been in contact with him all these years too?”

I shook my head. “Damn, I knew his eyes looked familiar, I just couldn’t place why.” I muttered. “No, I’m here to tell our sister how I really, truly feel about her so that I never have to see her again,” I said bluntly.

“I thought you had already cut me from my family last July.” Arielle smirked without a hint of remorse.

“The family cut you from the family last July…but I’d stupidly been holding on to the hope that you would find it in your heart to make a change. To become a better person. To love your family as much as we all loved you. But I realized yesterday that you can’t love us because you have no understanding of how to love anyone. You wore black to what should have been the happiest day in your own daughter’s life. All because you didn’t hand pick her husband. Never mind that he is, honestly, one of the best men she has ever known and far better a person than she probably deserves. But you have such a huge need for control and dominance in every relationship in your world that you can’t even be happy that she is in love and married and has two beautiful sons. The one day that you should have put yourself aside and celebrated her, but you couldn’t even do that. You are the most selfish, narcissistic person I’ve ever met and I actually know someone who has been diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder.”

Christophe laughed mirthlessly. “Welcome to the club Danica. You don’t know how bad it is. For instance…did you know that your sister made the soloist cancel yesterday…just to be petty? Did you know that the pastor of her church decided all on his own to skip the objection part of the ceremony because he didn’t trust your sister not to make a scene? Goddammit Arielle. How fucking pathetic is your damn sense of self that you can’t even be woman enough to let your own fucking daughter have her damn moment?”

“My daughter should never have married someone like that dirty old man. He’s no better than Danica’s Mandingo husband.” Arielle snarled lashing out at me through my husband. “Hannah could have had any man she wanted. She could have married Corey Booker and ended up as First Lady in a few years. She could have married anyone worthy of her. Instead she is wasting her life on that trash.”

I laughed dead in her face. "Corey Booker is actually older than Franklin. The problem you have with Franklin isn’t anything to do with his age. It has every thing to do with the color of his skin and the fact that he is Benton’s cousin. But you know what…you and me we’re about to put some shit to rest. Benton Jones is the best man you’ve ever known. Bryant will tell you that my husband is a better man than him. Benton’s never cheated on me in all the years we’ve been together. Christophe will tell you that he is a better man than him. Benton has never hidden whole sides of himself for worry about what others will think.” I gave Christophe an apologetic look but he just shrugged in admittance of the truth of my words. “Ethan probably comes the closest. But he would tell you that was because Benton had a huge part in raising him.”

“He sure as hell did. And our father was happy to have his help and loved Benton every bit as much as he loved me, Christophe or Bryant.” Ethan cosigned while Bryant and Christophe nodded their agreements to my other statements.

“You hate my husband so much, but you know what? Those light skin men you were so sure I should have been with? Yeah, they would ask me out. When I would tell them I couldn’t go out that night because I had to take care of Ethan…they’d scoff and act like I was wrong for putting my brother first…naw fuck that noise, my baby; Ethan has always and will always be my first child…before going out with their old tired asses. But when Benton asked me out the first time and I said I had to watch Ethan…do you know what he said? He said, 'Bring him with you. We can see something G-rated. I want to get to know you and it seems like he is a big part of who you are, so I’ll need to know him too.’ For the first three months Benton and I dated, Ethan wasn’t excluded not one single time. Why the hell would I let a man like that go to get fucked over by one of those light-bright-damn near white assholes you always tried to set me up with. Maybe if you’d ever looked more than skin deep, you’d be a happier person. Because I do know some light skin men who are good and true and real…but you’d never get to know them because they aren’t from old money or they didn’t go to the right schools. You have so many bullshit requirements for the men you find acceptable, but none of those have shit to do with the content of their characters.”

Ethan smirked. “Arielle has her head so far up her ass, she wouldn’t know a good man if he bit her.”

“Shut up Ethan, you shouldn’t even be here.” Arielle hissed. “If not for you Momma wouldn’t have died so young.”

I didn’t know I had moved. I didn’t realize that I had even hit her until I saw her head fly back and her grabbing her nose. I didn’t stop there. I hit her again and again and again. Finally, Bryant had to pull me off of her. If I hadn’t been so angry, I’d have had to laugh at how many hits he’d let me get in before he intervened. “Arielle, how the fuck could you even think something like that? Let alone say it?” Bryant shouted as he passed me to Ethan’s arms. “Momma would have beat you herself for the garbage that just came out of your mouth. Ethan is the best and last gift Mom ever gave us all. He has her heart and he has her love. You know what all she went through to make sure that he would be healthy. If you think she would ever have stood for your treatment of all of us, especially Mercedes and Hannah, you’ve lost your fool ass mind.”

“She was my mother longer than she was any of yours and he took her away," Arielle whined pitifully.

“God, you are a fucked up soul.” Christophe laughed humorlessly. “You have more memories of Mom than all the rest of us, but instead of sharing those with the only one of us who never got to remember experiencing her love, you blame him. There really isn’t anything in you worth caring about or worth saving, is there?”

Ethan sighed. “Guys, this isn’t new. I was three or four the first time I knew that was how she felt.”

I rounded on him, “why didn’t you tell us? I’d have made sure she never got near you…I’d have…” I wasn’t even sure what I would have done. But I would have never let her near any of my kids at all if I knew that she was really that worthless of a person. “You didn’t think she was right did you? That any of us could have agreed with her?”

He just shook his head. “NO! Danica No.” You knew he must have been serious, he called me by my actual name. “I knew how much the rest of you loved me. I never doubted that for a single second of my life. But this…this right here. Do you see how hurt you three are that she could even think that? Let alone let those words come out her mouth…Imagine how Dad would have felt. I never wanted any of you to know…not when I knew how much you all loved both of us. It is tearing out your hearts and I never wanted that to happen.”

Christophe shook his head. “Ethan, you are the youngest. It was never your responsibility to protect us. It was ours to take care of you. Now, I know that Bryant and I let Danica and Benton and Dad do most of the taking care of you…but we could have cut this viper out years ago and shielded you from her when you were little.”

“Yeah, and what would have happened to Hannah then?” Ethan sighed. “If things had happened any differently, who knows how much more messed up that poor child would have been. She saw models of what men, what fathers, what husbands were supposed to be through the three of us and Benton. Through the uncles and great uncles…she would have been at her mother’s mercy with no idea that there were people out there who loved her and who she could go to when Arielle kicked her out for finally standing up for herself. We all know it would have happened eventually, no Harris could ever take a lifetime of the bullshit Arielle has shoved down Hannah’s throat. No, I’ve made a damn good life for myself showing Arielle that I was worth our mother’s sacrifices. I don’t regret it and I wouldn’t change a single thing.”

I sighed. “You know what, if Ethan is okay then I can’t do much now other than…Arielle Harris-Tucker, you are no longer my sister. You’re no longer kin to me. Don’t call. Don’t email. Don’t write. Don’t bring your happy ass back around any one I call family, which includes Hannah and Franklin and their boys. You can just go to hell.”

She struggled to her feet. It looked like her nose was broken, possibly her cheekbone too. “I should have you arrested for assault.”

“Go ahead. I’ll do the time with a smile on my fucking face. After I tell the whole world, every single person you know, exactly why I beat your ever-loving ass.” I shot back.

My baby brother shook his head. “I know your lawyer…you wouldn’t do more than community service," he said confidently. “Goodbye Arielle. I hope that you get everything from life that you deserve.” He said as he led me from the house. I didn’t hear how Christophe or Bryant ended things, but I couldn’t make myself care. I was done with Arielle. She had hurt far too many people I loved. The love I’d once felt for her had been eroded ‘til it was a speck of dust in an ocean of disdain and dislike. She was my blood, but she was no longer my family.

Christophe’s car was parallel parked on the street in front of the house. The brothers had driven over this morning to call Arielle out on her behavior. A small part of me wondered where was all of this when it was my daughter she put through hell. Back then it was only Ethan and I sheltering her. But even we, in the name of family peace, rarely called Arielle out. I sighed and tried to think of brighter things. We ended up spending so long with Hannah and Franklin, okay mainly we were all playing with the two sets of twin babies, that we all had to rush to make flights. All in all, it wasn’t the most pleasant wedding weekend I’d ever experienced…but I felt as if an enormous weight had been removed from my shoulders. It had been a long time since I’d felt as weightless as I did when we got home, with four babies toe love on. I knew our family would never be the same…but I also knew that we would be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank every one who reads and comments upon my stories.
> 
> I would like to ask a blessing on all those who are still enjoying what seems to be becoming my life's work.
> 
> I would like to pray for all those who weep or are heavy laden.
> 
> I hope that you all, my loverly readers will let me know exactly what you think of this chapter.
> 
> (Sorry for the late posting. I just got Ch. 32 back from Isis and we can both agree something's not quite right with it...but neither of us can figure out what. I'm obsessing like a loon...it is sad.)
> 
> Anywho...Please Read & Comment. Think we could get this story over 75 comments? If so...I might be able to put up a chapter of pure, delicious, smutty goodness on Monday. (If not you'll get it Thursday, so no pressure...LOL)
> 
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	32. Turn Me On (Norah Jones), Let’s Make Love (Faith Hill and Tim McGraw), 3 (Britney Spears) & Like I Love You (Justin Timberlake)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The promised Lemons chapter.  
> Hope that you enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Book Reread Rec  
> Butterfly by Kathryn Harvey
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!!
> 
> AN: I have been playing around with our intrepid triad’s birthdates since the second story in this series. According to the Glee Wiki Mercedes and Puck were both born in 1994 (no months or days noted) while Sam was born in May of 1995. However, the very first thing I did was put Sam into the same class as Mercedes and Puck, though I did state that Puck was held back in elementary school. In my head canon, it was to stay with Finn, who’d been held back in a more ‘organic’ way. I also gave Sam and Mercedes Amber and Chord’s birth days. Therefore, their birthdays are as follows: Noah Puckerman…April 17, 1993, Mercedes Jones…February 14, 1994 and Sam Evans…February 15, 1994. I hope that clears up any confusion.

Turn Me On (Norah Jones)  
Franklin & Hannah’s Suite

Hannah had planned her wedding night with as much precision as she had the entire day. She hadn’t known that they would be spending the night in the hotel, that was a surprise, but one she was grateful for. There was something she found erotic about being in a hotel room with an older man. ‘Then again,’ she thought to herself, ‘there is very little I don’t find erotic about being with an older man.’ One of the things she had learned through counseling was that some fetishes, some kinks were completely harmless. Once she had dealt with her underlying issues, all that remained was a preference for age play and a little age and experience to her partner. Without those underlying issues, she just had a slight kink that was neither unusual nor was it unhealthy. That Franklin’s sweet, gentle, caring soul came in a wrapper that seemed to be made for ticking off all of her arousal points was just the icing on the cake. Truthfully everything about Franklin Jones just did it for his pretty young bride. He made her laugh, he listened to her, and he had a strong, gentlemanly charm about him…things men of her age knew nothing about.

Franklin felt just as strongly about Hannah as she did for him. Hannah Tucker was everything Franklin had always hoped to find. She was beautiful. She was intriguing. She was smart, sassy, vivacious, and, above all, her dreams, desires and wishes for the future meshed perfectly with his own. Once he was sure that their age difference was a kink not a crutch, he allowed himself to fully commit to falling in love with her. He’d told himself to hold part of his heart in check. He was willing to walk away if it was what was best for Hannah. He just hoped that by holding a piece of his heart back, he wouldn’t be as broken if the need to leave her arose. It wouldn’t have worked. His heart was fully engaged before they even discovered that their weekend in Florida had created a future life.

In the limo from the reception to the hotel, the two newlyweds exchanged kisses, they drank champagne. They even made quick, fiery, passionate love. Hannah was happily cuddled in Franklin’s arms when they pulled under the awning of the Ritz Carlton in Georgetown. “I’m the luckiest woman in the world tonight Franklin Carlos Jones," she told him as the chauffeur opened the door for them. “But for the next hour or two…I want to be your naughty little Lolita," she whispered far more quietly than she’d proclaimed her good fortune.

Franklin tipped the chauffeur, who made sure that all their things were given over to a bellhop to be taken to their suite. “Oh really?” Franklin allowed his voice to deepen in a way that never failed to make Hannah so wet that her panties became almost worthless for their intended purpose. He pulled her into his arms and lowered his head to whisper darkly against her ear. “Have you been a bad little girl, Lolita? Do you need to be punished? What could a sweet, innocent looking little girl like you have done to have earned disciplinary action?”

“I may have had Greta run by the house and get a certain box from my closet. I may have told her about one of our special games. And I may have done so knowing how much you dislike having people in our sexy business," she smiled wickedly up at her brand new husband. “I was very much rude to my mother. Even with all the money Duane and Benton and Danica and the Uncles put in, I still spent all of our revised wedding budget," Hannah smiled to herself. She knew that all those tiny ‘infractions’ were nothing to be punished for. But that was the point. They had agreed as part of their rules for their games that they would never use the games to deal with anger or bastardize the fun with real issues. Those would be dealt with through talking and even counseling if needed, but never through their games. That wouldn’t be a healthy manner of communication.

Franklin smirked down at his pretty little bride. “Well, Lolita, I think you’ve earned five smacks for each one of your infractions.” When Hannah shivered in his arms, he could barely keep back a growl of desire that wanted to come out. “How many is that?”

Hannah could feel the scrap of lace that was her panties getting destroyed by her dripping wet pussy. “Fifteen…” she breathed as she leaned into her husband’s embrace.

“Twenty…now twenty-one. Telling Greta about our games was one, sending her into our private sanctuary was a separate one.” He shot back allowing some of the growl into his voice. “The extra one is for either lying or miscalculating…whichever that was.”

Hannah was very glad when they reached their floor. Franklin swept her up into his arms as they entered their beautifully appointed suite. As soon as they were in the room, Franklin managed the very admirable feat of tipping the bellhop without setting down or dropping his bride. As soon as they were alone Franklin set Hannah on her feet and leaned down to capture her lips with his. In changing for the reception, Hannah had released her lower back length hair and it provided a pretty waterfall over his arms as he kissed her deeply. Pulling back, he smiled down at her, the only smile he would allow himself until they finished playing their game. “Now, I’ll lock up…you go get changed into something far less comfortable.”

Hannah nodded happily and headed into the suite’s bedroom and bathroom to get changed. Franklin locked the second lock on the hotel room door and texted Hannah’s uncle and aunt to check on his twin sons. As he was reading Amanda’s response, he looked into the room’s tidy little pantry. There were two bottles of the pink champagne that Hannah had picked for the reception as well as a small bottle of Franklin’s own preference, Macallan twenty-one-year-old scotch. He decanted his scotch and opened a bottle of champagne while he loosened his tie and rid himself of his suit jacket. He knew from experience that changing into Lolita took roughly twenty minutes. It would probably take a few more because Hannah would need to take off her makeup and re-apply just a bit of lip gloss. As he waited, Franklin considered the journey his life had been to get him to that night. He’d enjoyed time spent with women of all ages since he’d started dating, originally his preference had been for women older than he was himself. His sudden, fierce attraction to Hannah Harris-Tucker had surprised him. So much so that at the beginning of their relationship, he’d mentally referred to her as his ‘sexy mid-life crisis’.

The things Hannah would do in bed would make a Thai whore blush. After the first time Hannah had asked him to fuck her ass as hard as he could…Franklin had been rather determined to make her his. The truth was that Franklin Jones had been blessed and cursed with a cock that would have made John Holmes envious. Most women he slept with found it to be too much vaginally and many had stated that as the reason for the discontinuation of their relationship. He had never experienced anal sex at all and never been deepthroated…while his pretty new bride still had trouble with the latter, Hannah enjoyed trying often. Everything they did together they found more than satisfactory. One of the things Franklin had never expected to enjoy as much as he did was the Lolita game.

The Lolita game was age play at its finest. In the game, Franklin was Lolita’s principal, Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones was not a good principal. He often let Lolita get away with breaking all sort of school rules with just a few swats on her beautiful backside and a blowjob. It wasn’t the way a school administrator should ever behave. Franklin smiled evilly to himself at that thought. When he looked over at the doorway and saw that Hannah the bride had definitely been replaced by Lolita the dirty little schoolgirl, he realized that he’d been lost in his thoughts for longer than he had believed. His beautiful little bride owned four different ‘Lolita’ looks, though he knew that number would probably rise even further soon enough. The one she’d put on that night was definitely his favorite.

The outfit was a tightly pulled corset with a blue plaid panel down the front and black lacy material covering the rest of the boning. It was always left tightly tied and Hannah had to fight with the hooks hidden under the plaid. The plaid mini-skirt matched the panel of the corset and the black lace panels were matched by the petticoats under the skirt. That night Lolita was wearing lace topped black fishnet stockings and Mary Jane stilettos. A lacy choker with a blue plaid small tie affixed to it completed the costume. Hannah had corralled her long thick tresses into two thick, low pig tails. She had glossy, cherry red gloss on her lips, but as her husband preferred, she wasn’t wearing any other makeup. “Mr. Jones, Ms. Jackson sent me to your office for discipline…again.”

“I see. I believe that it was to be twenty-one this time, correct.” Franklin took a seat in the middle of the couch in the living room. “Very well, come here and bend over the table in front of me, facing away.”

Hannah’s walk was a full on switch as she crossed the room and ‘assumed the position’. “But Mr. Jones, I may have forgotten something when I put on my uniform," she said sweetly.

Franklin almost moaned as ‘Lolita’s’ caramel and pink pussy winked at him from between her smooth thighs. “I see. I believe that being out of your proper uniform has earned you another four swats in punishment.” He moved off the couch unbuttoning his dress shirt sleeves and rolling them both up. “You will count them out in the proper manner.”

“Yessir, one…thank you sir, may I have another…right up until the last one where I am to ask, ever so politely how I may show my gratitude for being put on the right path.”

“Very good.” Franklin’s already low voice was felt more than heard. He pulled back and begin the spanking. He wasn’t using anything near his full strength. He wanted to turn her pretty caramel ass slightly pink, not make it impossible for her to find comfort on their long flight the next day. When she had counted out the last lick and had asked the required question, Franklin answered by opening his pants and pulling his engorged cock from the placket of his boxers. “You can cum all over my dick, you naughty little girl.” He whispered as he rubbed himself against her leaking entrance.

“God, Please. Mr. Jones…please.” Hannah whimpered in want and delight. What followed was definitely not what most people would expect from a first post wedding love making session. Instead, Franklin availed himself of his new bride’s kinky nature. He fucked her long and hard until they were both so satisfied that they could barely breathe. After a short nap, Hannah changed from her ‘Lolita’ costume into a white lacy demi cup bra and a tiny white thong. Franklin decided to give her some of the champagne he’d uncorked by pouring it down his wash boards abs and letting her slurp it off his hard cock that still tasted of their combined essences. Within ten minutes after he had given her something much thicker to chase the champagne, he tasted the delightful way her skin warmed his scotch that had been originally brewed when she was only three years old.

They showered together, making love again in the shower. Hannah loved every moment of it. Franklin pressed her back against the cold tile and lifted her off her feet. Her screams of pleasure echoed around the room until his roar of satisfaction joined them. Their shower sex soon became their version of after care. Franklin washed Hannah’s lithe form with her sweet smelling soap. They shared whispered words of love. Once they were both clean, Franklin dried Hannah off and they moisturized each other with an unscented lotion. Bottles of water were drained before they headed into the suite’s bedroom. When they finally made it to the bed, Hannah had to ask Franklin to bring her, her pump. She was completely sated, her energy was gone in the best of ways. She simply wasn’t up to walking. However, after a night of rest, she was feeling well enough to wake her husband practicing her efforts to finally master deepthroating his cock. Or maybe she was just thanking him for a very, very satisfying wedding night.

The newly married couple picked up their happy little eleven month old twins and headed to their Glover Park townhome to pack the twins and themselves for their vacations. Before the night before all Hannah had known was that she needed to stock pile at least a week’s supply of nourishment for the twins. Though Danica could play wet-nurse in an emergency. Which was the main reason they had accepted Danica and Benton’s offer over that of Christophe, who lived much closer and often watched Hart and Hawk for them when the need arose. Neither bride nor groom could put into words how much they loved their little and extended family, or how happy they felt in having found each other. For them, it really was the stuff of which dreams were made.

 

 

Let’s Make Love (Faith Hill and Tim McGraw)  
Benton & Danica’s Suite

Upon returning to the hotel after leaving Hannah and Franklin’s wedding reception, Danica and Benton picked their two youngest daughters from Hudson’s hotel room. The girls had already had their dinner, been washed and were in their pajamas sleeping peacefully. One of the Rangemen helped Benton carry them up to their suite and put the girls to bed while Danica carried their baby bags. After thanking Chet for his help, the couple married for so long took their time getting ready for bed. Danica took care of her hair and showered, Benton thought to join her, but decided instead to enjoy a glass of the marvelous red wine Franklin had given them before the newly married couple departed the reception.

As Danica moisturized, sipping her own glass of wine, Benton took his shower. She was rather grateful that he was in the bath while she dressed. She wanted to show off her new lingerie. Danica had fallen in love with the Hips and Curves website Benton’s cousin had ‘hipped’ Mercedes to. Benton had come to greatly appreciate that love affair. For Valentine’s she’d gotten a little something special. A racy, sheer, little black babydoll nighty with marabou trim and little ties keeping the slit open cups of the sheer negligée closed. It was covered with a robe just as soft and sheer as the nighty. There was a cute little rhinestone heart on the ‘belt’ under her pendulous breasts. When the mother of five saw herself in the mirror above the couch in the living room of the suite, all she could think was that it was certainly fifty bucks well spent. The Steve Madden marabou trimmed stilettos just made the almost vintage look even more ridiculously hot.

After he finished his shower, Benton came to see why Danica wasn’t in the bed they were sharing. He found her reclining sexily one the suite’s sofa. Watching her sexy husband looking at her as if Danica were still the sixteen-year-old sex-kitten she had been the first time they made love was more than enough to start her down the road to full arousal. Seeing her spread her legs to show off her completely hair less pussy, uncovered by even the tiniest of panties…was more than enough to make Benton’s cock uncomfortably hard. He carefully and quietly closed the doors that separated the suite’s living room from the bedroom. “Damn, that’s still the prettiest little pussy I ever did see," he murmured as he swaggered over to the couch.

Benton pulled his bride to her feet and kissed her until they were both out of breath and far more aroused than just moments before. Nibbling his way from her lips to her ear, he grabbed her ass with both hands pulling her even closer to him. His hands cupped her backside, his big thumbs rubbing each cheek. "Have I ever told you how much I love your ass? It's the perfect shape. Sometimes I get hard just looking at it."

Danica’s chuckle was breathy and more of a moan than a laugh. “I know…why do you think I wear pencil skirts to the office so often.” She returned, she pressed her barely covered breasts inot his belly. “I get so damn wet when you look at me with your eyes all blown with want and passion…all of it for me.”

“And only for you.” He muttered as they kissed again. Danica soon found herself back on the sofa, with her husband pressing her into the cushions. Only after sating his need for her kisses, did Benton finally pull back and admire her negligee. “God, DollBaby, seeing you in this sexy little slip is so fucking hot. But you know what is even sexier?”

“Hmmm, what?” Danica asked arching into Benton’s teasing fingers.

“The way your sexy titties get wet for me just like your pretty little pussy.” He released the bow tying the slits together and went to work. Danica had never fully ceased lactating after their first child. But part of that was because she’d not had a break between Devon and Kevon. But within six months after weaning Kevon, it had slacked down to drips and draps. The same ‘drying up’ had taken almost a full year to happen after weaning Mercedes. She had weaned Amara and Amaea from her breast milk when they were fourteen months old. Seven and a half months later she was still producing as if she were still pumping four to six times a day. Part of the reason was her husband. Benton had discovered after Mercedes was born that he didn’t have a problem with breast milk. In fact when, Danica’s milk had finally dried up to the point that the most he got for he efforts was barely a taste of what he had come to consider a treat; he had missed it a lot. He was taking full advantage of his wife’s late life pregnancy.

Benton suckled until Danica was writhing under him. He knew that he should share how much he loved the fact that her breasts still made life giving milk. He knew that Danica was a little self-conscious about it. But Benton had barely admitted the kink to himself, talking about it wasn’t something he was completely ready to do. Sometimes hints at his enjoyment slipped out when he was in the clutches of his own passion, but he tried not to be too obvious about it. Only when his stomach was slick with the evidence of his woman’s pleasure did he move even lower. Danica was a very lucky woman. She had found and married a man who loved the very taste of her and the act of cunnilingus.

However, that night Benton wasn’t just enjoying the taste of his woman on his tongue, or the feel of her orgasms pulsing around his fingers…he was enjoying a lassitude to their lovemaking that he’d not been able to relish in far too long. Their twin daughters were asleep in the next room, Danica had left the TV in there on Sprout and he had closed the door to the bathroom so they were safe and sound and with no baby monitor, even if they should wake, Danica wouldn’t know it until he was finished with her. Benton’s play time started with his mouth teasingly licking and nipping her legs, slowly moving up the inside of her thigh. Danica squirmed in delighted anticipation. She moaned out loud as she felt his tongue run over her clit. A massive shiver of pleasure shook through her. But then he was kissing the other thigh. Back to her clit again and then somewhere else. Benton smirked to himself as he teased her. Finally, his mouth sought the most sensitive area of her body. His tongue teased her until she came again. As she shivered and shook trying her damnedest not to screech his name to the heavens in appreciation, he reached up and parted her passion slick folds with his fingers and flicking the tip of his tongue against her clit. The pearl of nerve endings was engorged and another orgasm saw her opening weeping again. Benton slowly moved down and ran his tongue over her sensitive flesh over and over again gently holding it open with his fingers. Then he inserted his tongue into her while he spread her legs wide to allow him to get deeper. She tasted so good. He wanted to bring her to the peak of ultimate pleasure again. As he pushed his tongue deeper inside her Danica’s hands linked behind his head, holding him to her which helped him lick the walls of her pussy. She wanted, no needed, him in her deeper and harder. She wanted to feel him filling her completely. He sensed the need and replaced his tongue with two of his fingers, applying his tongue to more sensitive places. After a few minutes of Benton’s thick fingers moving inside her as his tongue teased her clit, Danica lost all control and exploded with a barely muffled scream.

He brought her to orgasm with his hands and mouth four times before he picked his shaking and mewling wife’s boneless body from the couch. “Mmmm, DollBaby, you taste so fucking good.” The deep bass of his voice teased her even more than the breath against her ear and neck.

“Oh God. Fuck…Bent…God…” She babbled incoherently. Danica worried for just a moment at the fact that she hadn’t even felt the long, thick cock she loved so much inside her and she was already hoarse and almost speaking in tongues.

“I’m gonna need you to fuck yourself with my dick DollBaby.” Benton growled. “I want you to make me cum in that pretty little pussy. If you want my cum, you’re gonna have to take it. I bet you can't," he taunted. He knew his wife…she was close to the point where orgasms became a bad thing. But if he made it a challenge, Danica would stop at nothing to show him that she was able to do anything she wanted.

His ploy worked better than he could have hoped. Danica’s spine straightened pressing her breasts into her husband’s face as she wrapped a hand around his long, thick shaft and lined him up with her soaking wet entrance. Using the pelvic exercises that had allowed her to retain a lovely tightness to her vaginal walls, Danica gripped Benton tightly as she slowly sunk further and further down the velvety heat of his hard cock. Benton’s head fell back and his huge hands tightened on Danica’s ass cheeks. “Yeah, I’ve given you five babies, but I’ve still got the bomb ass coochie. Don’t I Benton-Baby? Thirty years and you still love this good-good.” Danica talked mad shit as she rose and dropped, riding her husband and throwing in a swirl of her hips every so often to disrupt the rhythm and keep him from cumming before he had admitted that she owned every piece of him.

Benton was thoroughly enjoying his wife’s efforts. “Fuck yeah, you feel so damn good DollBaby. You always feel do fucking good.” he growled. He knew that he needed to cum. As good as having her squeezing him and sucking at the head as she rose and settled on his lap…the fact that she kept pushing him to the edge and dragging him back was making him crazy. He had to cum and it needed to be right then. So, Benton grabbed her hips and stilled her movements, grinding up into her making her gasp as he filled his mouth with one hard, leaking nipple. He was rewarded with a mouth full of her sweet breast milk, the hot, wet, velvety squeeze of her pussy and the sound of her screaming his name as she was hoisted on her own petard. His orgasm hit him so hard and so fast he was incapable of speech. There were simply no words in his brain as he poured thirty-five minutes of teasing into her and her squeezing, wriggling, begging, grasping body accepted every bit he had to give.

When Danica could do more than pant and whimper and moan, she pressed kisses to Benton’s sweaty chest. “Happy Valentine’s Benton-Baby," she whispered breathlessly.

“Happy Valentine’s day to you too DollBaby," he returned. “You just keep getting better, you know that? One glad morning…this is how I’m gonna end up going up yonder.” His chuckle brought a moan from Danica as it made his slowly deflating cock jump inside her.

“Maybe, but life last and nothing happens, that day is a long damn way off.” She shot back nipping at his skin. “Come on. Let’s not get any more bodily fluids on these people’s sofa.”

“Shower then bed?”

She nodded. “Hanky-panky free shower, then bed.”

Benton agreed…but as usual his word was no good when it came to being in the shower with the love of his life. But the shower was kept short and they dried, put on real pajamas in Danica’s case, brushed their teeth, kissed the still sleeping twins and after setting the clock on the bed side table, they headed into their dreams together.

3 (Britney Spears)  
Bryant and Nadia Hotel Room

Bryant Harris had long been a lover of women. He didn’t particularly have a type, as some men did. He just loved women. Of the three women he’d previously married, they had had little physical commonalities. Tall, short, thick, slim, classically beautiful, intriguingly attractive, the women Bryant engaged for more than one or two encounters all had three things in common, they were female, they had a wonderfully tight pussy and they didn’t fake their orgasms in bed. In fact, the simple truth was that was all Bryant needed in a mate…or so he’d thought. When he met Nadia, however, he found a woman who was as hypersexual as he himself was. It turned out to be the missing piece of the puzzle to fidelity for the eldest Harris son. He loved women and in finding a partner that loved women as much as he did, he had found the one woman he would never betray.

Nadia Merchant had felt much the same. She’d tried monogamy on multiple occasions. But they had all ended the same way, she’d be tempted by a lovely woman or a handsome man and the person she happened to be with would get angered and call her names and leave. While Bryant didn’t allow her to play with other single men, he was very comfortable with traditional swinging and wife swapping. His enjoyment of the same sexual appetites that usually saw her vilified had quite honestly allowed Nadia to see past the fact that Bryant was significantly older than she was. It also allowed her fully explore a romantic relationship rather than just one based solely on erotic pursuits. She had been in her early twenties the last time she’d put her heart into a relationship. Which may have actually created a self-perpetuating cycle of catch and release, but she would not ever be sure of that. However, she was finally with a man who accepted all of her and when she finally allowed herself to fall, he was right there to catch her.

No matter how much they enjoyed bring other people into their bed, it couldn’t be said that the couple didn’t enjoy their one on one sex. In fact, since Nadia had moved to New Jersey and in with Bryant, that was how they began every morning. They had a nice routine that worked well for them. whoever woke up first they would start the coffeemaker then come back and awaken their better half with their hands, mouths or in Nadia’s case her breasts. Nadia found it very amusing how easily Bryant awoke when she traced his lips with her hardened nipples. He would nuzzle the breast before latching on in a way that was in no way maternal. Nadia’s nipples were always a delight, he could never be sure when she would be wearing a barbell or hoop through them. Sometimes, she would even wear hoops with a chain linking the pretty little doorknocker hoops to the matching one that was threaded through her clitoral hood.

Nadia loved the attention that Bryant paid to her body. He discovered several erogenous zones that no one before him ever had. She had never realized that the undersides of her breasts were as sensitive as they were, nor did she realize that the backs of her thighs were capable of providing such delicious sensations. Sometimes, Bryant would literally lick and kiss every possible square inch of her naked body just to see if he could find some new spot that made her croon or moan or writhe. Other times, Bryant would find himself at Nadia’s mercy…she had a very pronounced oral fixation and he had some very sensitive body parts of his own.

Despite what many would believe, Bryant and Nadia’s relationship was not completely based in their shared sexual proclivities. They shared a love of fine wine. They shared a love of legal mysteries and international cinema. They had long discussions on politics and the legalization of marijuana and the sex trade. Nadia got along well with Melliscent. She and Daniel could converse without awkward silences. Nadia even got along well with two out of three of Bryant’s exes. Though honestly, Daniel barely got along with his mother, MiKayla. Denise had even joined Nadia and Bryant on occasion. It had given her a sense of closure with Bryant. Between that and the confidence Nadia was slowly but surely infusing in the older woman, Denise was happier than she had been in a very long time. Ellen had pretty much adopted Nadia as a shopping partner and co-parent for Melliscent. Nadia was often able to convince the teen to remain at least somewhat appropriate in her manner of dress when no one else could. Unfortunately, as far as being her mother was concerned, Mellie had inherited a lot of Harris traits and very few Ramsey ones. She was constantly trying to push the envelope. Having a woman in her life who had already not only pushed it but knocked that bitch up off the table, Mellie had discovered that sometime it was definitely easier to learn from others mistakes than to make them yourself.

Still Bryant and Nadia enjoyed a varied and satisfying sex life. The weekend of Bryant’s redeemed niece’s wedding, they had driven together down to Washington Friday after Melliscent had gotten out of school. Hannah had, of course made arrangements for rooms for the out of town guests near the reception location. So most of the Harrises and Jones who were attending the wedding were staying at the JW Marriot about a block away from the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center building. But Danica had arranged a block of rooms and suites at the Ritz Carlton in Georgetown. It was both closer to Hannah and Franklin’s home, and Mercedes and her loves tended to stay at Ritz Carlton properties when they could. Bryant had booked a premier room for himself and Nadia, a similar room for Daniel and Riker and, after checking with Hudson, a deluxe room that connected with her room for Melliscent. He truly tried to maintain his daughter’s innocence as much as he could.

Bryant and Nadia had had a wonderful time at the wedding…despite Bryant’s worry over how his older sister would behave. Mellie hadn’t attended the wedding or the reception. She hadn’t really wanted to. Melliscent loved Mercedes and unlike most of the family, she had not forgiven Hannah for her ill treatment of her chocolate cousin. No, Melliscent had not come down to attend the wedding, but to earn money babysitting the children of the family who were in the wedding, but too young to attend the reception. Danica and Benton were paying her to watch their set of twins as well as Hannah and Franklin’s twins. Ethan and Amanda were paying her to watch little Adam. They had left Avery in New York with Ruth Mayzer and Noah’s eldest child. Best of all, as far as all the adults were concerned, Melliscent would have backup from Hudson and the Rangemen as well. She got a free weekend in a luxury DC hotel room, including all the room service she wanted, she made almost five hundred bucks for watching the five kids, four of whom still took naps two or more times a day. Even more than that, she was going to get a chance to go shopping on Sunday in the Nation’s capital before returning to New Jersey. And she wouldn’t have to spend the babysitting money she’d earned either.

Putting Melliscent in her own room, a floor down from their own, had turned out to be a very, very good decision. At the reception, Nadia struck up a conversation with a bartender. The bartender’s name tag read Julia, but Sam could have, and did tell quite a few people, that she looked incredibly similar to the Amer-Asian actress who had played Miho in the first Sin City movie. Julia was a third-year law student at Georgetown. She bartended and modeled so that she wouldn’t have an astronomical amount of debt when she finished school. She was five foot three and had what Nadia called ‘the prettiest little titties’. Of course, during the dancing, Nadia introduced her to Bryant. Julia couldn’t help but flirt with the handsome older gentleman and his busty fiancée. The law student considered herself a tough and worldly. But she would never realize that from the moment Nadia Merchant had seen her ass in her tight black pants stretching to reach a glass, it’d been almost guaranteed that Julia would accompany the couple to their hotel room. Nadia was an apex sexual predator…a venerated sex shark as Puck would have termed her. Not only did she convince the pretty little bartender to join the couple at the end of the evening, Julia firmly believed that she had been the instigator of the evening.

It had been fairly late when the couple and their pretty little guest arrived back at their room in the Ritz Carlton. “I’d love a quick shower, if you don’t mind.” Julia said as they started the process of getting comfortable.

“Feel free, you’ve been on your feet for at least the last four hours," Nadia said graciously as Bryant unzipped her dress. She removed the black mesh and Mikado gown and stood in the center of the room still wearing her six inch, Louboutin Marlenalta peep-toe pumps, Agent Provocateur bra, panties, stockings and garter belt. She looked like sex on stilts and she knew it. Bryant was just as sexy, as he divested himself of the tuxedo he’d worn all day. By the time Julia came out of the bathroom, Bryant had locked Nadia’s black diamond jewelry, her engagement ring and his Cartier Carbon Diver watch in the room’s safe, just to be safe, and the couple were laying back on the king sized bed making out.

Julia stood for a long moment watching as the couple kissed and caressed. Caramel hands running over milky white flesh. “You two look so hot together," she breathed as she crossed to the bed. The slender and petite woman hadn’t bothered with more than a towel as she came out of the shower. The couple separated and wordlessly motioned for her to join them. Julia crawled seductively up from the end of the bed to meet with Nadia and Bryant where they rested against the pillows. The two older adults soon had their toy for the evening flat on her back, between them her legs spread wide while thick and nimble fingers teased her body deeper and deeper into the throes of desire. Nadia kissed the bow shaped lips, drugging her with want and desire while Bryant licked and nibbled, suckling her neck, collarbone and further until he reached the tip of the perky fuller A cup breast nearest him.

It didn’t take the experienced lovers long to have the less experienced young woman bowing and keening between them, begging them for more…needing just a little push to find her release. “Oh God…please…Please," she whimpered.

“Do you want to cum, Pretty Pet?” Nadia teased. “Do you want to cum, you sexy little piece of ass?” Bryant chuckled against the breast in his mouth. Nadia did love playing with the women she brought to their bed.

“Fuck yeah.” Julia panted. “Please, please make me cum.”

“Will you be a good girl, if we make you cum?”

Frantic nodding answered her query. “I’ll be so good. Oh God, I’ll…fuck, I’ll eat your pussy so good. I’ll suck his dick. Oh, please…”

“If you promise to be a good girl, I will make you cum myself…but you have to do as I say…do you understand?” Nadia taunted.

“Yeah…Ohmygod…please…whatever you say.” Julia panted as Bryant's dexterous fingers and nimble tongue kept her dancing on the edge of the abyss she so wanted and so needed to fall into. 

“Perfect.” Nadia laugh. She twitched her way out of her soaking wet panties. And moved between Julia’s spread thighs.

Bryant pulled back and moved behind his beautiful fiancée. She was wiggling her ass signaling him that she was more than ready. And she should be. Bryant had teased her mercilessly during the entire reception. Julia rose up whimpering as all stimulation ceased. Nadia, seeing that Bryant was ready and willing, pushed Julia back and kissed her way down to Julia's juicy, wet cunt, positively dripping from all the foreplay. She gave Julia one long, slow, giant lick with her flattened tongue. Nadia looked back at her love and moaned just for him. "Come fuck me."

Bryant knelt down behind her as she busied herself with her tongue in the small brunette's pussy again. He teasingly lined the head of his cock up with her cunt. "Yes," Nadia moaned. "Fuck me." Bryant thrust home with all the force he knew she loved. He fucked her steadily, only speeding up as he began to sense that she was close to coming. As her hips quaked, Bryant smiled and picked up the pace, fucking her harder through her orgasm. Nadia's orgasm seemed to set Julia off as well, her tongue vibrating across Julia's clit. He continued the punishing pace, driving Nadia through three more orgasms as she blew Julia’s mind twice as many times herself. Julia’s orgasms had left her so relaxed and wet, Nadia was giving the tight cunt a full four fingers, leaving her thumb to press against the darkened rosebud of the younger woman’s backside.

Cheekily, Nadia made the sign for the number four with her free hand, behind her back to let her soon to be husband know exactly what she was doing. She knew that he would hold her up and he did. But the knowledge proved to be his undoing. As he visualized the young pussy taking pretty much his woman’s entire hand, Nadia was rocked with another orgasm. The combination pulled Bryant into the maelstrom with her and the woman beneath them both. When they had caught their breaths, Nadia showed Julia just why she’d made her promise to be a good girl in order to earn her orgasm. As Bryant fucked the law student with his condom covered cock, stretching her tight little cunny deeper than she’d ever before experienced, Nadia basically sat on her face. Julia thoroughly enjoyed the cream pie, however. As she did blowing Bryant with Nadia, taking the older man’s cock up her ass and sixty-nining with Nadia as he watched.

The three, sated people fell into a deep slumber, awaking at eight when Bryant’s brother called him to wake him for a very necessary ‘come to Jesus’ moment they needed to have with their eldest sister. Bryant left the women in the bed, and was unsurprised to find his fiancée alone when he returned. They packed and collected Melliscent in time to check out. They met up with Daniel and Riker and all four of the adults were shocked when Melliscent chose to forgo shopping and instead spend a few hours at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Granted, she talked her father into taking her into Manhattan to go shopping a few weeks later, so all was ultimately right with their world. The whole weekend was something of a dream for the couple and they loved every moment of it.

 

Like I Love You (Justin Timberlake)  
Mercedes, Sam and Puck’s Suite  
Mercedes Pov

When we got back to our suite after Hannah and Franklin’s wedding reception, I was surprised to find that Hannah had somehow gotten together with Hudson and had our PA set up a nice little birthday celebration for me and Sam. It wasn’t a lot…but it meant a lot to me. Just because it finally made me believe that Hannah and I could be cousins like I was with Daniel and my Jones cousins. We’d probably never be as close as I was with EJ and Avery, but that was because those two felt almost like my nephew and niece rather than cousins. At first I had to admit it scared me a bit. A bottle of Dom Perignon in a silver champagne bucket of ice, three beautiful crystal flutes, and three large cupcakes, two of them with candles, were artfully arranged on a silver tray on the coffee table of the living room of our suite. They weren’t there when we left and honestly didn’t look like they had been there long. With all that had been going on, it was no wonder that I had a few moments of worry. Thankfully, there was a happy birthday card signed by Hannah and Franklin, with two little dried baby drool kisses showing that even Hawk and Hart had put their birthday wishes in on it. There was also a note for Hudson letting us know that she’d helped make it happen.

Sam looked at the card and smiled. “Not to be insulting or anything…but I definitely like Hannah a hell of a lot better as Franklin’s wife than as Arielle’s bitch.”

“I know right.” I shot back as I headed into the bedroom. “I’m going to grab a quick shower then we can cuddle on the couch and drink Dom P and have the cupcakes and watch a movie and just BE for a couple of hours.”

“Sexy Mama, you have the best ideas,” Noah agreed as he and Sam followed me into the bedroom. My jewelry might have been understated, but it was still all real diamonds in platinum settings. So, we locked it and Noah and Sam’s watches in the room’s safe before stripping down and sharing a shower. The slate stall in the master bathroom wasn’t quite big enough for three, but we made it work. It helped that by the time I finished cleaning my makeup off, my men were clean and it was just a matter of them sharing the space and not the streams of water. We dried off and moisturized. I loved each of them dearly, but Sam’s elbows turned deadly without lotion and Puck’s hands could grate cheese if left untended. Besides, I loved having my back lotioned. It made me happy and it reduced the amount of times I had that stupid itch I couldn’t reach wake me in the middle of the night. Altogether, putting on lotion together benefited us all.

I went to my bag and pulled out my lounging clothes-slash-pajamas. I always brought pajamas with me even if I rarely spent a significant amount of time in them. I loved buying lingerie, especially since I could now afford to indulge and had the resources to find comfort, beauty and fit for my body…yeah…I loved lingerie. However, since Nikki had come into our lives, I’d started purchasing more family friendly pajamas as well. The last few trips, it was those that I took with me. That overnight trip was no different. I’d found a great set when I was strolling through Neiman Marcus. Sometimes, Binkie would take me shopping between classes if I had a long enough of a break and had my nerves tap danced on enough for one day. My latest pajama find were a smoky purple color silk cotton blend, chemise, camisole, lounging pants, and kimono. The chemise and camisole were both empire waisted with a deep scoop neckline covered by a halter of lace. I freaking loved the whole set. I pulled on the pants, the chemise and the kimono, deciding to forgo underwear completely. Of course, Noah always left off his boxers when we were chilling out. He’d thrown on a burgundy tank top and some burgundy plaid pajama pants and let that do him. Sam’s own outfit was even less ‘together…a pair of black and white basketball shorts and a, once upon a time it was, black tee-shirt. We’d made such good time that twenty minutes after we got back to the hotel room, we were back on the couch feeling clean and comfortable.

I had brought out my comb, paddle brush and scarf with me. There was something very intimate and relaxing about having Noah and Sam helping me to braid and put away the long tresses. As we worked comb and brush through the waist length wealth of hair, we looked through the offerings on the hotel cable service and pay per view. Finding movies that we all liked was, well, interesting. Usually it ended up devolving into a tickle war…often no movies got watched at all once we reached that stage of things. That night it seemed as if it was written in the stars that we should actually see a movie. King Arthur with Clive Owen, Hugh Dancy and Keira Knightley was pretty perfect, some love story, lots of action and best of all, none of us had ever seen it. It worked.

As we watched the movie, cuddled together on the tasteful and comfortable couch, we sipped the chilled champagne and devoured the three ‘cakecups’ from a local bakery called Baked&Wired. They were delicious. Noah had a lighter, so we were able to light the candles and sing happy birthday to us. The cupcakes were big enough to share, so we cut each one into thirds so we could taste them all. The chocolate cake with dark chocolate satin frosting went amazingly well with the champagne. I wanted more of the chocolate cake with a hint of cinnamon. While the cake was still warm it had been slathered it with chocolate-pecan frosting that oozed into the cake to make a praline-like topping. It was so very epic. The last cake was good, a traditional vanilla cake with the same dark chocolate satin frosting as the chocolate on chocolate cake. It was what we needed with the two ‘damn, so much chocolate’ cupcakes, but it just wasn’t as yumtacular.

It was so nice just relaxing with Sam and Noah. We talked over lots of things and nothing. We talked about whether or not I should go natural for a while. I probably would, but figuring out when I could was the biggest issue. We hypothesized Nikki’s reactions to the surprises we had planned for her ‘birthday celebration extravaganza’, as Sam called it, the following weekend. We wondered if we should put Hannah in contact with Kurt to help when he started planning our commitment ceremony. Her wedding and reception had both been beautiful. I snuggled into Noah and pulled his arm around me, letting his hand rest against the bottom of my breast. It took him less than a second to realize that I’d not bothered with even a light bra after our shower.

“Mmmhhhmmm,” He moaned cupping my breast in his hand. My nipple started to respond to the nearness of his hand. “Have I told you lately how much I love how your body is so damn responsive, but only to me and Sam?” his voice was starting to get husky, deeper…desire was infusing it already. He tweaked the nipple that was hardening even more as he spoke against my ear. Before I could even think of something to say, he took my face by the chin and turned it and lifted it to allow him to capture my lips with his. The kiss started off so gentle just a soft pressing of his lips to mine. He swept his tongue over my lower lip over and over until I almost whimpered wanting more. When he finally deepened it, I slid my tongue past his and deepened the kiss on my own. His fingers tightening was the only outward sign that my boldness was enticing for him. I felt Sam lean over and nip the outer swell of the breast nearest him. His way of chiding us, well me, for starting with Noah rather than him.

I got so wet so fast, I had to regret not putting on panties. But then Noah broke the kiss to pull my lower lip into his mouth for just a second while Sam nibble his way up to take his turn kissing me. It didn’t take long for Noah to decide to take things a little bit further. He opened my robe and spread it wide. His fingers found one of my nipples and started teasing it so gently that my back arched all on its own seeking more. “Ut-uh.” Sam chided. “You’ll get more when Noah is ready for you to have more. Right now, we’re going to make out in front of the TV like three twenty-one year old college students…until we get so dirty that we have to go to me and Puck’s dorm room before our RA catches us.” He teased. “It’s all your fault. You are so damn beautiful and just knowing that you are all ours. Well, the way I figure it, me and Puck, we just can’t help ourselves.”

I giggled. I knew that I was supposed to be offended by the insinuation that I was somehow responsible for their lack of control…as if women had to police themselves lest some poor weak boy would be overcome with lust at the site of her ankles…but in the dark hours, I loved the fact that I tested my men’s control. I could trust them with my life, my soul and my body. Perhaps that made the difference. “What if I can’t control myself either?” I asked making sure to allow every bit of love and desire I had for them come through in my voice.

Sam laughed and Noah joined him soon after. “Well, then, I guess the RA is gonna end up seeing more of you than he probably intends.”

“That probably won’t bother him none.” Sam added with a tease. “Our Mercy is so gorgeous that anyone would love to get a look at her. ‘Specially if they get the chance to see you looking all sexy and hot and wet and wanting.” He punctuated every adjective with a delicious kiss.

There weren’t many words for a while. We kissed and cuddled. They reminded me how it had felt in our earliest days of dating to kiss and make out…to feel their hands over my clothes driving me crazy in the most innocent way. By the time Sam grabbed the remote and turned off the television, I was so wet I was sure my pants looked like I’d peed myself. I was also naked to the waist, my kimono and camisole finally gotten in their way enough for the guys to remove them. Puck swept me up into his arms and carried me into the suite’s bedroom. Sam grabbed the champagne and a few bottles of water before joining us. Noah had me completely naked and his face was buried between my thighs driving me closer and closer to the point when my screams would tear themselves from my throat no matter how I tried to contain them. My hands were not as gentle playing with my nipples as theirs had been. I needed that orgasm like I needed my next breath. Sometimes when we weren’t home they were harder to find. I had to chase them and that was exactly what I was doing.

Sam grabbed both my hands and held them tight in one of his. I whined in despair. I’d been so very close. “Sorry, Baby, but for tonight, we’ll give you your orgasms, Darlin.”

I nodded and was rewarded with his mouth fastening on one hard nipples. In no time at all I was finally there. My screams echoed around my head. Some of them escaped. “So good…yeah, thank you…so good.” I panted. My voice begging for more even if my words didn’t. But it wasn’t to be.

“No, no Sexy Mama, we gave you that one, ‘cause you needed it so bad. But the next one…you’ve gotta earn.” Noah’s taunt did as much for me as the teasing way he let his breath blow over me as he spoke.

“How?” I begged.

My men, my husbands kneeled over me on the bed. And I immediately knew exactly what they wanted. I scootched up the bed until I had the leverage I needed to be able to lick and suck their cocks. Since the night seemed so playful, I didn’t rush things. I slid my mouth down each of them in turn, even ducking down to lave and suckle their balls. It was fun, and when they came all over my chest, I almost though that they didn’t realize it was coming. I did though. Letting them cum all over me. “Fuck!” Noah hissed.

Sammy growled out “So, Damn perfect.” as his cum painted lines across my chest. The moment they came back to themselves, they dove right in licking and sucking their cum from my skin and pushing me all the way back to my point of no return.

I was barely ‘clean’ when I was racked with a shocking orgasm of my own. “Oh God…please...Fuck…I need one of you to fuck me now.” I snarled as soon as I could breathe again. The empty orgasms were nice and all, but I needed to feel at least one of them inside me.

Noah chuckled and laid on his back, his miraculously condom clad cock pointing towards the ceiling with just a hint of a curve. “You know you can always have your dicks Babygirl.” He smiled and made a come-hither motion.

My scramble may have been undignified and less than graceful…but it was expedient. Sinking down on Puck’s cock, I could only moan in delight at the feeling of fullness that was finally beginning to satisfy me. Sometimes I worried that I was well and truly addicted to Sam and Noah. Like most people got hooked on opioids and crack. There were times when my day wasn’t going so great and all I could think of to make myself feel better was being under, or over, or alongside my men filled by and surrounded by them. Probably it was healthier than my previous coping mechanism…Tater tots had far more health consequences than making love with Noah and Sam. All thought flew completely out of my head as Puck thrust up, compelling me to take the last two inches of him deep inside me. “Yessss!” I hissed happily only to moan as Sam spread my ass cheeks wide tightening my pussy around Noah’s cock and allowing him to start to kiss and tongue and open up my ass hole.

“Fuck yeah Sammy-Boy.” Noah encouraged. “Lick my balls while you’re down there.” He pulled me forward to kiss me deeply, which had the added benefit of opening me further for Sam’s oral explorations.

It, unfortunately, smooshed my breasts between us in a very uncomfortable way, so that kiss didn’t last long. But he followed it by latching on to one of my hard nipples while massaging the other passion heavy breast…so life was wonderful. I was swept away on a tidal wave of sensation and pleasure. I completely lost it. I was screaming and begging and whining. And Puck just kept on sucking and teasing and pinching and driving me out of my damn mind. The only thing that registered as I was locked in that maelstrom was the added feeling of pleasure that started with a pinch of pain that was Sam entering my ass. “OhmyGoD!!!” I wailed. I don’t know why it was so intense in that moment. Maybe because I’d been chasing the pleasure all night and each orgasm had been better than the one before. Perhaps that was why that orgasm was so strong…so incredibly strong that I could only clutch at Puck’s head and whine. There wasn’t even breath in me to scream.

Or so I believed. I would later learn that I had screamed a ‘new scream’ that wasn’t the ‘condom buster’ as Puck called it. Sam swore that it was a ‘heart buster’. When my ears worked again Sam and Noah were gentling me and telling each other the most fantastical thing. “God man…it was like that scream wrote words of love on my heart.” Sam whispered.

“I know. I mean, I know how much she loves us, but it was like that scream wrapped us all the way up in it.” Noah returned. “I'm just glad she was finally able to get a good hard cum.” He kissed my shoulder. “I think not being home has us all a little on edge and it was throwing her off a little bit.”

I showed them that I was sensate again by shrugging. “I just have a harder time relaxing now when we aren’t in a space we control.”

Sam kissed my shoulder while Puck drew my lips into a long, deep, slow kiss. The love we made after I went into my ‘heart busting scream’ orgasm was the very best we’d made outside our bedroom in Harlem since we’d learned of the video that had been taken. We still weren’t fully and completely healed from that invasion of privacy, but I truly believed that that night, even more than Macardo’s arrest, was the first step on the road to true and lasting healing. It would be a dream come true to finally be able to put that all the way behind us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will not rant, despite what is currently on my Television. I Will NOT Rant about the current administration, despite what is currently on my Television. I'm going to go and reread some really awesome, vintage, Scully/Mulder fanfiction and find my happy place.  
> If you'd like to contribute some happy to me, leave me a comment and let me know what you think of the chapter.  
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	33. Bodies (Drowning Pool) & Birthday (Selena Gomez)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Pain in Silence by justareader13
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!!

Bodies (Drowning Pool)  
Puck PoV

There were no damn words for how tired we were by the week after Valentine’s Day. I mean, seriously, it felt like we’d been going non-stop since we got back from Christmas break. It was so bad that a week where we only had the final video storyboarding and costuming meeting for the video for our first single from our next album, a wrap-up meeting for the dinner concert and Nikki’s ninth birthday party…okay and a few hours in the studio putting the album to bed finally. A week with only all of that going on was almost like a vacation. When we got back from DC, we had Sam and Sexy Mama’s birthday party. It was cool, I’d left Brittany and Artie in charge of their cake. Bautista was in charge of the food. Santana was in charge of getting all our peeps there. They had completely come through for me. Nikki and Bubbie were there when we got home with Avery, which gave Ethan and Amanda the excuse for why they came to our house with us.

It wasn’t exactly a surprise party…but neither Sam nor Mercedes knew it was going to happen. The band, Haja and Darcy and the rest of the team were all there. I’d invited Rylie and a few people from campus that I knew we could trust. I’d actually have invited St. James and Willa, but both of them were on stage when we were having the party. We all had a great meal. I’d meant for Bautista to order some food, maybe Chinese or pizza or something. Instead she made homemade pizzas for us that tasted great and were actually really healthy. She also created homemade ranch sauce to go with homemade buffalo chicken strips. Jon and Ben got us Heinekens and Coronas and some Chardonnay and another wine called Sangiovese for the non-beer drinkers among us. With both Sam and Mercedes having turned twenty-one, we could finally, officially have them in the house. I asked Bautista to make sure that both brands of beer and limes were added to the grocery list. I was sure that a case of each every other week would be more than enough.

We all had a great time. Saul and Mills were there, as were Daniel and Riker who had brought Chris and Dominique to the party too. The two of them and Santana had a blast drinking Coronas and not speaking much English at all for a little while. It was a good party. Then the cake came out. Someone had found a fan-pic of the three of us as comic book characters, Mercedes was Wonder Woman, Sam was Captain America and I was Conan the Barbarian. The cake was topped with a picture of the two of them from the fan art. It was ridiculously hot. But the best part was the taste. I’d loved Franklin and Hannah’s wedding cake, but Brits and Robo-Nerd had gone all out. Half the cake was red velvet with cream cheese and pecan frosting for the filling. The other half was German chocolate cake with the coconut and pecan frosting as filling in that half. I had a piece of each.

Once everyone was full and happy, even if we were going to have to work out before going to campus and working out in our strength training class, then we did the whole gift thing. Certain gifts were expected. Like Saul and Mills gift of her lucky, special occasion perfume, Hermes L'ambre des Merveilles that Saul had given Sexy Mama for Christmas that very first one we were together. I guess that he gave it to her for her birthday since they had given her a vintage, brown Louis Vuitton monogram canvas Sirius sixty suitcase for Christmas. Babygirl loved both gifts. She loved the Hermes scarves that Sam and I got her too. We’d actually asked the moms for ideas and then gone to the website and ordered one kind of normal one and one that screamed MERCEDES. Santana and the girls had gone in together and got her a whole bunch of sexy, lacy bits of nothing to tease and torment Sam and I with…fuck she was going to look hot as hell in that purple fishnet and lace nightie with matching thong. I mean, I knew it was her gift but looking at it and imagining her in that shit…all I could think was Happy Birthday to me. Kurt got her a new Gucci purse. To me it looked like something she would carry once or twice but mainly just keep because Kurt had given it to her. The more classic looking Prada purse Blaine gave her was much more something she could use more often.

Jamie had gotten her a pair of simple sterling silver cross earrings. They immediately went into Cede’s everyday jewelry rotation. Ryan gave Sam a Hellboy comic book that was, according to Seth, a really big deal. I took that to mean that me and Cede’s Valentine gift for Sam had arrived and was waiting on him upstairs. The guys from the crew and the male tenants and roommates, minus Kurt and Blaine, had all gone in together to get Sexy Mama a complete first edition set of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy of books. The sound of happiness she let out reminded me that she and Hannah were closely blood related. It was the same sound Cede’s cousin had made when she’d learned about the Australian honeymoon. Nikki had saved up her allowance and gotten Mercedes a pretty, little book case that locked and everything to house her slowly growing book collection. “I found it on Esty. It only holds seven books, I thought you could use it for your Harry Potter collection. I’ll give you the guy’s site so you can get more since you have more books now.” Our eldest little girl said as she and her MeDe shared a big hug.

The party wound down when Nikki and EJ started getting sleepy. After we said goodbye to everyone and put the food away, which was short work considering how little food was left and how many of us lived there. Clean up was quick too, thank Yeshiva. We’d made love a few times that night at the hotel, but our ‘not in our own bedroom’ mojo was still off. That thought reminded me that I wanted to talk with Cede and Sam about selling that bad luck house in LA and either buying something else out there, or maybe not fucking with LA at all. There were hotels there that I was cool with. If we really needed a showplace, we could find something in Manhattan to do that kind of shit in…we were a WMG NYC group any damn way.

As soon as we got up to our bedroom, Sam saw his brand new, tricked out, fire proof, moisture proof gun safe turned comic book storage safe. The damn thing was huge. He opened it and found that Cede had had file cabinet like drawers installed on one side. The other side was shelves that could hold the acid free cardboard comic book storage boxes. Each drawer and corresponding shelf was labeled; Dark Horse, DC, IDW, Image, Marvel and Other. Inside the drawers there were tabs for Sam’s favorite series, like Batman, Avengers and X-Men with alphabetical tabs for the other less beloved books. The Walking Dead first edition, number one that I’d plunked down as much for as I had for my half of Cede’s gift, was in the Image drawer front and center. When Sammy-Boy found it, he babbled for forty-five seconds straight in pure joy. It would house all the super expensive collectibles that he was amassing, and, until he got a lot more comic books, it could hold Cede’s books too. Sam was so grateful that we didn’t even make it into the bed room before Sexy Mama had been stripped to the waist. Of course, with the sexiest tits I’d ever seen on display, I had to get in on the action too. So our first round of sexing happened on one of the recliners in me and Sam’s man cave. There was nothing on earth as fucking hot as fucking Mercedes Jones from behind and then pulling out to cum all over her sexy ass. Unless it was doing it while Sam was sitting on the back of the chair with his cock down her throat playing with her tits so we all came at about the same time.

We didn’t bother to get dressed after we cleaned up from that seriously satisfying bout of love making. Instead we chilled out in our recliners with the TV on providing background noise. Sexy Mama opened her Valentine from me and Sam. We’d racked our brains for something to get for her that she could show off. Something really awesome that let the world see we loved her because it cost a grip…but it also had to be something that she would actually like and use. We could ask for ideas for birthday gifts, but it seemed real slack ass to do it for Valentines. But then Sam had an idea while we were on the Hermes site looking at the scarves. We looked through the purses on their site and found our Baby-slash-Babygirl a purple Birkin bag. It took us a minute to be able to hit the button to buy the damn thing. The thought of spending twenty-two grand on a handbag kind of threw both of us. But we did it. Her thank you very much blow jobs were more then worth getting over our inherent cheapness. The best part was that she looked amazing modeling it around our rooms butt-butterball naked.

They had gone in together on my Valentine gift too. I mean, technically I guess me and Cede had gone in together for Sammy Boy…she got him the safe…I got him something to go in it. Together the Walking Dead first issue number one and the customized gun safe didn’t cost near as much as a guitar signed by Johnny Cash and Bono. Hell, I was pretty sure that that damn pocketbook hadn’t cost as much as my awesomest Valentine’s present ever received did. It came in a Plexiglas case and everything. I had to show my appreciation. So I had Sammy-Boy fuck Cede’s sexy ass, with her complete and enthusiastic permission of course, and while he was balls deep in her hot, tight ass, I licked and sucked his balls and Cede’s sexy little clit and tongue fucked her pussy. It was fucking perfect. When I had to bust one or lose my mind, I twisted around and pushed up into Babygirl as she was cumming hard as hell. I lasted no time at all after that. We kind of woke up later on after we were cold as hell from the floor.

Thankfully we just had classes that day. Because after we woke up, we shared a shower more for warmth than anything else…we never minded sleeping with the evidence of how much we loved each other all over the place. Shared showers take longer and in most cases lead to at the very least hand jobs and fingerbanging, so we didn’t make it to bed until like two. Then we were back up at six. When we got home that night we were sleepwalking. We hit the bed so hard we bounced. Tuesday morning, we had to be more deliberate in what we wore. Immediately after classes we had the meeting about the video. Mercedes was always quick to remind us that we might be rock stars but we were not assholes so when we went to meetings we needed to look like we were ready for business.

With that in mind I dressed a little bit better than I did on just class and practice days. Thankfully Tuesdays were not strength training class days. I decided to go with a pair of dark gray slacks and a cool sweater that was an amir wool-blend with lines of gray randomly alternated with plum colored lines of knitting. It was soft as shit, and looked good on me…but best of all it was it was warm. I had to be me though, so I was rocking my Docs with the good guy look. Besides, it kept snowing and shit. Sam had a similar idea, a nice warm sweater, his was hunter green. Unlike me who had on just a regular tee shirt under my sweater, he wore his over an ivory polo shirt. His slacks were black…but he too wore boots, black Tims rather than Doc Martins, but boots just the same. Of course, Mercedes Jones didn’t dress for the weather…she dressed for herself and bent the weather to her will. Okay, so that wasn’t true. She wore a long sleeved, steel gray, sweater dress with a pair of black leggings. I was actually pretty sure that she went with a neutral color for the sweater dress so that her brand new Birkin bag would really pop. She also turned the purple Hermes scarf into a wicked cool belt. The only thing I hated was the fact that she wore three inch heeled boots rather than something more sensible. Sam and I were praying for her ankles all damn day.

Somebody up there must have liked us because she made it all day without breaking a heel or a bone. It was actually one of the meetings we had to do at Warner. Our conference room sat enough people, and we’d managed the ideas meeting there, but there was no way Ms. Willthorne and her crew were schlepping all the costumes over to our offices. Thankfully, Deborah knew our schedule well enough that the meeting was considered a ‘dinner meeting’. They ordered in from Charlie Palmer at the Knick. They actually didn’t really do take-out as such, but when Warner called, they weren’t going to say no. Deborah had ordered for us to cut down on the time. So, the food was hot and waiting on us when we got there. We shared the Maine lobster ravioli and then I had the chicken breast with maitake mushrooms, roasted potatoes and scallions with sautéed spinach as the side. She and Bubbie were way too close. Otherwise how would she have known that I was saying I had to be good all week to make up for the way I’d eaten all weekend? Sexy Mama had the Nova Scotia halibut which came swimming in Mussel Broth alongside radicchio and topped with tarragon puree. She too had the sautéed spinach, as did Sam…but he had his with the Long Island striped bass that already came with fennel and artichokes in a Riesling sauce. We kind of greeted everyone, which was all the usual subjects plus the director Alek Kershishian, and fell face first into our plates.

When dinner was consumed and the plates all cleared we focused on the task at hand. “Alright, so we decided on the overall premise of the video in early January. Three verses and that final, extended bridge in your reimagining of ‘Believe’ so the video will be four distinct weddings.” Mr. Kershishian, the director reminded us. “And when I said distinct I mean completely different from head to toe. Different venues, different engagement rings, and of course different relationships. For the first verse, Mercedes’ll be marrying Sam. It will be a church wedding, very traditional, very ‘normal’. Puck will be there as the best man looking on longingly. The second verse…Sam will be marrying Puck, beach wedding setup. Mercedes will be the ‘maid of honor’ for both of you. She will be wistful but trying hard to be happy for her friends. The third verse, Puck and Mercedes’ wedding…an edgy and Rockstar looking kind of deal. This time it is Sam looking as if he’d kill to be with the bride and groom. Then during the extended bridge at the end, the three of you will be in a beautiful setting a blend of all three settings, a pretty garden setting that is decorated to blend all three different styles. The three of you will be marrying each other. Totally fulfilled…exactly as it should be.” As he talked he and Ms. Lee plotted us through the story board.

“We are trying to piss people off this time.” I muttered.

But I was heard. “All Love is Beautiful.” Deborah reminded me.

Anika was more pointed. “Did you three tell me the first time we met, that you were in this to make a difference…that you wanted to be role models? Can you make a difference without pissing off those who want the status quo? Change has never come about without pain, without anger. Besides, it’s too late to change things. We film next weekend.”

“So, is that how you guys are going to get us to move in the directions you really want us to go…you time us out?” Sam laughed.

Ms. Willthorne laughed. “You three are running out your own time. I mean, I’ve known people going through bankruptcy and trying to keep body and soul together who don’t have as many jobs as the three of you.”

“You love those ‘lots of jobs’ jokes don’t you, Willthorne,” I teased. “I think you tell one every time we have one of these meetings.”

“Meh, it’s still funny to me.” She shot back unrepentantly. “Anyway, on to the costuming. Now, I stuck with less expensive wedding gowns. A-because we need three of them and B-because I wanted to make sure when the three of you do your commitment ceremony in a few years, people won’t be all like ‘that looks so similar to one of the dresses from her Believe music video, blah, blah, blah.”

“And I appreciate that, truly.” Mercedes laughed.

Valerie Willthorne threw her another sincerely admiring look. “Good, glad to help…plus, your boy Kurt is INTENSE, when it comes to your dress for commitment ceremony. Like seriously, I’m pretty sure he is already working on it.” None of us would have been surprised in the slightest to find out that he was. We said as much which amused Ms. Lee and Willthorne-in-my-ass even more than the lots of jobs jokes did. She finally pulled herself together and started her part of the meeting. “Okay, so for the PuckCedes wedding, we’re going a little bit rock-n-roll. A champagne and black ball gown with a deeper sweetheart neckline from the Allure Bridal twenty-fourteen fall line. It’s strapless and with a lower back. Don’t worry…double sided tape will be our best friend. Big hair but in an edgy, rebellious kind of way…thinking a long curly, formal faux-hawk. Big black ‘diamond’ jewelry. Black heels…the whole thing will be edgy.” The dress she showed us was kind of hot. Sexy Mama would definitely fall out of it if we weren’t careful though.

Alek jumped in here. “The venue for this will be industrial…a renovated warehouse looking set.”

Willthorne nodded. “We’ll dress your band and extras in lots of punk and goth looks. Even Sam as the best man. The engagement ring for that wedding will be a black rhodium engagement ring, edgy and slightly wild. Exactly Puckerman’s style. Matching wedding bands for both of you.”

“I can honestly say that is not a dress I would pick for myself…but it is pretty.” Sexy Mama told the costumer.

Willthorne made a note. “Good, that was what I was going for. Puck for that scene, you’ll be in a blue, David Donahue 'Reed' classic fit, wool, dinner jacket with black tuxedo pants and a black bow tie. Much less than traditional, with hints of normalcy. Next up…the guys. Sam and Puck…for yours you’ll be in light beige and tan linen suits suitable for a beach wedding. Gonna go a little bit unexpected and have Sam go with the open collar shirt and Puck will be wearing a tie. Mercedes, you’ll be their witness, their best person. I picked this cute little, informal darker purple jersey dress. Its short and sleeveless…that will make it look perfect for a small, destination wedding. The only guests will be your band members. Guys your rings are gold bands with emeralds in the center. Nothing like anything Mercedes would let you wear.” She kidded.

“Depending on the feel of the sand in the set, we might have the three of you going barefoot, give it a real beachy feel. Mercedes, your hair will be in a sweet and pretty little side bun.” As she spoke she was pulling out the apparel and showing us each piece. “Okay so for the SamCedes wedding…we went a little bit rock-n-roll for PuckCedes, so for Sam and Mercedes we’ll go a little bit country.” She pulled two vastly different, but definitely bridal dresses from the rack. “I’m still not sure if this Augusta Jones number is better than this poufy, poufy princess dress for the super traditional, church wedding.”

I surprised myself by speaking up. “I think you should go with the princess dress. I don’t like the other one…no it’s not that I don’t like it. It’s just…that looks like something Bubbie would wear if she ever decided to get married again.”

Sam looked up. “Actually that was why I was thinking she should go with it. I can see Kurt putting Mercedes in some super glamorous version of a princess ballgown. I cannot see him letting her go all matronly.”

“No…nor that plain. It is a very simple, very church appropriate dress. Plus, it is entirely different from the one I’m wearing for the PuckCedes wedding scenes. The princess dress would be very much the same silhouette as the other scene, unless you are going for parallelism the dresses. That could work. Especially if the dress for the three of us is completely different from any of the others.” Mercedes chimed in.

“Yeah, but I can’t see Mercedes walking down the aisle in real life in something like Hannah’s dress, and that’s what that poufy, poufy princess dress reminds me of. Plus too, the higher neckline of the matronly dress is more like what she’d pick to try and keep the chocolate mounds of absolute joy contained for a ceremony.” I pointed out. We argued back and forth for a few more minutes. Finally, I won my way since neither Sam nor Cede really cared all that much.

“Well, that was invigorating.” Ms. Willthorne laughed and put the matronly dress at the back of the rack she’d pulled it from. “Sam, you’ll be in a traditional black tux, Puck a classic fit gray suit. This one is pure tradition.”

“In fact, I’ve had my set designer working with an actual wedding planner to create the environs for each scene.” Alek told us with a grin. “I had no idea how many different aspects went into planning these things.”

Mercedes laughed merrily. “My cousin who got married this past weekend…she spent more than a year planning her wedding. It was an amazing ceremony and reception, but it took her a long while to plan.”

Sam sighed. “I say we pay her and Kurt to plan our commitment ceremony.”

Me and Cede both nodded. That sounded like the best idea ever. “So, we’ve seen the three ‘close but no cigar’ weddings. Show us what you have planned for the final ‘perfectly perfect for us’ wedding.” I asked to get us back on track.

Willthorne knew exactly what I was trying to do. She huffed. I swore if I didn’t know better, I’d think that she got paid by the hour. “Yeah well, I was trying to let the tension build. I am especially proud of this one.” Yeah, she deserved that pride. All I could think was those two other dresses were for princesses. This dress was for a muthafucking queen.

“Oh, that dress is awesome.” Sam breathed. He wasn’t lying.

Mercedes agreed too. “Only problem I can see is getting my girls to work with that neckline. I can’t even wear a bra with the way that is cut…I can barely go without one while I’m sleeping.”

The neckline was low. It started at the tips of her shoulders and came down in less of a V and more of a Y kind of deal to a couple of inches above her navel. It had long, lace over sheer sleeves and a trumpet or mermaid silhouette. I never could tell the difference between those two. It would follow Sexy Mama’s curves and make them look even more curvy and defined. The dress was lace all over. But the best part…The best part about it was the cape. It had lace epaulettes and flowed down from there in a silky curtain of white chiffon or something. It was a gorgeous dress. Like I wanted her to wear it when we did do our commitment ceremony. “It’s from the fall line of a friend of mine. She made this just for you for the video. Hoping to drum up interest in her fashion line. She even included a bustier in the same lace as the front of the dress in your measurements. I got them from Kurt when we were discussing his ideas for your dress for your real ‘wedding’.”

“If this is her work…pass her information to Bubbie. I could definitely see about rocking one of her designs on a red carpet.” Mercedes said with a grin as she examined the bustier. It was designed to match the edges of the dress perfectly, only it was about an inch, inch and a half of lace that would come from above the bottom of the V in the front of the dress. “Oooh…what shoes with this one. They have to be fierce.”

“I know. I was thinking of the Louboutin Circonvolu Strass…they are brand new…just off the Louboutin runway, as it were.” She showed Mercedes a pair of shoes.

Mercedes started petting them. I knew where this was going. “Can she buy those from Warner after the shoot?”

“She doesn’t have to, we can just wrap them into your portion of the video cost rather than the Warner costs.” Deborah said with a smile.

The rest of the meeting went really quickly. There wasn’t much we wanted to change. We did have to try on the four different looks and make sure they fit. It was a little weird with Willthorne doing the pinning and marking rather than Bubbie or Kurt. But we got it done and got home in time to finish our readings and update our calendars with our mid-term projects and papers that would be due before we left for South by Southwest. Man, I couldn’t wait to see our peeps. We were even bringing Adams and Karofsky. Mainly because Adams hadn’t been able to go anywhere the year before since Little Bird was the little mistress of all his time. Which was totally as it should be, but we figured he could use a break and he and Karofsky could start learning their job for the summer.

The next morning the day again started early and ran late. After classes, we had the meeting at our offices with our entire team, crew and staff. The twenty-nine of us really only barely fit in the conference room, but we made it work. Brantley gave us a rundown on the costs of the event and then on our take for the night. “Wait…say that again?” Sam interrupted when he listed our profits from the night.

Brantley smirked. “Once everything was paid, including all the gratuities, KAMA cleared six million, six hundred eleven thousand, five hundred and seventy-five dollars.”

Mercedes, Sam and I looked at each other like they were crazy. All I could think was that we had thought that we were giving about a third of the take from the night to the team, crew and staff in the bonus checks we’d printed and even with the gift cards we had for them we were still under a sixth. Oh well, there was nothing we could do to change it at that point. I nodded at Mercedes and Sam cosigned the go ahead. “Well, we wanted to thank you all for your hard work in the planning and execution of the Lucky in Love dinner concert. There has been and expression of interest in doing it again next year. We’d like your input on if you think we should move on making that a yearly occurrence.”

She passed out envelopes for each of them, from Kurt and the FRT members that Darcy had gotten to work the event all the way up to the full timers like Haja and Brantley. The FRTers didn’t get as much as the full timers, just fifteen hundred dollars and a thousand dollar Dell or HP gift card. The Crew each got thirty-two thousand dollars and a fifteen hundred dollar Dell, HP or Apple gift card, except Rainbow and Cassidy…they each got a bit extra, Rainbow because she’d created an entirely new dance routine for all the songs we’d performed that night and Cassidy because she’d played the intermission as a solo act. The bonuses for the staff were the same thirty-two grand and enough for a really good laptop. Brantley and Ethan had told us how much Yasmine had done for the night…she’d done quite a bit of the décor and logistical planning. She deserved the extra thirteen thousand five hundred bucks. Ethan and Daniel got almost as much, just because they were pretty much upper management or executives or whatever the term for them would have been. Darcy got even more because she was so heavily involved in the event. She’d made everything happen with the Merch stand. Haja got as much as she did, because he was technically the top of the heap. Though we did give Brantley twenty grand more than Haja and Darcy, who ended up getting twenty grand more than the bulk of our people. He had made the night happen. He deserved it.

When everyone opened their envelopes, first thing they noticed was actually the computer gift cards. I was pretty sure they were actually all kind of cool with just that. The first one to notice the check behind the card was Cleotha. “Well, lands for Zion.” He said as he pulled it out and looked at it. “Oh my, thank you so very much. I...I’m not gonna cry. But, you just don’t know how much I needed this in my life right now.” He breathed happily. “You three are the best bosses ever.”

I looked at the big black dude. He was good people. Always willing to put in on an idea that needed a different aspect. “Man, Cleotha, if you need something, let us know. I mean…as long as it isn’t gambling debts, we can definitely work something out. And if it is gambling debt. We can get you into a program or something.”

Cleotha’s laugh was big and kind of reminded me of Benton’s. “No, it’s nothing like that. Well, maybe a little bit. I think my landlord had some gambling debts. He sold our building and now it’s going condo. I’ve lived there for seven years. But now, I was either going to have to move or I was going to have to try and scrape up enough to buy it. This plus what I have saved…it’s enough for the down payment.”

“Well, if you need anything…just ask. God has richly blessed us. The least we can do to pay Him back is help others.” Sam asserted.

Haja started laughing. “Sometimes I just cannot believe that people like the three of you exist. I saw your faces…you had no idea that the gate from the concert was so large. You came in here fully prepared to give out what I’m guessing is about a million dollars in bonuses without any clue if we’d even cleared that much.”

Sexy Mama smiled. “Whether we cleared one million or twenty…the amount of work you guys did, especially Brantley, Darcy, Daniel and Yasmine…it was worth recognition.”

I had to cosign that one. “Yeah, it’s not exactly a hard ship to walk out of here with five million dollars we didn’t know we had when we walked in. You all gave up a lot of hours and a Valentine’s Friday. The least we could do was show our appreciation.”

“And we appreciate your appreciation.” Adam chimed in. “With these gift cards, between the two of us we can get our mom and our twin brothers some decent laptops. The twins are still in high school and Mom is going to community college.”

I smiled at Sam. I knew that he was thinking the same thing I was. We’d get the info on their mom’s school and make sure that she didn’t come out with a shit ton of debt. Even the local community colleges could end up racking up a big bill if you were from the wrong state. Besides, as Sam had pointed out, we might as well help others with our money. It seemed like as long as we did that Yeshiva was perfectly happy giving us more.

“Alright then, how does everyone feel about making this a yearly thing?” Mercedes said after congratulating both Dam-Bros on being good to their family.

Everyone was happy with the idea of doing the same type of concert on a yearly basis. But Yasmine raised a great point. “I think that it would be cool to maybe alternate between a Valentine’s dinner concert and a more house party type of Halloween costume party or even a Mother’s Day family dinner concert. That way you get several types of different crowds even keeping the ‘All Love is Beautiful’ theme, which is something I don’t think we should change for the Valentine’s events especially.” We spent about an hour going over the different options. I definitely loved the idea of a Halloween party concert. Sam and Mercedes wanted to create a young artist showcase for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day that would be something we could have our family present for and be with them during rather than, at best, them being in the audience while we’re on the stage.

“I had an idea about spreading the message. Since we seem to have to do a tour every summer, I think we should do dinner concerts like that for our European tour next summer. If we can pull it off, we can call it the ‘All Love is Beautiful’ Tour and only do two stops per country.” I suggested.

Brantley and Yasmine looked at each other as if asking ‘could we pull that off?’ Finally, Brantley looked at us, “let me crunch some numbers and look at the logistics. I mean, I’ll need to figure out where to hold them and see if there are chefs in each city who are as awesome as Flynn McGarry.”

“Take your time. A feasiblilty study would have to be the first step. Thanks, man.” I assured him. “Warner says that we are good to go for the record drop party on April twenty-eighth. Yasmine, would you be willing to help Hudson with that. Brantley had nothing but good things to say about how you helped him last week.”

Yasmine looked over at Hudson who nodded encouragingly. “I’d love to.” She smiled broadly. Huh, she wasn’t a bad looking woman. Not as fine as Sexy Mama, but definitely cute.

While we were all there, we took the time to remind the KAMA crew that we’d rescheduled our Saturday studio time for our last recording session for the next album. “We’ll meet at the studio at nine Saturday night. Sorry for the lateness, but Nikki’s birthday party is that day.” I started apologizing.

“Don’t sweat it BadAss BossMan.” Darcy laughed. “Hudson may have shared the fact that you guys were doing it up big for her. So, we all thought that we’d do a little something to let her know we all wish her a happy birthday too. It should be delivered to your house on Friday.”

“Ooohhh what did you get her?” Sam asked happily.

It was funny because there was a little mini conference over whether or not to tell us. Finally, Haja just reminded them that we could find out Friday if we really wanted and wouldn’t it be better that we not have to unwrap the boxes to see what was inside them. “Aaahhh okay, fine…so I kind of got the assignment to go on Amazon and get her basically one twenty-five buck gift from each of us. Since I know how she feels about math, I got her every math based sciency type game and project and well everything I could find. There were some super hard, advanced level Sudoku books. A pretty teal and purple chess set. A three-D chess set like from Star Trek. Then there are slightly less cool things like the crystal growing kit and other boring, things…oh and a telescope and microscope. The kids’ versions. There are nineteen of us that got her something in this load. Since Merida, Attorney Ethan, Danny-Boy, K-Liz, Satan, Brit-Brat, Art-Man and She-Who-I-Want-to-Be-When-I-Grow-Up-Will-All-Be at the party, the rest of us decided that they would have to get their own gifts for KAMA’s elder princess.”

“You guys are awesome.” I said gratefully. “You go and do something that nice for Nikki and are surprised that we would take care of all of you.”

Darcy kind of blushed. Like Lauren, she isn’t going to admit she did something nice. Instead she brushed it off with a muttered, ‘if I’d known that I was getting this big a bonus, I’d have spent more on the Monkey.” She threw us a smirk. “While you guys are still here, I’ve got two personal response needed for you Puck. One is standard, how can I move past being a bullying asshole. The other is a nice little letter about how she lost her big brother in a car crash and you remind her of him.” She handed me two copies of mailed in letters. “For Madame Mercedes, we have three letters,” she passed them to Cede. “The top one is really sweet. It’s an international one from a little girl in London.” Then she turned to Sam. “Alright, Samuel…gonna warn you…the top one of your three is...” I was surprised to see Darcy look serious. “Yeah…that kid is the trifecta of Sam Evans heartbreak. He’s a nine year old boy from Tarrant, Alabama. He’s poor, living in a foster group home because his dad is a trucker and they don’t have any other family. Sam, he mentions a learning disability…his teacher’s letter…she mailed it for him. Anyway…he is dyslexic and has some other markers for other language based learning disabilities. He basically wants to know how you didn’t just give up.”

Sam looked like someone had slapped him with a big ass bag of concrete mix. I didn’t blame him either. “I’ll write him back. Haja, can you kind of peep into the teacher, the school. See if there is any way we can help them out. I know that a lot of schools, the teachers are buying almost everything for their classrooms, and don’t make much to begin with.”

Haja nodded. “That’s not a problem. There is a charity called Donors Choose where you can basically either put money towards a specific project or even adopt a class. We can probably work through them, give you guys a buffer if you prefer anonymity.”

 

“Yeah, let’s do that then.” Sam agreed.

“Umm…actually.” Mercedes said after she had looked up the site and read some of the projects. “Haja, can you go ahead and finish funding the top five thousand projects on the most urgent projects…the ones that have the lowest amount of time left.”

“I can make that happen.” Haja agreed. Then our crew, team and even staff proved why they were the right people to work with us. Every single one of them threw in some funds to complete at least a few additional projects. All total, including Sexy Mama, me and Sam…we funded seventy-five hundred projects that day. Damn, it was a good feeling.

The rest of the week flew by and before we knew it, it was Friday evening and Nikolette’s Birthday Celebration twenty-fifteen was a go. I had to admit that maybe, maybe, I’d gone a little overboard. But I had eight missed birthdays to make up for and the money to do so. Besides, she had had one hellaciously bad year. It would be worth it to see the smile the weekend brought to her face.

 

Birthday (Selena Gomez)  
Nikki PoV

Life was a strange and beautiful thing. I had a great life. I loved it I was learning so much and I had made some really great friends. I had my Abah, my Papa, my MeDe, my Bubbie…a whole host of family. Friends and godparents and aunts and uncles and a sister. I was having a blast at school and didn’t have to be bored all day like I had been in school back in Billerica. There were some crap days, but there was so much good going on in my life that sometimes I felt bad. It was like Mommy had paid for my great new world with her life. That wasn’t fair. I wished that I could share all the experiences of my great new world with her.

But according to Dr. Holly, it was normal to feel the way I was feeling. The happiness and the guilt for being happy. She reminded me how hard Mommy had worked to make sure that I would have a good and happy future. That the best way I could remember her would be to make the very most of my life. To live it and live it well. To be happy and experience joy. So, I tried to not let the sometimes happen too often. For the weekend we were celebrating my birthday, I allowed myself an hour on Friday, before everything was scheduled to get started, and I just looked at her picture and I talked to my Mommy.

“Mommy, I miss you so much. It’s hard to believe that it’s been three months already. But I really like living with Bubbie and staying with Abah and Papa and MeDe as much as I can. I have three bedrooms now. One in Bubbie’s house. And two in Abah and Papa and MeDe’s houses. They are all really different but they are all really me, too. Bubbie and I have dinner with Abah, Papa and MeDe, and Tana, Brittany and Artie…oh and Kurt and Blaine at least a couple of times a week. Kurt is helping me a lot with dealing with losing you. He and the therapist MeDe and Bubbie got for me…Dr. Holly. I still have at least a couple of days every week when I have. Well, sometimes it hurts so bad I can’t breathe. But I try and remember that you are so much better off now than you were when you were in so much pain and everything. I have friends at my new school who are smart like me. Michelle and Marcus, they are twins and they are in my advanced classes with me.”

“Michelle took my phone and sent Jazmine’s mom’s phone all her contact information. Michelle and Jazmine text each other sometimes. I think they are friendly. They both say that they have to watch out for me…Michelle said she doesn’t want me to forget the good on those days when all I can really see is how much I miss you.” I sighed and tried to think of what to say next. Maybe Dr. Holly was right and I should do a journal…not a diary. I was little and I was a girl, but I was not the kind of little girl to have a diary…unless it was that one with the voice and biometrics based locking mechanism. I really wanted to take one of those apart. “Mommy, you would never believe how much stuff I have. I have a cell phone, I wasn’t supposed to get one of those until middle school before. I have an iPad. I have a laptop in two of my bedrooms. I have so many clothes, Mommy. I can never wear them all. Bubbie and SugaMama are always buying me more. SugaMama sends me packages at least once a month from Lima with clothes and stuff. At least she sends books too. I think she wants to make sure that I know that they care, ya know. That it isn’t just the family here in New York that loves me.”

“Goodness, Mommy…that may have been the strangest part. I went from it just being me and you, and now…after school I get, like twenty-five texts asking me how my day went. I have like six grandparents. Three great grandmothers. I have aunts and uncles…and cousins and everything. Patrice is MeDe’s sister because she is married to her brother and Mommy she loves math like you did and she always sends me these great math puzzles to figure out. I love her. I love all of them, really. So, I guess I miss you, but I know that you’d be happy because now I don’t just have you loving me I have like a hundred people who let me know in a million different ways that they love me. And I’ll learn to be happy because all of those same people at least love you a little too for having me.” I wiped my tears away. These weren’t bitter tears though…they felt like they were cleaning away some of the hurt I still, and always would, carry around.

“I have to go and get ready. Hudson and Bones should be back soon with Jazmine. She is coming for my Birthday Weekend Celebration Extravaganza…at least that what Papa and Abah keep calling it. When they say it, I can hear the capitalizations. That’s so funny, Mommy. Bubbie said I need to pack an overnight bag…but she won’t tell me what we’re doing. I bet you know. Everybody knows but me.” I muttered. “I love you, Mommy. Thank you for making sure that I was loved and cared for before you had to leave me behind.”

I got up and did as I had been told. I packed four pairs of panties, four tee-shirts and four pairs of socks. I made sure that I had two pairs of pajamas and my favorite shiny teal swimsuit, just in case. I packed 2 nice outfits and an actually dressy outfit. I didn’t have much to go on beyond that. I knew that I wasn’t spending the night in my room in Abah’s house…because I had everything I needed over there so I wouldn’t have had to pack anything. Thinking quickly, I grabbed a different backpack, I really had a lot of stuff, and put in Ticket to Ride and Sumoku, two of my favorite board games ever. I grabbed Monopoly too. It was Jazmine’s favorite and Marcus loved it too. I also threw in my iPad with its charger and my cell phone and its charger. Then I had to run to my bathroom and get my travel toothbrush and my loofa and everything I might need for wherever I was going. I put the bookbag on my back and my overnight bag I carried in my hand. I headed down to the family room getting there just as Jazmine came running in with Bubbie, Hudson and Bones behind her.

After hugging and doing our super, secret best friend handshake, we may have been jumping up and down and talking in that way where Papa says we can only be heard by dogs. But I hadn’t seen her in so long and texting and talking on the phone just weren’t the same. We talked so fast we almost couldn’t understand ourselves let alone each other, which led to us falling out laughing. It was great. Abah, Papa, MeDe and Manny showed up next and they had Michelle and Marc with them. I loved being able to finally be able to let Michelle and Jazmine met face to face. I so wanted us all to be friends. When they started talking and laughing together, I was really, really happy.

Marc sighed and looked at Abah and Papa, “I’m gonna have to put up with this all weekend. Two of them, I’m used to…three…three is just too much.” He sounded like what Mommy used to call ‘long suffering’.

MeDe laughed her beautiful laugh. “Marky-Marc, trust and believe in a few years you are going to be so grateful that you have all this insight into how the female mind works. We are a mysterious set of creatures. Our ways are complex and hard to understand.” She might well have started waving her hands in the air in a swirly way with her fingers wiggling, she sounded so mystical. That set Marc and my dads and Bones and Manny to laughing too.

“Alright, everyone got their things?” Papa asked checking his watch. “We need to get this show on the road. Are we all ready for the Nikolette Hypatia Puckerman Ninth Birthday Celebration Extravaganza to get started?” we all nodded happily. “Then let’s go!”

I tried finding out where we were going as we headed to the two big black SUVs that would be taking us where ever we were going. But the adults weren’t sharing and they had made sure that they didn’t tell any of us kids. “Oh, I love Bettolona’s pizza.” I said happily. “Oh, Jazz…just wait. This is the best pizza ever.” I told her with all honesty. “Their prosciutto pizza is soooooo ggggooooooooddddd!”

Bettolona was mainly a delivery restaurant, so I wasn’t really surprised that we didn’t get out of the car, well not all of us. Sam, Papa, ran in and came out with like five boxes of pizza and several bags containing the to-go boxes they put their pasta and other non-pizza foods in. There was another stop, at the bodega up the block and Abah ran into the bodega and came out with a whole lot of cans of drinks and a case of Aquafina under his arm. Then we got back underway. I looked at Jazz, “are you sure that you don’t know where we’re going?”

She shook her head. “I’m pretty sure that your parents told my parents, because Momma was really excited. But they wouldn’t tell me anything.”

“Same with us. Probably because they knew Marc would end up spilling the beans just to stop me from teasing you with the fact that I knew something you didn’t.” Chelle answered honestly. She tended to be honest in all things, unless it was more beneficial to lie. Sometimes she reminded me a whole lot of Tana.

We spent the thirty minutes or so in the car trying to figure it out. But when the SUVs stopped for good, it was really easy to figure it out. Manny helped me and my friends from the car and we were ushered into the Plaza by MeDe and Bubbie and the door men. Michelle grabbed one of my hands and Jazz grabbed the other. There was a special concierge that greeted us, by name. We tried to play it cool, we really did. We didn’t make it to the elevators before we were hopping up and down, giggling like crazy. Even Marc joined in. The elevator took us to the eighteenth floor. We looked down the corridor and saw the pink door and we got all squealy and giggly all over again. We stopped in the hall and MeDe put red bow topped head bands on my, Michelle and Jazz’s hair. None of us was blonde, but we felt like Eloise in that moment.

Walking into that room was like walking into the Eloise books. Everything was pink and white. Just the way Eloise liked it. Her clothes were in the closet. Her favorite books, toys, and dolls were on the shelves. Her bed had a sparkly pink headboard and there’s a zebra carpet on the floor. Above the bed was a huge neon sign that read “Eloise”. There was even pink all over the bathroom. It was sad how crazy we went. We seriously ran around like that little blond boy in those Home Alone movies. Suddenly there was a loud whistle.

“Alright, I know you’re excited, but that is no reason to act like you ain’t got no home training.” MeDe said sternly as Papa pulled his fingers from his mouth. “Now, I know this room means that you are expecting a certain amount of freedom. But, you are not going to act like crazy people. Now, we’re going to have dinner all together. Then you three will shower and get ready for bed. Once you’re in your new pajamas,” she handed each of us a gift bag. I hadn’t even noticed the teal, red, purple and blue bags she gave us. “Once you’re in your pajamas, we’ll leave you to enjoy your sleepover. Puck, Sam and I will be just next door, and Manny will be right across the hall. But none of you…not even on a triple dog dare…are to leave this room without being accompanied by an adult. Any questions?” MeDe’s mom voice was crazy good.

Marc raised his hand. “Ummm, how did you get them to let you bring in outside food? When we stayed at a hotel with our parents, we had to sneak snacks and drinks in in our suitcases.”

Abah laughed. “As much as we’re paying for two nights in this suite, if we wanted them to run to Jersey and get us a specialty burger from that Diners, Drive-ins and Dives place…they had better go and come back with the food still hot.”

MeDe elbowed him in the side. The look on her face was so funny. “We made the arrangements in advance. My parents used to do the sneak food in in the suitcases thing too. Room service and vending machines get expensive quick. The other thing I need you to do is you don’t open the door for anyone.” She showed us the door that connected their much more normal room to ours, “if you need something knock on this connecting door. If someone knocks on your door, you come and get us. Do not open it. Got it?” we all nodded. “Now, Nikki-Darling, if you look over there on the coffee table, you might find something cool.”

Of course, I dropped the bag and ran to the table…oh man, MeDe was the queen of understatement. There was a letter for me from Eloise. It was awesome. I had the best family ever. That thought made me realize something. “Oh no, I was supposed to do this with Beth.” I mumbled.

Abah heard me and came and picked me up. Hugging me tight, he said quietly, “and you will when she is here next months. But tonight…this weekend is for you, so enjoy yourself, okay?”

I nodded my head against his neck and hugged him back. “Thank you, Abah…I love you.”

“And I love you Minkey.” He returned and kissed me on my cheek and put me down.

Everyone came over and we crowded around the coffee table and had dinner. Jazz took one bite of the prosciutto pizza and she looked at me. “Oh, Nikki, you are so right. I think this is better than pepperoni.”

Once we were all fed, Bubbie, Hudson and Bones headed out, Manny took his stuff across the hall, after taking a walk through the Nanny’s room, where MeDe, Abah and Papa would spend the night. Then it was time for us to get cleaned up for the night. MeDe had serious issues about cleanliness. I mean, I liked being clean as much as the next girl, but MeDe didn’t play when it came to bathes. I took to the tub for a bubble bath and I washed my hair while Jazz and Michelle took turns in the shower. I opened my teal bag to find a really cool pair of Star Trek pajamas that looked kind of like Troi or Crusher’s uniforms. Papa and Gampa Sander had gotten me addicted to Star Trek the Next Generation. I loved Wesley Crusher…like a lot. So, having his mother’s uniform for my pajamas was awesome. They were even cooler than the Elsa and Anna or Wonder Woman pajama’s I’d packed. I put them on with a pair of Wonder Woman panties and felt invincible. Chelle’s pajamas were probably boy’s pajamas. They looked like a baseball uniform without a team on it. Jazz’s pjs were perfectly her. A pair of purple Elsa and Anna pajamas, almost just like my teal ones that were still in my overnight bag. Everything smelled so good, I knew that Mr. Patrick had washed them for us.

While Marc was taking his shower, MeDe, Papa and Abah each combed our hair through and braided it down. Jazz had her scarf that she had to wear to bed whenever she didn’t have braids. Marc’s happy shout from the bathroom startled us so bad MeDe had to rewrap Jazz’s scarf. Papa looked at me and Chelle. “You know, I think Marc liked his pjs.” He whispered quietly.

In just a second Marc proved him correct. He came rushing out then threw his body into the traditional superhero pose. “I’m Batman.” He growled darkly but with a huge smile on his face.

“Alright Batman,” Abah laughed. “Remind me of the number one rule.”

Marc just nodded. “We cannot leave this room without an adult with us. Probably you meant without one of the three of you or Mr. Manny…since going anywhere with a strange adult would be stupid.”

Abah rolled his eyes and asked Jazmine for the other rule. “We don’t open the exit door to the suite. We can knock on your connecting door, but we don’t open the main door.”

“That’s right. Now, there are plenty of waters in the minifridge. You can have as many Aquafina as you want…please leave the Perrier and Evian alone. No one likes paying hotel room prices for those things. Also, we’re not giving you a bed time…because, it’s a sleepover. But, we have to be downstairs for brunch by ten to have time to eat and get out of here on time tomorrow. So, try not to stay up too late.” Papa added in.

MeDe gave us each one of her hugs that just made everything better if something was wrong and made the good times ten times better. “Bubbie and I will be in here at nine to get you ready for tomorrow. Have fun. Don’t be too loud and crazy, and umm…try not to hear anything from our room.”

Papa checked to make sure that the main door was locked as it could be. He even opened the coat closet and braced its door against the door so that the main door couldn’t really be opened all the way. Then he and Abah and MeDe told us good night, again, and finally went through the two connecting doors, closing both behind them. I’m pretty sure that we all counted to ten to make sure they weren’t coming back before grabbing our backpacks and running into the bedroom and closing the door behind us.

We played Ticket to Ride and talked. Of course, Chelle broached the subject on their mind without tact or subtlety. Artie said that about Tana one time when I wasn’t supposed to be listening to their conversation about what was happening in LA. I didn’t understand a lot of it. But I understood that. “So, how much of this happiness is fake so that we don’t realize how much you’re missing your real mom?”

I sighed. “Not much. I mean, of course I miss her. And of course, I’m thinking about my last birthday, but she hurt so much those last few days, weeks really, she couldn’t even hide it near the end. So, unless she could come back and be healed in coming back…I just have to make myself remember that she is better off now.”

“So how is it living with real live rock stars?” Jazz finally asked. She’d been trying not to ask the question since the Grammys.

I laughed. “Well, I have to do my homework…sometimes they’re at the table with me doing theirs. But even if they aren’t, since I’m at their house when I do it most of the time, there is always someone to check it over with me. They all agree that I have to do it first. Brittany says that’s because the rest of them would be tempted to just go ahead and do it for me so I could just go play. We have family dinners a couple of times a week…at least once a week it is just the three of them and me and Bubbie…sometimes Uncle Saul and Mills come too. It’s really normal. If they have to go out of town, they make sure to tell me and they call and Skype with me while they are gone. I skype or talk with Beth almost every day. It’s just having a big, and I mean really big, family. Their brothers and sisters and their friends, Finn and Lauren, call me every week. Quinn and her boyfriend, James, call me at least twice a month, same with Tina and Mike. If Bubbie has to go with them, I always stay with Uncle Ethan and Amanda and their kids because EJ and I go to the same school so that’s easier than me staying with Uncle Saul and Mills. Oh, as much as I miss Mommy, I really like having a big family.”

Once all three of my friends were satisfied that I really was okay, we just played games and watched movies until we couldn’t keep our eyes open any longer. The next morning, the phone rang at nine. Then a couple of minutes later MeDe and Bubbie were there making us get up and get cleaned up and dressed. There were more new clothes. Though, like the pajamas the night before, they were washed by Mr. Patrick, so they didn’t smell or feel new. I loved my new outfit. It was a pair of skinny jeans, a thick, dark teal tanktop and an oversized, aqua burnout graphic t-shirt with big purple and black butterflies and little teal ones. I had new socks to go with my brand new, all black, Converse All-Star high tops. The jeans would go into the shoes and the top of the teal, slouchy socks would come up out the top. MeDe helped me put in new earrings, which were simple amethyst studs. She reminded me that they were Rangeman trackers so I couldn’t take them off until we got back and I could trade them for the lady bug earrings. The same went for the matching necklace.

Of course, birthday celebration or not, my parents didn’t just buy me new clothes. Nope, they got all of us new stuff. Jazz’s outfit was really cute too. Looking at it, I was pretty sure that it was actually a Bubbie pick. A navy dress with a floral bomber jacket that would stop at her waist. Those were paired with leggings that looked almost exactly like the bomber jacket. The dress came with a pretty silver necklace shaped like a coach’s whistle, but encrusted with rhinestones. Her earrings sort of matched it. She got new shoes too, a pair of cute, lighter brown, calf tall boots with buckle details. She was really, really, really happy about the outfit. It was definitely a Jazz outfit. Just like the Chelle outfit was perfectly her.

Michelle’s shirt looked kind of like a baseball tee. It fit her perfectly and was basically black sleeves with a white body, with thin black lines…but the front read ‘I’m Fluent in’…with a bunch of pictures of emojis. It was cute. The shirt was fitted, had a knot detail at the hem on one side and in the bag with it was a pair of dark wash, cuffed distressed boyfriend jeans. Chelle’s shoes were almost just like mine, but they were white, with a few black lines but mostly they were completely white. She loved it. Probably because on special occasions her mom tried to get her to dress all girly, which she hated, but this outfit was nice and was only girly in that it was on a girl. I mean, yeah, the knotted tee-shirt was a little girly, but it wasn’t a dress. Marc’s outfit was as perfect for him as ours were for us. he had a pair of dark wash, slim fit, Levis that went with a ridiculously awesome Batman graphic tee that was black with a dark beige and blue graphic of Bats that also had the words ‘Defender of Gotham City’ on the front. Since it was a short-sleeved shirt, someone had gotten him a fleece hoodie that was mainly black with the traditional yellow and black Batman insignia. He was so happy it wasn’t even funny…okay, it was actually hilarious. His shoes were a pair of traditional Chuck Taylors. Something about his outfit screamed familiar to me. When Papa came in to our room to remind us that we needed to get going, I realized…Marc’s outfit was something Papa would wear. That was hilarious to me.

Not that Papa was dressed like that for my birthday celebration extravaganza. Nope he was wearing a cream and navy raglan shirt with the Atlanta Braves A on the front with his jeans and chucks. Abah was in a long sleeve tee=shirt too, but his was basic black and as he came in he was pulling on a vintage Nirvana shirt over it. Abah had a whole lot of shirts for old bands no one I knew barely knew the names of. Well, Michelle, Marc and Jazz knew…they didn’t have a choice Abah, MeDe, Papa and their parents made sure they knew about all kinds of music that they loved. If my dads were dressed for comfort, forgetting style, my mom was dressed mainly for style. MeDe was rocking a pair of black skinny jeans that bordered on jeggings. Her plum colored silk blouse had ruffles down the front and a cutout that showed the dip at the base of her neck and a bit of Abah and Papa’s favorite part of her to look at when they thought no one was watching. Her black leather boots had a block heel, and came up almost to her knees. I guess because of the weather they weren’t as tall as her heels usually were. She had a black cardigan with ruffles down the front that she put on over her blouse. Bubbie was about like MeDe…they both loved fashion. She was wearing a winter white, I knew the difference now, off the shoulder sweater with a cool tie up detailing on the lower left side. She was wearing dark blue leggings with it and brown boots that looked a lot like MeDe’s only hers had the gold MK in a circle on the side.

Looking closely, I was pretty sure that Bubbie’s pearl stud earrings and MeDe’s amethyst ones were trackers like mine. That was weird. Usually only MeDe, Abah, Papa and I and trackers. And the grown-ups only wore bracelet ones. I was pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to know all of that. But the tech in the lady bug earrings had been really cool and Manny and Bubbie had taken me to meet Grunt at Rangeman and he had shown me how to spot their tracker jewelry…as long as I promised never to take any apart to try and reverse engineer the tiny chips. As I was thinking about it, I realized that the earrings that came with Jazz and Michelle’s outfits and the watch that Marc was now sporting were all trackers too. That made me wonder where we were going that they wanted to track us so closely. Before I could ask though, Manny stuck his head in and we all grabbed our coats and headed down to the Palm Court for brunch.

They had a special ‘Eloise’ menu that we could pick from. That was really cool. Everything tasted amazing. I’d gotten the ‘One Egg Benny’ which was good, but I’d had to steal a half of MeDe’s English muffin to make it perfect. After everyone had finished their breakfast, we were piled back into the two SUVs. Binkie and Hudson had come back with Bubbie and had brunch with us. We weren’t allowed to even peek into the SUV they got into for some reason. We drove for about twenty minutes. They blindfolded me. My loving parents blindfolded me. They were taking the whole surprise thing a little bit too far. Abah picked me up and carried me inside so I wouldn’t fall or anything. A lot of kids my age would have been mad about that, but I still loved it whenever Abah or Papa or any of the uncles picked me up. It was nice.

When we got inside, he sat me on my feet and took off my blindfold. We were inside a big store with tons of gadgets and gadget components. The seventeen other students from my homeroom plus Jazz, Chelle and Marc were under a silver banner that said ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY NIKKI!!!!’ in big teal letters. Standing off to the side were my NYC family. Everyone from Kurt and Blaine to Daniel, Saul and Mills…Riker must have had to work. The next two hours were AWESOME! We made our own small robots, learning about circuitry and electricity and got to use a three-D printer. It was so cool. After the party at the science store, which I later learned was called Dazzling Discoveries, we walked together a few blocks to Big Daddy’s diner for the all-important food portion of the party. There we were treated to some really good crispy chicken fingers, grilled mini burgers French fries and tater tots. MeDe ate a few of the Tots then pushed them far down the table away from her. That was hilarious. But not as funny as Tana calling her name and making a big production of eating them herself. My godmother was pretty evilly funny. After everyone had their food and milkshakes finished, Abah and Papa disappeared and when they came back they had guys pushing a huge cake on a rolling cart. I loved it. It had a picture of me and Mommy from my last birthday on one side and one of me and Beth and Abah and Papa and MeDe from the day after Christmas on the other side. I felt tears, but I couldn’t figure out if they were happy or sad ones…maybe they were both.

After I blew out the candles and everyone had cake. It was time for birthday gifts. They had been in the SUV no one would let me peek into that morning. I got a whole bunch of cool math and science based games and toys from the people who make KAMA run, as Papa called them. I got clothes and even some jewelry from MeDe, Aunt Amanda and Bubbie. Uncle Saul and Mills got me a cool play thing that would be built in Bubbie’s back yard. Uncle Ethan said that Aunt Amanda’s gift was just too girly for him and EJ to put their names on, so he’d gotten me a kid’s three-D printer from the two of them. I got so much stuff I wasn’t even sure where I would put it all. It was cool. Some of the girls in my class each got me one of the new Project MC2 dolls. I hadn’t even realized they were out yet. It was a great party. As everyone was leaving, Hudson and Binkie were giving their parents their goody bags.

I wasn’t sure why other people got gifts for coming to my birthday party when it hadn’t cost them anything beyond a birthday gift to do so…but what did I know, I wasn’t even officially nine for a few more days at that point. Chelle, Marc and Jazz showed me what was in theirs. Everyone got their stuff in one of the drawstring KAMA sport bags, black for the boys and silver for the girls. They all contained collapsible KAMA water bottle, a Sudoku and word find puzzle book and pencils with cool erasers. There wasn’t exactly candy, instead they each had a ‘make your own rock candy’ kit. They also each contained a dollar store calculator and a bunch of stickers for superheros or princesses as the case may have been. “The best part though,” Chelle said happily, “was that they asked if we wanted a superhero or a princess bag. They didn’t just automatically hand me a silver bag because I was a girl. I LOVE your parents, Nik-Nak.”

“They are pretty awesome, aren’t they? Hey did Harris Barrington get the silver or the black bag?” I wondered aloud.

Marc laughed. “You know he got the silver bag. That kid is the queerest straight boy I’ve ever met.”

“Are you sure he’s straight?” Jazz asked confusedly.

Chelle, Marc and I all laughed. “Oh, we’re sure. He got in trouble a few weeks ago for a new game he thought up called kiss tag. Basically, everyone runs, and the person who is It tries to catch you. If he, and yeah Harris was It, caught you, It could offer you the chance to go free for a kiss. Otherwise you became It. He caught Julia Fletcher even though he had to pass a lot of people to get to her.” I explained. “He is straight…he just loves Disney Princesses and fairy tales and girly stuff.”

Chelle agreed. “Kind of like Marc. But opposite. Pretty sure that my ‘like boys’ hormones were so strong they infected him too. But he loves superheros and sci-fi and boy kind of things.”

Marc smirked. “Oh please, if so my ‘love girls’ hormones must have crossed the barriers and got you too.” He shot back.

Me and Jazz looked at each other with raised eyebrows. “Wouldn’t that just make you both bi-sexual?” I finally asked.

Choked laughter came from the front seat. Apparently, Manny was finding our conversation hilarious. Hudson poked him. “You guys are still figuring out who you are and what you are. It may well be hetero or homo or bi or pansexual…it may be asexual…it may be something no one has put a name to yet. Just enjoy being little," she reminded us.

Manny just laughed some more. “Man, I wish Sam was in this one. I love hearing his diatribe on defining sexuality too rigidly.”

Chelle thought about that for a second. “Maybe he’s right though. Maybe it is better to fall in love with the person inside and allow their external appearance and plumbing to be the something you only think about later.”

“Maybe so…but I think that is easy to say when you look like Nikki’s dads and have a woman who looks like her MeDe.” Marc pointed out.

I had never been so grateful to pull up in front of a place as I was when we pulled back into the Plaza. We went back up to our room and we were there that night with Bubbie in the Nanny’s room. Abah, Papa and MeDe had to go to work. We had more fun that night than we did the night before. We played with the three new games I’d brought that the KAMA people had given me. We played Monopoly and watched movies. Bubbie had room service bring us up ice cream sundaes and popcorn for us to eat while we watched the movies. She came in and did our nails…even Marc’s though he just got a really pretty gunmetal gray polish on both his hands and feet. It was a really great night. We didn’t wake up the next day until almost noon. Then we had to pack everything up because we were having ‘afternoon tea’ then checking out and stopping at the Eloise gift shop on the way out. Jazz had to get to the airport by seven. Hudson and Caesar were taking her home.

When I went to school Monday, all everyone was talking about was how cool my birthday party had been and how awesome my parents were. I handed out the personalized thank you cards, Bubbie and MeDe had insisted I do to everyone. That night the family took me to Per Se for dinner. I’d read about it in a magazine and when Bubbie asked me where I wanted to go for my birthday dinner…it was the first place I thought of. I was nine now, that was too old for places like Chucky Cheese or someplace stupid like that. Plus too, I got to get all dressed up. SO Dressed Up, I was pretty sure that my dress was either for a flowegirl or if it wasn’t teal, it could have been a first communion dress…that was how dressed up I was. I felt so grown up. So I still missed my Mommy, and I always would. But I loved my new family with all my heart and all my soul and I knew that they all felt exactly the same way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brutally honest Comment request:  
> I would like to receive comments for this chapter. I need the happy.   
> I would love knowing what you think of the update.   
> I am really enjoying some vintage X-Files fan fiction...so the next update may be a little late.   
> TTFN,   
> Anni


	34. Tough People Do (Trace Adkins), He's Mine (Rodney Atkins) & I Will Posses Your Heart (Death Cab for a Cutie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The length may be a little bit excessive. You've been warned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> That Old Christmas Magic by JenRar   
> (Criminal Minds Fic)
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!!

Tough People Do (Trace Adkins)  
Sam PoV

There was a reason that I was starting to love Hudson like the technically older sister that I had never had. Our world was really f-ing crazy. Seriously, the whole family went out Monday night to celebrate Lil Darlin’s official birthday. We had dinner, we even mentioned that we were all getting together the very next night at the Gotham Bar and Grill. The very next night. By the time I made it through classes that Tuesday, I’d completely forgotten all about it. Which anyone should have completely understood. I’d gotten my midterm assignments. I was supposed to take three of the despotic leaders we’d read about and go through their ascents to power and tell what their similarities and differences were and more importantly, what lessons we and future generations should learn from those climbs. I was pretty well freaked out. Then there was the analytical project for my chromatic harmony and analysis class. Between the two of those, I was so happy that I had exams in my other six classes. Still, when we headed home all I was thinking about was getting some sleep. You could have knocked me over with a feather when Hudson said that we were due at the restaurant at nine and Nikki would be staying in her room at our brownstone overnight since Bubbie Ruth would be home late and Kurt and Blaine could watch over her until we got home. She would still have everything she needed to go to school the next morning without a problem. Hopefully she wouldn’t talk Blaine into doing her English homework for her again.

I couldn’t even say anything. All I could do was lay my head back on the head rest and make sure I didn’t actually cry. I shoved my headphones in and pulled up my go to ‘just keep swimming' song. Trace Adkins had it right when he said ‘Tough times don’t last, tough people do’. I was damn tough. So, I sucked it up and went in the house and took a shower to get my head back in the game. My amazing wife, my Mercy must have seen the fatigue in me, because before she came in to wash away the day herself, she laid me out a nice blue Canali suit with a brilliant white shirt, no damn tie in sight. God, I loved that woman even if she was a total brand name thinker. I so had to trade out the lighter brown shoes of pain for the darker brown, more comfortable…if less important name brand, shoes. Noah ended up in a shiny grey suit with black shoes and shirt. He too was rocking the no tie look. Mercedes managed to get showered, her hair fixed and dressed in under an hour. That was like a total land speed record for our beautiful wife. But, then again, she was motivated.

Fuck, I remember seeing that merino and lace dress on the hanger and thinking that, other than being black, it looked like it should be for a four year old. But damn, there was definitely a reason that our husband called her Sexy Mama. Her dangerous curves turned a simple, long sleeved, lace and wool dress into a sight to be seen. Since the dress was really simple, I kind of expected her to wear a nice pair of pumps or something. But nope. Instead she pulled on a pair of thigh high stockings then donned a pair of suede over the knee boots that had four inch, thin heels and really pointy toes. Her jewelry even surprised me. Her earrings were blue opals and diamond dangle earrings set in yellow gold. The necklace was all blue opals and yellow gold. It drew attention to the small amount of cleavage she was treating us all to. She looked so very lovely. Her hair was pulled back and up and showed her beautiful face while displaying the curls she’d created off.

I knew that the main reason that Mercy had gotten everything together so quickly was because of what she intended to do with the extra time before we had to leave for the restaurant. The three of us spent an hour just talking to our elder daughter, listening to how annoyed she was by the fact that the rest of her school was still talking about her birthday party. How many people were trying to be her friend in hopes of being invited to the next one or something. “It’s fine, though. Mume Sarah warned me that this was going to happen eventually. She said that I could make good friends or I could make a ton of friends. And Tana gave me a lot of hints on how to tell the difference. You don’t have to worry.” I wasn’t sure that I could not worry about her. She was our little girl. “Will you bring me a dessert home to have after school tomorrow? But if you do, don’t forget to put my name on it…otherwise Tana will think it’s yours and eat it.” She was such a smart little thing.

Still, right at eight, Bubbie Ruth came in looking good in a burgundy, sequined, sheath dress and patent leather black pumps. She hugged everybody and we all said good night to Lil Darlin’. When we got to the restaurant, it was probably only because we were Sam Evans and ‘Puck’ Puckerman that we got in without ties. The restaurant was exactly what you think of when you think of Manhattan fine dining restaurant. I almost laughed when I realized that Saul and Mills were the last ones to get there. We started dinner with a glass of champagne for everyone. The Champagne Brut "Carte d'Or" Drappier was bubbly. Yeah, that was all I had. I didn’t know anything really about that stuff, I had just ordered the most expensive one on the menu and asked for enough for the table. We had a nice toast to congratulate the couple on their second anniversary. Then Saul stood and raised his glass again. “Today, is a very good day…not just because on this date two years ago, this beautiful young woman agreed to tie her future to mine, but also because today, I was promoted to Managing Director of the International Investment sector of Barclays Manhattan office.”

Of course, we had to celebrate that too. But other than finishing the glasses of champagne we already had, we just celebrated it with dinner. The restaurant’s dinner menu was surprisingly simple. There were three, non-caviar, options for the first course, so Mercy, Noah and I each got one and shared them between the three of us. The Yellowfin tuna tartare was good. But to be honest, the fish wasn’t my favorite…I really loved the Japanese cucumber, shiso leaf salad drizzled with sweet miso and Asian ginger vinaigrette dressing that it was served with. The wild striped bass ceviche that I ordered also had a better salad than the fish. I guess I preferred my fish fully cooked. The Muscovy duck and foie gras terrine that Mercedes ordered was definitely my favorite. I even liked the black trumpet mushrooms, Chioggia beets, green peppercorns and brioche toast that it was served with.

The dinner itself was a very lively affair. The company was great. The three of us, Bubbie and her date, a beautiful older Iranian-American woman, Saul and Mills were joined by Francesca and Neal, Bryant and Nadia, and almost surprisingly Maddie St. Clair and Roman Manoso. I was having a very hard time not geeking out over Bubbie’s companion for the evening. I knew her from X-Men the Last Stand. I couldn’t remember the name of the character she played, just that she was one of the primary doctors who had found and distilled the ‘cure’. I also remembered the way she died in that movie. I still wasn’t sure that should have killed her. Puck recognized her too, sort of. “Man, her voice is so familiar.” He kept saying all evening. It wasn’t until halfway through the second course that he realized why that was. Now, by that point I had been internally geeking out for at least forty-five minutes. But my gorgeous husband just couldn’t keep his freak out internal at all. “You know who you are…you’re Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay…from Mass Effects. Dude, your voice gave me so many hard to explain boners.”

I almost dropped my head into my very delicious escarole salad. It was only made worse by the fact that Ms. Aghdashloo silently reached into her purse and pull out a ten and handed it to Bubbie. She smiled and said “Given how well known Samuel’s love of all things sci-fi, I was sure that he would recognize me first.”

I blushed so hard I could feel my face get hot. “I did. I’ve been sitting here for the last half hour dying trying not to embarrass myself by screaming like a three-year-old because I’m sitting at a table with a woman who was in an X-Men movie," I admitted.

Bubbie smirked and held out her hand, only for the man of the hour to grumble good naturedly and hand her a twenty. “I knew that it would be Sam who recognized you first…but it would be Noah to say something first. Sam treats people like he wants to be treated. He doesn’t particularly care for it when people bother him when he is eating…so he would never say anything over the meal. Noah…I love you my heart…but you have the self-control of a rampaging wildebeest in heat. I didn’t think it would take you this long to figure out who Shohreh was, but I knew the second it clicked in your head, it would come right out your mouth.”

Mercy chuckled. “So, do you win anything if I point out that I knew she played one of the terrorists in the fourth season of 24?” 

Bubbie threw Mercy a dirty look and handed the ten back to her companion. Shohreh just smirked. “Told you that would be the one she remembered. Oh, and you owe me five anyway because no one mentioned Grimm," she teased. We all took that to mean the subject of her career was pretty well closed, though Neal did pay Bubbie’s five buck bet because that was the one he was thinking of…he was just too tongue tied to say anything. Of course, that amused the entire table of people greatly.

We talked the whole dinner. It was interesting getting insights from someone who was globally famous and had been for a long time. I mean, yeah, she had only started making movies in America in my lifetime, but she had been a famous actress in Iran since the seventies. She really knew what Hollywood life was like. It was great. The food was pretty awesome too. Puck had ordered the Maine lobster, and I’d gotten the twenty-eight day dry aged New York steak and Mercedes got the Miso marinated black cod. We created an epic surf and turf. It was great. My steak came with a tower of hand battered Vidalia onion rings. They were as good as the ones I’d had when the family went on a road trip through Georgia to Disney and I had some in Vidalia. After our main course, we gave Saul and Mills their anniversary gifts. God bless Mercy. The need for a gift never even entered my mind.

With our schedule, Mercedes had, once again, shopped online and gotten Hudson to pick them up for us. Since there were three of us, we got them a three-part gift. And, since it was their second anniversary, the gifts were all cotton. I was glad that Mills was naturally curious and mercenary. The big ass bag our stuff was in was just too tempting. The first thing she opened was a four piece, six-hundred thread count, Egyptian cotton sheet set in a pretty light beige color for their king size bed. The second gift was matching monogramed sky blue bath sheets with matching hand towels and wash cloths. The third gift looked huge, but come to find out…they were just really fluffy. There were two big fluffy white bathrobes both monogrammed. The smaller had a hood and would easily reach Mills’ ankles. Saul’s bathrobe did have his initials, but it wasn’t hooded nor was it as long. But it was fluffy and white and looked warm. “Man, MeDe…Boys, I love these.” Mills chuckled. She turned to Saulie. “You’re jealous of my hood.” She teased.

The rest of their gifts were good. Bubbie Ruth hadn’t gone with the traditional second anniversary gift of cotton. Instead she’d gone with the modern gift of china. She didn’t give them the service there in the restaurant, they would have to go to her house and pick the dishes up. But considering that they usually had dinner over there once a week, that wasn’t a hardship. Neal and Francesca gave them fine cotton table napkins and matching table cloths. Four matching sets with enough napkins for twenty people. Maddie and Roman gave them thirty days of his services. I was pretty sure that Mills thought that thirty times she could avoid cooking without feeling like she was eating out…was the best gift of the night. I couldn’t blame her, the best decision we’d made that school term was hiring Bautista.

After dinner, we didn’t even try to go for dessert with the rest of the family. We were all just plain tired. We had come to realize that we just couldn’t do everything. One of the things we’d had to let fall to the wayside was the Oscars. We’d let them know as soon as we got the invitation that we would be unable to attend. The awards show was filming the same weekend of Lil Darlin’s birthday party. We’d already known of her existence and when her birthday was. There was no way we were going to let her first birthday with us be shuttled to the side for anything, let alone some award we may or may not have won. Well, we actually didn’t win it. We were set up to accept the skype call, but the award went to ‘Glory’ and we were happier for John and Common than we would have been if we won. The truth was that we could still say we were Oscar nominated songwriters, since we were nominated for best original song for a motion picture for ‘The Fighter’. A fact that we were proud of, and that Darcy’s rotating banner on our website’s home page, proclaimed immediately after listing all the awards we’d won that year…in what she considered order of importance. Besides, we used the times we weren’t with Lil Darlin’ that weekend to put our second album to bed fully and completely. By Thursday morning our Warner team had signed off on the nineteen primary tracks, the bonus track that would be on all formats …the ‘Dris remix of ‘Rescue Me’… and the two bonus tracks that would be available depending on where the album was purchased. The store purchased albums would have a very fun, Mercedes led song called ‘All About that Bass’, a song which was all about her gorgeous curves. The people who bought the digital format got a song with shared leads called ‘Holler’. That was a fun song too. I rather liked making the kind of sexy song.

We also weren’t able to do the MTV Movie Awards Nomination show that Wednesday morning either. Actually, I kind of did wish we could have done that one. It would have been fun. But the three of us had classes, we had projects to work on. Mercedes, officially, had the worst luck of all three of us. She had projects in all of her Juilliard classes and group projects in her Religion in Black America and Introduction to Major Topics in the Civilizations of the Middle East & India classes. Group projects were hard as hell logistics wise. Finally, it was just decided that she would have to work with her groups at the library…having strangers, one of whom she didn’t actually like in the first place, at our house was just not something that could work for us. One of the biggest reasons we didn’t have to deal with papz on the daily was because they didn’t know where we lived. All of us were very determined to keep it that way.

As tired as I was, making seriously satisfying love with Mercy and Noah every night and getting good nights’ sleep every night that week helped a lot. It was the weirdest thing, on Tuesday I was so tired I’d kind of wished that we could skip a family event. But then by Thursday evening, I was ready for the next week to start so I would have the practices after classes again. My mind was a strange, strange place. Still the down time had given me time to think some things through and so Thursday night after we made it up to our room, having first spent time with Bubbie, Lil Darlin and the gang, I broached the subject that had been worrying my mind for the last several weeks.

“Noah, Mercy, there’s something I need to talk to y’all about.” I sighed.

Mercedes had been reclining on ‘her’ chair reading something for her environmental biology class when I started. She marked her place and came over to where I was sitting on the bed. “What’s wrong?”

Noah, however, threw up the universal one second signal. He was working through a complicated theorem. It was easy to tell because he had a contentment that was only present when he was doing math. It was a trait he shared with his grandmother and Uncle, one he’d passed along to Lil Darlin’. When he finally finished, which was really only about a minute later, he set his stuff aside and joined our little puppy pile on the bed. “Nothing is wrong, Cede…he’s barely apprehensive not tense. So, Sammy Boy, what’s up?”

“I know that we’ve put a lot of money into the house in LA, but I don’t think I can live there.” I blurted out.

“Me neither.” Both of my lovers said in relief at the exact same moment.

Noah ran a hand over his head. “It would be creepy as shit. I don’t think I could relax.”

“I know, right? I’d always feel like someone was watching me or worse like they had hidden cameras all over the place taping our every move to sell later,” Mercy shivered.

“So, what do we do?” I asked quietly. “We’ve already sunk over seven-hundred thousand dollars into the place. Or we will have when it is finished. When is it supposed to be finished?”

“Originally it was to be finished by the end of March. With the basement added the time line was extended to the beginning of June," Mercedes sighed. I knew it bugged her that Noah and I never paid attention to the emails from Ms. Mann.

I thought about that time line. That was still four or five months away. “Could they finish the work and they do that thing Maddie said we should do when we sold the town houses in DC, Philly and Chicago…um, you know the whole dress them up with rented furniture so people can see them looking lived in and all so they pay more? They all sold really quickly and we made a lot more than we spent in all six cases.”

Mercy smiled. “You mean staging it? Yeah, Kendra could definitely handle staging the house for us.” 

“Yeah, Ms. Mann stages it, we let Maddie sell it. Maybe she would finally feel like she has enough money to move coast. Mills is seriously wanting her here to deal with all the extra business having our testimonials on their site drums up.” Noah pointed out. It was a stroke of marketing genius. When Artie, Darcy and Lauren had upgraded and updated their site, they had included testimonials from very satisfied renters and landlords and buyers and sellers that worked with Jarrard and Mills Property Brokerage firm. Including the three members of KAMA. The Insider and Entertainment Tonight had caught wind of it and the duo had so many clients that they almost couldn’t keep up. It was so bad, Nadia had gotten her licenses for New York and New Jersey and she worked with them two or three times a week. They wanted to bring her in as a third partner, but she didn’t want to work full time on real estate.

“So, we’ll stage and sell the house. Get our money back and then what? We decided to buy the place because everyone said that there was a need for KAMA to have a showplace. That need still exists.” I pointed out tiredly.

Noah sat up quickly. “I was thinking about that. We’re WMG New York artists right. So, why would we have our showplace in LA. Why don’t we look into getting a tricked out, Manhattan high rise apartment? We could come up like George and Wheezy," he laughed.

“You just want to be the Willises for real," I teased. “Um, not to be a wet blanket…but doesn’t Manhattan real estate cost a lot more than it does in LA?”

Noah nodded. Mercy just shrugged. “Yeah, but the thing is that resale values in Manhattan almost never go down. So, when we’re ready to make a change…we’ll have no problem doing so.”

“Okay, so the other problem, what about our peeps here?” Puck asked us. “I don’t really want to move away from here. Nikki loves her room and she’s so close to us and then to Ethan and Amanda and…I like it here.”

“That’s the beauty part. We can stay here at least until graduation…” Mercy’s smile was evil. “It would give us a showcase place…and somewhere that, if we have a group project, we can meet there…exactly where people expect us to be. But we’ll have our real home here where we belong.”

“You devious little Slytherin you.” I breathed even as Puck said she was brilliant.

Mercedes went and got her tablet and sent Maddie and Ms. Mann an email outlining our new plans for the Mar Vista house. Then she emailed Mills to ask her to start looking out for a showcase property on the Upper East Side or Central Park West. It wasn’t an urgent thing. Maybe we were nerds for wanting to have our showcase place in one of those two sections of Manhattan just because of television shows. But it worked for us. Having dealt with all that, was such a weight off my shoulders, something that had been niggling at the back of my mind since Valentine’s day. “Umm, did you guys notice that Arielle’s date at Hannah’s wedding kind of had Hannah’s eyes?”

Mercy sat there and looked at me. Her mouth was hanging open and she literally just blinked slowly a couple of times. “How did I not notice that?”

I just shrugged. “Probably because you are too close to the situation," I hypothesized.

Noah just tilted his head as he thought about it for a while. “Arielle did look smug. I’m pretty sure she would do that shit just out of spite, too. Do you think he knows?”

None of us knew the answer to that though we could each make the case both ways. After all he was engaged to Arielle…who knew what his damage was. No way was he completely right in the head. Finally though, we realized that gossiping was fun and funny…but we had some homework to get done. It was a little hard to separate. As we’d been talking, my hands had made their way under Mercy’s shirt, completely of their own volition of course. The way she arched into me and Puck as I…I mean my hands…massaged her lovely titties well…let’s just say it was hard getting my focus back on the principles of physics.

Friday was not a bad day. After classes, we spent a few hours at Faina getting facials and waxing and massages. Man, one thing that really didn’t suck about being who we were was that we were pretty much expected to get massages…and pedicures…all the time. It was great. I was almost addicted to the monthly foot paraffin treatments Hudson had arranged at Mercy’s behest. My feet were almost as smooth as Sloane’s. I was just happy that with that Macardo asshole caught and the world now knowing that we’d been victims not perpetrators in the whole sex tape scandal, we didn’t have to go out just to be seen anymore. Instead we tried out a Diners, Drive-ins and Dives pizza joint called Don Antonio’s. Their calzones were so good. Sometimes I wished I could just get a regular pepperoni pizza…but a pepperoni calzone was just about as good. I was a little surprised that they had pepperoni, because I didn’t see it mentioned on their menu at all…but our waiter said that it was no problem.

After we made it home, Noah and I decided that we needed to do some cardio…so we made loud, athletic, raucous love to Mercy until she cried for mercy and pushed us away. It had been a long time since we’d played around during our sexy times. So after letting Mercy get herself back together, we took a nice long hot bath together, then Puck and I tied her to the bed spread eagle and licked and sucked her until she screamed so long and so loud and it was that special scream too… I was sure the whole neighborhood got pregnant that night. We did make it to bed at a somewhat reasonable time and got a good night’s sleep. Which was a necessity since everyone in the house was due at Rain or Shine Studios in Brooklyn by eight. They needed extras and Warner was paying that part of the bill, so we had all our people from the tenants and the FRT members to Haja, Brantley and Ethan come and bring their families or friends. In fact, Ethan brought Adam’s tux from Hannah’s wedding and he was going to be our ring bearer in like all the different weddings.

Saturday was one of the longest days ever, we did both the PuckCedes and SamCedes the wedding. Half the space had been transformed to look like a really modern, edgy warehouse turned wedding venue, complete with exposed brick wall and a lighted sign that read LOVE for the alter. It was cool. I wasn’t sure I loved watching Puck and Mercy get married while I was just the best man…but boy did she look amazing. She had huge hair in the promised faux-hawk. Her jewelry all SCREAMED Tina. So much so that we had to send her pics. The dress was beautiful. The whole scene was a total rocker wedding. The ‘priest’ definitely screamed ROCK STAR, since somehow Alek had gotten SLASH; I kid you not Slash of Guns-n-Roses and Velvet Revolver fame; to be the officiant for the ‘rocker’ wedding. I know Puck’s tears were real during their scene. Then again so were mine and Artie’s. He was really just cool people. Plus, he’d heard one of Puck’s comments about his and Mercy’s future genetic combos and thought Noah Puckerman was hilarious. Dave actually knew him and they had a deep conversation while the rest of us were getting changed. Thankfully, we didn’t have to run through the whole ceremony or anything. In fact, once everything was all set up, we only filmed about thirty minutes to an hour.

After another two hours in costumes, hair and makeup for every single person there, then it was Puck’s turn to feel the discomfort of watching me and Mercy get married without him. When Alek said that he would be making everything completely different for each scene, he wasn’t kidding at all. Any of the non-KAMA or KAMA adjacent people were even switched out. Mercedes’ hair was completely changed. Her makeup was lighter and looked more innocent. Her jewelry was smaller and more gemstone oriented. They even changed her nail polish. Then we did the whole wedding over in the second space which looked like a beautiful Catholic or Episcopal church complete with huge stain glass windows. The officiant for my and Mercy wedding was just as iconic as the previous scene, but from my favorite genre. I literally messed up a take when I stepped up to the altar and realized that the ‘priest’ was Troy, T-Roy, Gentry. I loved Montgomery Gentry. ‘Some People Change’ was, to me, one of those best country message songs of all times. Again, once all was said and done we filmed Mercy and me at the altar for about an hour total, then that was a wrap. Mr. Gentry was really nice about my geek-out. I told him to please tell Eddie Montgomery that I said hello…like an idiot. But I also got a selfie of he and I together that I could send my dad.

They released a lot of the extras after that, but me, Mercy and Noah had to stay as did a few other people, those playing family or like Santana and Xena who played Mercedes Maids of Honor in the two scenes so we could change back into the different looks twice while they shot it for the video. All in all, we got there at eight and we’d had breakfast, lunch and dinner there; hell, Bubbie and Nikki had come for a few hours in the middle of the day; we didn’t leave there until eleven at night. I felt bad for Hudson and the Rangemen, all four of the Rangemen because they staggered the bodyguarding so we always had someone there with us, but none of them were stuck there all day. We were so done by the time we got all that makeup off and headed home that we didn’t even have the energy to make love. Instead we just got each other off with two on one oral. It was quick and efficient and we were asleep in minutes after our final orgasm.

The next morning it was a repeat of the day before. We were at Shop Studios on West Thirty-Ninth Street. Again, we had a huge space turned into two different gorgeous wedding settings. The first one we filmed on Sunday was the ‘Everman’ scene. That one was actually done inside a green screen cube. The floor however, really had been covered with massive amounts of beach sand until it was an inch, inch and a half deep through-out the entire space. We were in very different linen looks. And we escorted each other to the altar…to find P!nk was the officiant for our gay wedding. It was the most awesome thing. She was definitely cool people. She joked that as much as she loved Corey, she had always wanted to marry two handsome men. That was so funny.

Since we were two guys, the wardrobe for the scene was way less involved. So, it hadn’t taken very long for us to get ready. Mercedes as our best person-slash-witness, took longer…but nowhere near as long as she did when she was the bride. Her short purple dress was pretty. Her wedge sandals were cute and her hair and makeup looked beach wedding perfect. The only people who were in the audience of beach wedding were our people. After all destination weddings were usually a lot less attended. It took us about an extra fifteen to twenty minutes to film the scene because Pink had us laughing so much. The break after that was pretty long, mainly because it was a serious endeavor to get all of us fed, watered, ‘walked’. Then there was the change time.

Mercedes’ change took for-freaking-ever. I mean I got it. She had to change all the way from the skin out. She had to get new hair, new makeup, new nails…plus different clothes from the skin out. Puck and I were better off, we at least got to wear our boxers and socks and the shoes we’d brought with us. While we were waiting, we took a look at the extras and our crew. Everyone was dressed in really good, Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes. Alek had tapped Erika to be Mercedes’ Maid of Honor, while Santana was in a black dress to be Puck’s best person and Artie was all suited up to be mine. They got to go in far before us. Each of us was walking down the aisle separately. It took two takes to get each of us actually down the aisle. Because each of us tripped when we saw Sir Elton John standing there waiting on us. No lie…we watched the bloopers and it was almost at the exact same point coming down the white flower lined aisle that we noticed who he was and boom, I went down. Noah almost fell and if the ‘Dr. Jones’ looking extra dude didn’t catch her, Mercy would have fallen over too.

We had the hardest time with that portion of the shoot. Mainly because all three of us were trying not to geek out. I mean, we all loved Pink, she had totally, kind of adopted us as her music industry, little brothers and sister, but Sir Elton John was…hell he was a straight up ICON. I mean, to us it was enough that he’d been kind enough to allow us to cover his song. The fact that he made time to come and appear in the video was an unexpected kindness. Still, we got our shoot done. It took us a little over an hour to get it in the can. Then after we all thanked him profusely and took pics with him, we had to go and do all the getting dressed pictures with our fake parents. Still, it didn’t take anywhere near as long as the day before. We actually made it home by six, and that included traffic. Which was boss, because we had a chance to skype with our parents and time to talk with the siblings. Even after spending over an hour on skype, we still had the time to relax and get some work and studying done. When we were doing our school work, I realized once again that I was tired and I was bored at the same damn time. There was something really wrong with me. But even with that in my mind…I still could only look forward to the coming weeks.

He's Mine (Rodney Atkins)  
Sander PoV

There are moments in every father’s life when they are looking at or talking about or talking to their child and all the dad can think was that that person they had made was exactly like my father’s son. As I talked to Sam that first Sunday in March, all I could do was listen and think that he was perfectly my child. The complaints about how busy and tired they were that were then interspersed with talk of boredom when they had the little bits of down time they managed to eek out was…it was all just me. Over the last two years, I’d found my way back to having a real job, a real way to take care of my family. It was an absolute blessing that within the same time span, my family had grown. Even if Sam hadn’t taken it upon himself to pay off all the debt from time around the foreclosure and the repossession…we’d have still managed to take care of it within just another year or two. But Sam had taken care of it and, to be honest, it took my direction and my purpose away from me.

So, I had gotten together with Benton and George to look into what we thought could be a vision of a new purpose. That rather simple vision had morphed and grown until we and the rest of our Amicitiae Amore Corporation got together and created a new direction, a new purpose for all of us. The Monday after Gabby and I spoke with Sam after they finished filming the video for their Elton John cover, was the grand opening of Friendship Village Shopping Plaza. Those of us who had regular jobs took the morning off and we had a nice little ribbon cutting ceremony. The plaza was organized as three large buildings that shared a huge parking lot with alleys between them that allowed for ease of movement to the backs of the buildings and extra parking. We had ninety percent of our store fronts open and the few stores that didn’t yet have occupants, would actually have them by the end of the month. We had all of our three levels of anchor stores filled. Sprouts, the farmers’ market based grocery store, and Target Express held the two largest, twenty-five thousand square feet, spaces in the shopping center. The medium anchors were fifteen thousand square feet. The two spaces that size were filled by TJ Maxx and Bassett Furniture. We had four ‘small’ anchor spaces that were seventy-five hundred square feet each.

One of them went to Burt for Hummel International Car Repair and Service, and it had taken MONTHS to get him to understand that he was not going to be paying any rent for the space since he was one of the owners of the plaza. He seriously thought that he should still have to pay. It wasn’t until William Anderson sat down with him and explained that it wasn’t something that we were saying to make things easier on him. No one who owned a commercial property business paid for the use of property they owned. Finally, he’d decided that it was just the proper course of business and not charity. Thank God. It took longer to get him to understand the whole ‘owners don’t pay rent’ thing than it did to retrofit the space and turn it into a four-bay mechanic’s shop, medium sized office and nice sized waiting room.

The other three ‘small anchors’ were leased by Michael Symon for a restaurant he created named Lourdes that would serve farm to table internationally influenced American cuisine. Across the entire width of the parking lot from Lourdes…with a hell of a lot of stores between them was Bonefish Grill. In fact, both Hummel’s and Pier 1, the other ‘small’ anchor, were between the two restaurants. Other than the anchors, the shop sizes ranged from twelve to twenty-four hundred square feet. We had a really good mix of stores and we’d actually made sure that the people who bought homes in our sub division would not have to go further than the shopping plaza next door to do any and all shopping. Starting in April, our little venture would be bringing in almost three hundred thousand dollars a month in revenue.

The sub-division was technically under way already, but it was the things people couldn’t see and so they couldn’t tell that we’d started making progress. The land survey was completed. The entire sixty-one acres had been plotted out, divided into blocks and lots. It had been carefully mapped out into the four phases. All the necessary permits, zoning, impact studies and everything else had been obtained. After looking at the cost analysis, George, Benton and I had decided that we would clear all the land and do all the utility work that would be necessary for all four phases at the same time. Water, gas and sewage pipes, electric, cable, telephone and internet lines…all of that would be started in June. Thankfully, both Allen County and the City of Lima was bending over backwards in the hopes that the development would bring young people and younger families to the area. Both of those were great for their bottom lines. Both entities were incentivizing the costs for us to lay the pipes we’d need. As such instead of it costing us a hundred to a hundred and fifty bucks per foot, we would pay the city and county about seventy-five dollars per foot of pipe. We’d also gotten very lucky in that one of Will’s personal projects, a forty MW solar farm that he’d built right off State Road Sixty-five on a former cow pasture, would be operational starting July. He was opening a small power cooperative to handle the selling of all that low-cost energy. Our shopping plaza, and eventually our subdivision would all be members of the co-op. Best of all, it would greatly reduce the length of our power line runs. A true blessing since we were running the lines underground and underground lines were more expensive especially since we made the decision that the bundles of cables, the electric, cable, internet and phone ones, would be run through specially made red plastic ABS pipes to, in theory, cut down on digging mishaps. It was one of those things that a lot of people in construction had been thinking about for years. We just hoped that it would be beneficial enough to be worth the cost. 

Once that was all done, we’d be held up for a while as the county created the roads, streets and alleys of the subdivision. Hopefully that would all be completed and we’d be able to break ground for real on Sparrow’s Nest phase one…the forty townhomes. We’d mapped those out as four rows of ten, two sets facing each other with a green space between the two sets. When they were complete and all sold off we’d move onto the smaller single family homes on quarter acre lots. There would be eighty of those in eight ten house cul-de-sacs. A community center complete with pool and basketball courts would be centrally located to those homes. As soon as Sparrow’s Nest phase two was fully sold out, then we’d move onto phase three. These would be the customizable houses. Well technically all phases would be customizable, but in phases one or two the buyers would have two, maybe four, floorplans to choose from, a few different finishings…but there would be some pretty severe limitations to how much choice they actually had. And that was only in those who pre-purchased. If they bought a house that was completed by us before the buyer even knew we existed, they would have to pay us to make changes after the fact.

Sparrow’s Nest phase four would be the most customizable homes, the ones on the largest lots, they would come fenced in as standard with options for pools or decks. Those homes would sit on an acre each. The hope was that we’d open up pre-sales on phase one on March first, twenty-sixteen. George wanted to wait until we had the model completed and the shell of the first ten-block done before we opened sales, so it might turn into April or May before we were able to do that. Still I had direction for at least five to ten years with Athraichean Properties’ first development. Benton and I also had an agreement that after the phase two we could both retire and devote our attentions only to the property development business. George was already doing what he loved. I couldn’t wait until I could join him full time and no one could blame Benton for being sick of being a dentist…that had to be one of the grossest jobs ever, I’d rather be a funeral director. Okay, maybe it wasn’t that bad, but still.

With all those thoughts in my mind, I looked over at my beautiful wife. We’d spent the night before the grand opening making love. It had been two weeks since we’d done so because my Valentine’s gift to her, and myself when I was being honest, had been a vasectomy. I’d taken the afternoon of the thirteenth off and the procedure done at my doctor’s office. Gabby had driven me to work that morning and she picked me up at lunch. “Are you sure about this?” she asked me for the hundred and fifty-third time.

“I’m sure Gabs. It’s time. I love Sloane and I am so glad that he is here and wouldn’t trade him for the world. But we’re done having kids.” I assured her. “If the pill or the shot isn’t working for you anymore, then this is the next best alternative. It’s easier and cheaper than you getting your tubes tied. We’re just damned lucky that you didn’t get pregnant when we were both out of work and living hand to mouth.”

Gabby sighed. “Yeah, ummm…about that whole shot didn’t work…I didn’t exactly make it into Planned Parenthood that day I was supposed to get my next shot.”

“What? Why not?”

“The pro-life people were protesting outside there that week. I was already embarrassed enough. There I was a grown damn woman having to use a service I hadn’t needed since six weeks after Sam was born. I’ve never considered an abortion in all my days, but they were spitting and cussing at anyone going towards those doors. I couldn’t do it. I walked by that place every day that week and it was the same every single time. One lady, Sand, she had to be sixty if she was a day…she was clearly there for some other kind of screening, and they were yelling and screaming at her. I just couldn’t do it.”

I reached over and took her hand. “Angel, I get it. I do. I wish you’d told me then. I could have gone with you.”

She shrugged. “You had work that week. You’d gotten a job on a construction site for the week and you were so happy and so proud. I couldn’t mess that up for you. So, I just practiced the rhythm method until we got insurance again. I went in as soon as the cards came in…and I got on the shot…but then I got that upper respiratory infection and the antibiotics kicked the shot’s ass and boom, Sloane.”

I smiled. “You know…all things considered, you didn’t have to tell me about the non-visits to the clinic. You didn’t get pregnant then.”

“I know, but I could have. It was only God’s grace that made sure it didn’t happen. I’ve felt bad about it every since and I feel like if it hadn’t been for me…you wouldn’t feel the need to do this.” 

I shook my head. “Gabby-baby, this was always going to happen eventually. Did you want to take hormones until you’re in your sixties? Did you want to have a separate surgery, with a long recovery? My recovery time is like a week. You’d be down for at least three. You want to continue pumping for Sloane for at least the rest of this year. That rules the shot out for you. Remember how it caused your milk to dry up before you were ready with Stevie and Stacey? I’m not martyring myself here. If I didn’t want to do it, we’d just stick with condoms.” I assured her.

The surgery itself had only taken thirty minutes once the local anesthetic was fully working. Then I’d had to lay there supine with cooling packs on my boys in fifteen minute rotations. Fifteen minutes of cold followed by fifteen minutes of room temperature. Other than the no sex on Valentine’s Day problem, that was the perfect weekend to get it done. Stacey’s cheerleading squad was having a sleepover at one of the other girls’ home. Stevie and Ethan both were at a Boy Scout’s camp out for the weekend. Benton, Danica and the twins were out of town at a wedding. No one but me and Gabby knew what I’d done. And by the time everyone got home I was past the biggest parts of the aftercare. Yeah, I was still popping Advil on the regular, when Stevie and Stacey got back…but it was a lot easier than it would have been for Gabby to get her tubes tied and as much as we loved our kids, four was enough.

I still had no choice but to continue using condoms until my doctor cleared me to cease them. Apparently, it would take anywhere from six to ten weeks before I could go without. My doctor had done a first check the last Friday of February at my two week after care visit and I still had a significant amount of viable sperm swimming around. The blood streaks in the white had scared the crap out of me only for my doctor to talk me down and let me know that it was normal and would stop when the tubes were completely clear, since I’d not used those particular tubes since the surgery. So, while I’d be waiting another two months before I could be with my wife the way the good Lord intended, at least I was cleared to resume regular sexual activities. Besides, I hadn’t had sex without a condom since six weeks after Sloane was born, I could do another eight weeks easy. Moreover, I comforted myself with the fact that Saul had brought all of us stock in Church and Dwight so technically I was making some of the money back in dividends.

My recovery had been pretty much textbook. There hadn’t been any complications so that Monday morning I was feeling pretty damn good. March second, the day of Friendship Village’s grand opening was a cold, but sunny day so the turn out for the new shopping plaza’s grand opening wasn’t bad at all. We did the ribbon cutting at nine, and by ten the parking lot was positively brimming with Lima’s housewives and homemakers. I took a walk around Sprouts and the women were in awe of the quality of the food and the relatively cheap prices they were selling it for. The fact that there was also a nearby café with specialty coffee and handmade pastries would see Friendship Village become the place for the stay at home moms and retirees to shop for the foreseeable future. That really made me proud. The stores were currently secured by a local security company, but we already planned to change over to Rangeman as soon as they opened their office in Columbus…the one that Emma had definitely not told us about. We were definitely not holding back an office suite for them in the Jones Dental building. Given the fact that that building would contain drugs and NO2 we thought that it would be the best place for the security firm’s satellite office if they wanted it. Until they did, it would be overflow storage for the dental lab that would be on the second floor with them. Besides, that building was scheduled to be a complete wash on income…we would at least get the rental income for a quarter of it if Rangeman wanted the space.

I smiled to myself as I realized that we were a month out from having the office park grand opening. Almost all those spaces were already filled and to be honest, I couldn’t wait to try out the escape room people. That seemed like it was going to be awesome. Jake and his boys had an office to run Puckerman Pool Service out of, and the plan was to actually hire an office manager who would run the office and appointments, someone who could keep things running while Jake was in college in a few years. Then when he had the training he needed it would move from just cleaning and pool maintenance to pool design and installation. It would just have the benefit of a reputation of ten years as a pool maintenance company to build upon by then. Puck may have been a man-whore before he found his hearts home, but he’d been good at running his little company. He had to have been…there were more than a few husbands who had known what was going on between Puck and their wives, but because he did such a good job and didn’t charge as much as the big companies…they’d turned a blind eye for the most part. Hell, hearing the discussions of a few of them at the country club, several of them had felt they were getting the better end of the deal.

I smiled to myself. Things were going according to plan. In fact, George and Benton were trying to convince me that once we’d sold all the townhouses, we should start looking for more land near Anna or Troy and do all the craziness again. They had gotten Will on board even. He said that as much as he loved running the legacy of his family, creating a business that was his and was profitable was giving him a sense of fulfillment that he’d never known was missing. Not like I couldn’t understand that idea. Once his solar farm in Allen County was up and running he wanted to look further into solar energy production and energy co-ops anyway, so having one that provided energy to a subdivision or two would not be a problem. The rest of the parents wanted to make sure that the shopping plaza and office park would be successful before we duplicated it again. Still, it couldn’t hurt to begin looking to see if there was anywhere that would suit our purposes as well as the Commerce Parkway and McCain Road acreage had. Yeah, in fact, it would probably make designing that boring ass city center for Bellefontaine more interesting if I was taking a digital walk through the county auction sites while I drew. Poor Sam…he got it all honest. The need for constant activity…the need to whine about how tired the constant activity made us, even when we wouldn’t trade it for the world. The crushing boredom that we experienced when the activity was completed or on hold. He got it all straight from me. Unfortunately, while Stevie didn’t seem to have that tendency that I had always assumed I got from the centuries of farmers that were the Evans family, I was fairly sure that Stacey had. Though so far, she didn’t whine about being tired nor did she complain about the boredom…she just found something to alleviate it. Yup, my kids were certainly a hell of a lot of me. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

I Will Possess Your Heart (Death Cab for a Cutie)  
Stalker PoV

The European fashion markets were always tricky devils. The simple truth was that as much as most European countries felt that their country was the fashion capital of the world…the whole world loved American culture and by extension our clothing. That made it quite lucrative to have small boutique stores in the best shopping districts of the European capital cities. So, while I was very much busy, I did manage to keep my eyes on my prize. KAMA really was quite busy after the Grammys. One of my managing shoppers was easily convinced to attend the dinner concert. She and her girlfriend were persuaded to take as many pictures as they could, and even record some of the performance if possible. They were under the impression that they were just sharing the experience with one of the VPs of that division who couldn’t go but was a fan. However, once the pictures and video were sent to him at his work email address, they were mine.

Mercedes looked amazing in that red dress. It made her breasts look incredible. I could hardly wait until she was finally where she belonged…writhing in my bed under me. Then to hear her sing my favorite of all love songs…it was serendipitous that it happened to be the one video the manager got in full. ‘Where the Wild Roses Grow’ was an unexpected treat and caused me to abuse my own body most shamefully. I was, however, very distressed by the fact that there was such stringent security, provided by Rangeman Security, LLC. That told me that even my leaving the country had not caused them to lower their guard, even the smallest amount. That went counter to my plans. I had done some checking into Rangeman…it would certainly make it more challenging to get his prize from under their well-trained noses. They were considered to be some of the best trained in the business. They were loyal to a fault and completely unable to be bribed and unable to be blackmailed.

The one member of the Rangeman organization I’d been able to get any unsavory information on had let me know that his boss not only already knew, but that the worse I could do to him was cause him some small amount of shame. Ranger Manoso could and would kill him and leave, at best, an unsolved mystery as to what had ever happened to him. That action had undoubtedly made it back to Ranger and thus ensured that they were still looking at me far too closely. I could certainly respect a man with that much power over his employees. Perhaps had things been different and the former spec-ops officer hadn’t been standing between me and what was already mine, even if she didn’t know it yet, that small measure of respect could have translated into some business dealings. But that wasn’t to be. 

The next event in my prize’s life occurred the very next night. Getting pictures from the event was ridiculously easy. When Mercedes Jones performs at her cousin’s wedding, everyone there wanted to be the first to tell the world. There were a million pictures of her from both the wedding and the reception all over the attendees’ social media feeds. The truth of the matter was that I’d been amazingly lucky. My good friend and former college roommate, a venture capitalist, had attended the wedding with her maternal aunt. He was a goldmine of information. “Nicholas, how are you? I take it your fiancée’s family wedding went well?” I asked pretending that I knew nothing beyond what he had previously told me. I wasn’t even sure why I was reticent about admitting that I knew more about the wedding…Nicholas was the only person in the world with whom I had shared even the most innocent parts of my obsession.

Nicholas Buchannon was not a man given to sighing, and yet he did just that. His sigh was full of consternation and even exasperation. “It went well. However, somethings that occurred were completely unexpected. The bride was Arielle’s estranged daughter. They haven’t spoken in over a year. The bride was beautiful…she was also achingly familiar. You remember my sister, Octavia?”

“Yes, of course…she died when we were at Harvard?” Nicholas’ older sister had died the year after Nicholas and I graduated from our Ivy League alma mater. While I had met her less than a handful of times, her tale of woe was remarkable and had become something of a cautionary tale for young women of our social circle. Octavia Buchannon had had it all, Though African-American, her family’s money could be traced back to the very early eighteen hundreds. Their ancestor had held one of the largest plantations in North Carolina and had owned slaves himself. Harvard educated herself, Octavia had been so beautiful that there were more than a few white men in our circle who were willing to overlook the color of her skin to have her for their wife. She had fallen in love with a new moneyed social climber from the west coast. He had been seeking entre into circles he never could have achieved on his own. He had also introduced her to recreational cocaine use.

Some people should never take drugs of any sort. Octavia and Nicholas both knew very well that their parents didn’t even drink. Apparently, there was some family history of alcoholism or some such. Well, Octavia had been a very rebellious young woman. Within six months of trying the drug, she was addicted. She had lost her job and was reliant on her ‘lover’ for everything. Within six months after that, she had disappeared. Her family couldn’t find her. Her friends had no way to contact her. She was just gone. About eighteen months after she’d disappeared, she arrived at her parents’ house out of nowhere about seven months pregnant and ravaged by full blown AIDs. She was emaciated. Nicholas had rushed home and was barely in time to say his final goodbyes. Octavia had died and her child with her just days before what would have been her thirtieth birthday.

“Yes, she did. Arielle’s daughter came down that aisle and for a moment I couldn’t breathe. She looked so much like Octavia had before she got involved with Hunter Dale, it took my breath away.” Nicholas told me quietly. That was the first time I’d heard Nicholas say that name since he’d managed to financially destroy not only Hunter Dale, but his parents and all three of his siblings.

“Are you saying that you think Arielle’s daughter is your child?’

“The timing is right. Hannah, the daughter, is twenty-four…Arielle and I enjoyed a lot of time together that first year after we met. Her marriage was in trouble. My wife never cared about my dalliances as long as I came home to her every night and made at least a million dollars a year. When she fell pregnant, I assumed that it was her husband’s. I guess I thought that if it was mine she’d have made that known to me.” he paused in thought. “Though to be honest, I didn’t bother with precautions as I should have. At the time, I’d have probably found it quite amusing to get another man’s wife pregnant.”

“And how do you feel about it now?”

“Corbin, if I knew that, would I be unloading all of this on you?” Nicholas shot back. He asked if he should press the issue of the bride’s DNA.

I pointed out that were established as the father, some courts would likely rule that he owed the other man all the money he had paid out in child support over the years. “Really Nicholas, why the sudden interest…you’ve never been concerned with having children.”

“I know…but now, my mother has passed away. You know my father is not long for this world. I had no siblings other than Octavia. I suppose I am facing my own mortality. While I have cousins, and the Buchannon name will live on, it has begun to bother me that my father’s line will die with me.” He confessed.

I spoke before thinking, which showed how comfortable I was with Nicholas. “Then marrying a woman Arielle’s age is stupid. She doesn’t want to sign the prenup anyway. Make that a deal breaker…find a younger woman and marry her. Then you can begat to your heart’s content.”

Nicholas scoffed. “There is just one problem with that. I do care about Arielle. I may even love her, if I believed in the emotion.”

“I would never even try to tell you otherwise. What I will say is that Arielle Harris is not a trust worthy woman. She has no compunction about sleeping with you no matter what relationship you are in at the time. Didn’t you say that the two of you engaged each other at Marla’s funeral? While I completely understand the lure of a woman who shares all of your proclivities, I am certain that you can either find another one who does and is still in her childbearing years…or you can find a young, weak willed woman to train to be everything you’ve ever wanted in a woman.”

“That could be intriguing.” He said thoughtfully. “Arielle’s brother is now engaged to a bi-sexual woman over a decade and a half younger than him. She hates her, but the brother is ridiculously happy.”

I laughed. Yes, I’d heard about Bryant Harris and his fiancée. It was detailed in the report I’d commissioned on my prize’s family. The couple apparently shared each other quite freely and were very much happy to do so. A wife like that would suit Nicholas’ needs very well. “You know…if Arielle shared her soon to be sister-in-law’s Sapphic desires, that could solve all your problems. You could have your cake and eat it too.”

We shared a laugh and I steered the conversation to where I wanted it to go. Through Nicholas, I learned quite a bit about my quarry as her aunt had filled him in on all the family gossip. Beyond all that was available through the biography on the KAMA site. I learned that she had a jealous streak a mile wide. Mercedes Jones was not as comfortable in her skin as she would have the world believe. Her family was very worried about her relationship with Noah and Sam, sure that the two boys were only using her to create their own music careers. Though, I was taking that with a grain of salt since Nicholas pointed out that the aunt had said that they weren’t riding on the coattails of Mercedes’ impressive talent, just using the controversy of having a public triad. Enamored as he’s been with Arielle Harris for quite some time, even he knew that she was simply showing her own jealousy at the fact that Mercedes had far more musical talent than her own daughter. I started to doubt some of the other baubles of information he’d gleaned from the aunt, but at the same time if they were true, it could certainly provide more avenues to come between the trio.

As I looked through the pictured and video from the wedding reception, after I got off the call with Nicholas, I had to say, I loved the fact that Mercedes was confident enough to wear real fur in a world that frowned upon doing so. I made sure to purchase her a full length, heirloom ermine coat. I wanted to take her wearing that and nothing else. In fact, I’d also look into a sable blanket. The possibilities were quite endless. I decided that as part of my courtship of my prize, I would begin to show her things that her little music career would never be able to afford her. While I was in the eastern European block, I was able to meet with a lingerie creator. The woman was ancient. She hand made the lace herself. She hand sewed the pieces together herself. Everything was made by hand. Best of all she was able to work from pictures and videos. Unfortunately, my other personal endeavor in at same region was not as fruitful. Eleven different hackers were unable to circumvent the security surrounding the KAMA computer servers. I had hoped that at least one of them would have been able to get me the travel information for their coming summer tour. It would have made the planning of getting away from her security and boyfriends so much easier. I knew that it would need to be the final stop of their tour, which, according to the tour website, would be in Toronto. That was a blessing. I would simply need to get the rest of the information another way.

I didn’t build a world renowned, fashion retail company from the ground up by giving up when things got difficult. My father’s modest investment of eighteen million had been turned into a personal net worth of just under eight billion. I was determined to have Mercedes Jones to continue my family name. She would be mine. Her ‘husbands’ would, if they all played their cards right, get to visit and enjoy her from time to time. They would never have children by her themselves, but they were young, they could find someone else to bear their seed. At the same time, I found myself becoming more and more sexually frustrated. Eastern Europe was certainly not a hot bed of women who filled my current need and desire. I was quite happy when I was back in western Europe. In Berlin, I found myself in a club that catered to western businessmen and all those enjoyed American music and culture. The dancers were dressed to look like a wide range of pop culture icons. I noticed both a Lady Gaga and a Cher. In fact, there was a ‘Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves’ Cher and an ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’ Cher.

I was ready to quench my thirst with the club’s pseudo Nicki Minaj, when a second curvaceous black woman came out. At first I thought that it was an Aretha, which would have perhaps worked even better than the Minaj knock off. But then she turned around and it was very easy to see that her makeup and fashion was far more modern. Her breasts and hips and ass were deliciously large and full. I was sure that someone noted the fact that from the minute she hit the floor, but I demanded and dominated all her time. I gave her a hefty sum to accompany me back to the hotel. It was remarkably easy to monopolize her entire weekend. Though upon hearing her harsh German accent, I made sure that she knew she shouldn’t talk. I ensured that she would find it very difficult to walk for at least the first two or three days of the week after she left my bed. I thoroughly enjoyed tricking her into taking an oral anti-biotic every day she was there. I could only hope that my seed would take root. Though, if she did get pregnant that weekend, the child could have belonged to someone else. I shared her with any number of the men I’d made the trip with, as was my normal practice. Had I kept her to myself, as I would the woman she was a surrogate for, it would have called attention to my obsession. That would never do. Instead I worked out my anger at having to share the body that was the closest to that of the woman my heart pined for by having the whore fucked with two cocks in her well used cunt. I found that hearing her try to scream around my cock lodged in her throat made me feel better. So much so that I was able to make more than a few lucrative deals that would certainly make up for having to wait to claim my prize.

As I was flying to Dubai on the twelfth of March, I received something from my contact at Time, Inc. Apparently, Mercedes had done a one on one interview with Melissa Harris-Perry the previous Saturday. He sent me the completed article that would come out in the April issue of Essence magazine. Her cover shot was amazingly beautiful. It was a close up of her face and her cleavage displayed in all its gorgeous perfection. The interior cover shot was a full body picture. She wore a gorgeous, butterfly wing, mini dress in bands of bold green with pops of purple, yellow and blue. A fuchsia camisole peeked from the very low V neckline and matched the suede heels that were showcasing her delightfully sturdy legs. I could easily imagine pushing the short skirt up to her waist and fitting myself between those charming, thick, creamy brown thighs. I forced that thought away and read the early question and answer formatted transcript that would become the article.

Mercedes Jones: Music’s Fashionista Diva with the Heart of Gold.

MHP: “Mercedes Jones…thank you very much for sitting down with me today.”

MJ: “No Ms. Harris-Perry, thank you. I know that I’m not your usual interview. You’re usually sitting down with change-makers. People who create or change policy that effects our nation and our future. I’m sure that when you were given this assignment you were probably like, you want me to interview a singer?” Readers, her laugh was melodic and contagious. “So, thank you.”

MHP: "You are changing hearts and minds. You are speaking on policy. You are a model of integrity for women and are unrepentantly dating two white men…I definitely had not a moment of hesitation in this assignment. Especially, since I wanted to talk to you. Over Valentine’s weekend, I saw you attended a wedding for your cousin and the name Harris was all over it. I want to know if we might be related.”

MJ: "Well, you do look amazingly like my momma’s people. It is entirely possible. Only thing is didn’t I read that your father an amazing hubby and stuff…our set of Harrises…well I’m pretty sure one of them was the Rolling Stone Papa the Temptations were talking about."

MHP: “Oh…See I’m not going to laugh at that. I’m just going to point out that I’m sure that your family is full of some very lovely people and we should certainly look into backtracking our family trees and seeing if they have the same roots. Now then, I guess I should probably ask you about your activism. How did you start speaking out?”

MJ: "I actually started speaking out, not on behalf of others…but by standing up for myself. I grew up in a school cluster where I was one of maybe fifteen black kids…if you want to talk people of color, you could bump it up to maybe twenty-five. Maybe. Of those, there were eight black girls. I was the only one who wasn’t a size two or a size four. I was the only one who dressed the way I dressed. I was the only one who went to church every single Sunday. I was the only one who remained a virgin until Junior year. There were a million reasons I wasn’t…well there were a million reasons people found to try and make me feel like who I was just wasn’t enough."

MHP: "What changed? What gave you the strength to say enough?"

MJ: "To be honest, it is really hard to pinpoint an exact moment. The journey started when I joined the show choir. It was a chance, or so I thought, to finally shine. To finally show my classmates that I was more than any of them thought I was. But there was a person there who felt that she deserved to shine more. Our choir director seemed to agree with her. So, I was the glory note. Every time it became too much, I would show my…well I would act out. Maybe it wasn’t always the most productive of methods…but I would make it known that I was twice as good. Because you know in order to be considered ‘as good’ any person of color has to really be twice as good as their white counter part. It’s a truth that we all rail against, but it is a truth none the less.” She took a long deep breath.

MJ: “Anyway, for two years. I allowed them to make me less. But then I had two guys who should never, according to everyone around me, have even wanted to be seen with me and they didn’t want to just be my friends…they wanted to be my men…even though at the time they were not interested in each other as more than friends. They didn’t just give me the confidence to keep speaking up, they gave me support in some of the most unexpected ways. Until Sam and Puck, the only people who offered me support that I could count on, no matter what twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week were my parents and my brothers. Puck who, despite having a mathematical genius in his mind, was considered a subpar student who often went to his classes without books, or pens or anything, if he went at all. Puck who called show choir ‘gay’ even when he was in it, researched the previous decade of NHSSCA winners to see that none of them were one trick ponies. They all had songs from multiple genres. We had show tunes and pop songs. That was it. With that information, our choir director at the time had no choice but to make changes. He showcased all of us and we won. While we were at nationals Sam, Puck and I were approached by Lyor Cohen…he loved my voice. He loved our voices together. That was exactly the validation that told me it was time to step up. I’d done the easy thing…it was time to do what was right. What was right, was speaking up for all the girls out there who were killing themselves to fit someone else’s idea of beauty…an idea that they may never have been meant to look like. So now I speak up. I speak out. We should be healthy…not skinny. There are lot of skinny women who cannot do what I do…they can’t sing and dance for twenty-thirty-ninety minutes straight. I want healthiness for them too.”

MHP: “I’m fairly healthy and after dancing to about three fast songs I need a bottle of water and a chair. So, that speaks to your first round of advocacy…healthy body image. But you’ve spoken out about police brutality. You’ve spoken out about the right to certain expectations of privacy for celebrities. You’ve spoken out about the need for gun control. I’ve seen you speaking truth to power about the for profit jail system in this country.”

MJ: “I’m black. The next hashtag could very well be a relative of mine, one of my cousins, one of my brothers, my father. I can’t not speak out. Puck and Sam both feel the same way. We speak out because we have voices that will be heard. Because we have a platform that gives us the opportunity to, hopefully, make a difference.”

MHP: “What about those who say that celebrities should stay out of politics? That they have no rights to tell the common every day American cop or the politicians how things should be done…what is right and what is wrong?”

MJ: “The simple truth is that famous or not, I am still the same American citizen that I was the day I turned eighteen. It is my constitutionally protected right to speak. As far as the common American cop…I didn’t chose to become a police officer, but I know more than a few men and women who did. My cousin and PR manager is engaged to a SVU detective. She and her partner are amazing at their jobs. Even more than that, every Sunday since I can remember, in church, we prayed for the police officers in our congregation. Even after all that happened with Trayvon Martin, who I hesitate to put in the same category as Mike Brown, since George Zimmerman is not and will never be a police officer. Anyway, we still pray for police officers. But we also pray for young black men, who are being shot down in the streets and in the aisles of the stores for no reason beyond the color of their skin. There is also the fact that we are born black…people chose to become law enforcement officers.”

MHP: “So, fame…”

MJ: “Fame gives us the impetus to speak. We have a voice that millions of Americans don’t. Therefore, we should, we must speak out. We are not the first. We shouldn’t be the last. By the way, where was all the ‘celebrities should sit down and shut up’ when Clint Eastwood was fussing at an empty chair.” Her smirk was beautiful to be hold. “You see, that’s the thing. When we speak of Ted Nugent’s needing to go somewhere, it’s not because he is famous and therefore, through some convoluted way of thinking, shouldn’t exercise his right to speech. It is because the man had no moral ground upon which to stand. He speaks of ‘family values’ and yet he penned an opus to baby rape. Not only has he sung about it, but has admitted to a predilection for pedophilia. And before someone tries to claim that I am lying or committing slander, go watch his nineteen ninety-eight VH1 Behind the Music. He also managed to avoid serving in Vietnam. My grandfather and two of his brothers served, but Mr. Nugent was a draft dodger. Now he stands up and shouts out AMERICA and her soldiers as if it makes up for the fact that he’s a coward and a child rapist.”

*Research shows all above claims are true. Insert further proof of the truth of those statements.*

MHP: "So I take it you don’t identify as a Republican?"

MJ: Laughs uproariously. “No. Not even a little bit.”

MHP: “Did you vote for Obama? Are you even old enough to have voted for Obama?”

MJ: “Yes, I got to vote for him in twenty-twelve. I voted for democrats in the mid-term elections too. But I wish that I had done more in twenty-fourteen. You know. I could have driven people to the polls. I made my friends all vote, but if we could have gotten a democratic majority into the House and Senate then Obama could have made a real difference. The obstructionism of the Republican party was ridiculous. Now it’s like the Repubs are saying ‘the government doesn’t work. Sure, we were the ones making sure that it doesn’t work. But ignore all of that and vote for us anyway’. It makes absolutely no sense."

MHP: “I happen to agree with you. It would have been nice if we could have seen the full realization of Obama’s policies. So we are soon coming to the beginning of the presidential campaign for twenty-sixteen…who would you like to see run?”

MJ: “Well, if not for that pesky twenty-second amendment, I’d say Obama.” She smiled warmly. “But I like Elizabeth Warren. I like Bernie Sanders. I even like Hillary Clinton.”

MHP: “Why the reticence about Clinton?”

MJ: “I remember something my mother said about Hillary when she was running in two thousand and eight. ‘If Hillary was a man she would run this entire world. But she committed the ultimate sin, she didn’t just sit down, shut up, look pretty and keep to the traditional First Lady roles. She showed Washington that she was twice as qualified as her husband when he was the president. She challenged men and beat them.’ The average old rich white male will never forgive her for that. I don’t think they will ever allow her to be president.”

MHP: “That’s a rather cynical way to look at it.”

MJ: “I try not to be a cynical person…but it’s the truth of the situation. If a man had been Secretary of State when Benghazi happened, do you think we’d still be hearing about it? The Congress voted to cut the budget for security at embassies. Benghazi was a direct result of that vote. But they blame Hillary. They never blamed Bush for Nine-Eleven and he ignored briefings that could have been acted upon to save thousands of lives. Yet, they have had hearing after hearing, wasted millions of tax payer dollars about four. Hillary could run against the least qualified man to ever run for the office and yet I’m still sure that this country would find a way to make Boo-Boo the Fool president before her.”

MHP: “It does seem that way doesn’t it?”

MJ: "Women still make seventy-eight cents on every dollar of men…women of color have an even greater deficient. Americans seem to think that equality is nice in theory…they just don’t want to practice what they preach."

MHP: “Unfortunately that appears to be a human condition, not simply an American one.”

MJ: “I suppose that is true. But I would love to believe that is simply a character flaw of a relatively young nation…something that we can and will grow out of. But then again, Sam and Puck do say that I am something of an optimist.”

MHP: “I notice that most of your answers speak of Sam Evans and Puck Puckerman. There are those who would ask why you cannot answer a question without mentioning them.”

MJ: Rolled her eyes hard. “Yeah…and I would point out that we live, work and love together. Of course, they are an intrinsic part of me. They are my husbands…my family.”

MHP: “You understand that polyandry is illegal in the United States, and most places around the globe.

MJ: “We know. But we are committed to each other. We hold each other to the same expectations of fidelity that our legally married parents hold each other to. In this country, people can get married and divorced in the same weekend. A man can leave his wife while she is undergoing cancer treatments. We hold our relationship as sacrosanct. We are not asking for nor do we need validation for nor legalization of our union. We do hope that the Supreme Court will legalize same sex marriage soon. It is wrong that this country allows the degradation of marriage by heterosexuals, but will not allow same sex marriage. It is especially galling since all arguments against it are rooted in religion, when the first amendment guarantees that as a nation our laws will not be governed by any religion.”

MHP: “Lets discuss something a little less controversial. You are very eloquent and only turned twenty-one two weeks ago. You attend both Columbia University and Juilliard. What are you majoring in?”

MJ: “I’m a business management major at Columbia and a vocal arts major at Juilliard.”

MHP: “And your GPA?”

MJ: “At the end of Spring term last year it was three point eight. We aren’t at mid-term yet, so at this point and answer I could give beyond that would be supposition.”

MHP: “You should be proud. Two full time course loads, a more than full time job. You are co-parenting your husband’s daughter. How do you not burn out?”

MJ: “Sam and Puck and I make love every chance we get. Well, now that is all done in the privacy of our bedroom…very carefully. We learned our lesson.” She chuckled. That was, of course, a reference to the pending criminal charges against Richard Macardo for filming the triad having sex and tried to sell the video. “But in all honesty, we have an amazing team that makes our continuing school while having our career possible. We couldn’t do what we do if not for our Team; that’s our business manager Gwen Abrams, our talent manager Haja Johnston, our booking manager Brantley Clayton, our PA Hudson Friedman, our PR manager Daniel Harris, our Social Media Manager Darcy Lewis, our attorneys, Ethan Harris and Antwan Berry and our stylists Ruth Mayzer and Kurt Hummel. Our career wouldn’t work without our Crew, that is our band, DJ, background singers and dancers. Our Support staff, the people who make sure that our Team has everything they need are all exemplary and do such amazing work. Our Caretakers at home, Bautista and Patrick…they keep out home clean and our bodies fed. They all do their work so that Sam, Puck and I can concentrate on the art of making great music.”

MHP: “So at twenty-one, you, Sam and Puck are responsible for the livelihoods of, at least twenty-five people…isn’t that quite daunting?”

MJ: “Yes and no. I firmly believe that Sam, Puck and I are uniquely able to handle that responsibility. I had parents who own their own dental office. I know how they treated their hygienists, billing staff and office manager. They have never had a problem with turnover or angry employees. Puck ran his own small business. He understands, from a different perspective how to maintain employee happiness and loyalty. Sam, with all his parents went through, he has a special understanding of what people are working towards…what they need to make their lives work, not to make work their lives."

MHP: “So, back to controversy…the Bill Cosby sexual misconduct accusations. They are all over the news and I’d be remiss not to ask a black celebrity about them.”

MJ: “Sex without consent in wrong. Creating the situation where consent is impossible to assuage your conscience so you can lie to yourself and tell yourself it wasn’t rape is, to me, even more wrong. I’m certain that if all the accusations are true, he will be punished to the fullest extent of the law. That being said…I don’t see why I have to be punished because Bill Cosby raped women. I love The Cosby Show. They have pulled it off the air. If they feel that the proper response is to pull The Cosby Show off the air, why on earth is Seventh Heaven still on? Bill Cosby might be brought up on charges. He hasn’t been at this point, but it seems like people are not going to rest until he is. And I get that, I totally get it. I know how violated we felt from having our privacy invaded…I cannot imagine how horrible it must be to be raped. Yet, Stephen Collins is a confessed child molester. He isn’t being charged with anything. Granted, I get that there are more victims in the Cosby case…but I just cannot get past the age of the victims in the Collins case. I know there is no difference in the eyes of God, a sin is a sin…but I have an easier time watching Bill Cosby playing the father of the year than I do Stephen Collins.”

MHP: “You don’t have a problem with stating your feelings?”

MJ: “Sam loves to quote an old line from Buffy the Vampire Slayer…the TV show, not the movie. The character Cordelia Chase said once that ‘Tact is just saying things that aren’t true’. While I disagree with the wording of the statement, I do agree whole heartedly with the sentiment behind it.”

*I must note the very visible love and caring that comes through whenever MJ speaks about Sam or Puck.*

MHP: "Well, we’ve discussed current events, politics, let’s discuss celebrity…who have you not met that you would love to meet?”

MJ: Said with no hesitation at all. “Ms. Aretha Franklin, with Barack and Michelle Obama coming in a very close second.”

MHP: “Well, there are some that say that you are the Aretha of your generation.”

MJ: “I appreciate the compliment…but in my house that’s borderline blaspheme.” She chuckled.

MHP: “I can certainly understand that feeling. So then, who have you met that you go into fangirl mode every time you think about it?"

MJ: “Prince.” Again, no hesitation. “His Royal Purpleness…though Barbra Streisand and Madonna are both awesome too. To be honest, Madonna is way more down to earth than most people will ever know. Will Smith was ridiculously nice. I should probably still be apologizing for the way my aunt fan-girled all over him at the release party for Necessity 4 Existence. And I love Pink. She is just so real and genuine and just, Wow. Oh, I cannot believe I almost forgot to say Jill Scott. If not for her, I don’t think KAMA would be what we are today.”

MHP: “Last questions…let’s make them fun. Would you ever pose for Playboy?”

MJ: “Nope. Never in a million years. Think Puck might be willing to do a Playgirl spread though.”

MHP: “Alright…that was pretty emphatic. Favorite Fashion designer?”

MJ: “Kurt Hummel, start looking for his lines around twenty-twenty.” She laughed gleefully. “But if you mean currently, I’m loving Christian Sirano right now…and so many of the great houses, like de la Renta, of course, and Gucci. I just wish that there were more lines who catered to women with curves.”

MHP: “Great, thank you very much for talking with me. You are certainly a smart, eloquent and thoughtful young woman. I believe that you will have a long and prosperous, creative career.”

END of ARTICLE

MHP NOTES: Mercedes Jones was accompanied by two armed Rangeman Bodyguards and her PR Manager-cousin. Research needed to find out why the still heightened security after the arrest of Richard Macardo.

 

I read it through several times and I was more struck by what she didn’t say. She didn’t linger on the subject of the great love she supposedly shared with Puck and Sam. Maybe now that she was out of that little Podunk home town of theirs, she was beginning to understand that she had more options. Yes, that would certainly bear watching. On my final read through, I decided upon a way I could show that her issues were something I could support too. I had my company pull all advertising from the UP network. I even had our PR department put out a statement that spoke of the reasoning behind the decision. The best part was that the move saw both the stock prices rise and every single store, including our online store, saw significant bumps in sales. Who knew that advocacy could pay so well.

I also contacted the man I had on Rachel Berry. I wanted my prize’s camp suitable distracted when I returned to the States. I was fairly certain that I would be able to use that distraction to give me the time to create a belief that I had moved on. A friend of mine had introduced me to Toccara…she was quite beautiful in her own right. Sexy, voluptuous, beautiful…she would make a delightful girlfriend until I could get my hands on the Jones I really wanted. Yes, that should work. I needed Ranger Manoso to pull back his men and lower the alert if there was to be any hope of absconding with my Prize after their last tour stop in Toronto. I had time and will on my side. Mercedes Jones was mine…whether she knew it or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good Morning. This is your author. It is 1:05 AM EST, I hope that you've enjoyed the journey. Not sure how you felt about it. So, why don't you click the comment button and let me know.   
> TTFN,   
> Anni


	35. Where the Hell Are My Friends (LANY) & Time of Our Lives (Pitbull & Ne-Yo)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spring Break at SxSW

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> To Mercy, From White Chocolate by Princess976
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!

Where the Hell Are My Friends (LANY)  
Mercedes PoV

Midterms were seriously unpleasant, though I did kick ass in my judo exam. I could not tell you which was less happy, the papers, the group project or the exams. It was so bad that we were happy that we had rehearsals every evening after everything because we needed to move…to expend some physical energy to even out with all of the mental energy we’d been putting out. Rehearsals were quite interesting too because Rainbow decided that Mike should Skype in whenever he could. Apparently, if he could learn the dances that way, she would let him get some stage time in over spring break with the dancers he’d be working with over the summer. Santana pointed out that Tina was really used to backing me up, so they might make her sing with them too. It was definitely a thought. When I asked her if she was ready to try that, she jumped all over it. She made sure she was on with Mike when he Skyped in, so she would be prepped too. Blaine was more than happy to join the Dam Bros for South by Southwest, so we could maintain our symmetry there. I wasn’t sure what Rainbow had planned for the dancers since it would put the dancers at four and three. But she knew what she was doing, so I didn’t worry about it. Micromanagement was not the way to ensure creativity.

By the end of that week, we were done with all our damn tests and everything school associated and we were ready for our three performances at South by Southwest. Saturday Morning we were up early. Even though it was a per diem day, we still took everyone to breakfast on us. Quinn and James had driven down the night before and were flying out with us. Ryan, Ben and Jon were coming with us to join Adams and Karofsky in acting as our roadies. Okay, so really they were there for the free tickets and paid for them with their heavy lifting. All the venues we were performing at had their own sound and light techs. Unfortunately, Jamie was already committed to an Off-Off Broadway play. She was pretty sure that the opening night would be the only night, but she had gotten it cleared with NYADA and it was important for her future. So while we’d miss her, we totally understood. Surprisingly, Seth and Summer had heard about the trip and bought their own tickets. Maybe that wasn’t that surprising. Since we weren’t paying we couldn’t put them to work. They had gotten all the info from Hudson and gotten a hotel room at the same place we’d be staying.

The flight was fine. It was under five hours long and we’d forked out the extra money for the premium economy seats for our people so no one was too uncomfortable. At first, we’d only done regular seats and the vision of super tall Justin in one of those seats was enough to make even the most dour person chuckle with unrestrained glee. When we got to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, we all discovered the sheer genius of Hudson and Haja. Hudson had arranged all the flights, San Francisco, Columbus and New York so that we all got to Austin with in the same thirty minutes…well forty-five, the flight out of Columbus was delayed a bit. Haja had rented a bus…a limo bus…to take all thirty of us plus all our clothes and instruments and everything to the hotel. OMNI Barton Creek Resort & Spa was huge, it was over four thousand acres of golf courses, tennis courts, pools and a spa.

The hotel rooms were really nice. They were clean. They were well appointed. Our room was the Ben Crenshaw Suite. I loved it because not only was it only Austin pricey, but the room was on par with something we’d have paid a hell of a lot more for in LA or Manhattan. The room had a dining room table that sat six, two really comfortable couches and four comfy leather chairs, plus a large kitchenette. I was actually a little surprised that it had an ice maker, mini fridge, and a small sink. Seriously that hotel room’s kitchenette had more counterspace and cabinets than some apartments. Which was great because if we brought in snacks, we’d have room for them. The bedroom was really pretty with a large walk-in shower and jet style tub. Though to be honest the silver painted branches detailing in the light fixtures were throwing me.

We got everyone checked in, up to their rooms…our room checked over by the Rangemen. They had a new toy with them that would make sure there were no recording devices in our suite. There were none to be found, but the thought that it might have been needed was creepy and scary, so we tried not to think about it while we unpacked. Almost before we could really finish, Tina and Mike were in our room. “Cedes, I missed you so much.” Tina started crying as she hugged the stuffing out of me. “It has been so hard keeping Mike from driving down to LA to beat the breaks off of that Macardo asshole.”

Mike gave me a look that clearly said, ‘we both know that it was Tina, I had to talk down’. The truth was probably somewhere in the middle. Though honestly, Tina was a lot more violent than most people realized. She just kept it to thoughts, usually.

“Ooohh girl, Sam’s cousin got his hands on that guy. When he bailed out, he didn’t go home, he went to Cedars. Ranger had a guy on him until we left LA. Somehow, they got their hands on the doctor report. That asshole was seriously fucked up. According to Stephanie Plum, he had to have spent at least a week pissing blood.”

“Good. He’s lucky that Santana couldn’t get her hands on him.” Mike laughed. 

“Me, please…Sue and Sugar had almost talked Don Motta into having the guy dealt with by his Italian cousins.” Santana said as she, Artie and Britts joined us. There were hugs for Tike who we rarely got to see face to face since were on two different coasts. “He said that he’d be stepping on some toes.”

Sam’s blush told Puck and I that the toes Don Motta was talking about were probably attached to people with whom he shared some DNA, or at least they employed his family members. “Yeah…So Tina, Mike…you guys excited about this summer?”

That wasn’t even subtle…but it worked. We were talking about the tour when Kurt and Blaine came in. As soon as Kurt realized what we were talking about, he ran out and before I knew it he had come back with his special iPad in its KAMA case. “Ruth and I have been working on the wardrobe for the tour. Want to see?”

“No, Hummel, we have no desire to see what we’ll be wearing to go on stage in front of God only knows how many people.” Santana’s sarcasm was palpable. “That couldn’t be of any interest at all to a bunch of performers.”

Fighting off a smile, it did no one any good to encourage Santana’s sarcasm with laughter, I looked over at Tike as a thought entered my head. “Do you guys mind if we get the rest of the Crew up here to see what has been decided on? Give everyone a chance to get to know each other, too.”

“Of course not.” Mike was quick to answer.

Tina nodded. “Yeah, we’ll be spending all summer with them on tour buses. I personally would love the chance to get to know them ahead of time.”

I sent out a text and within twenty minutes all of the suite’s eighteen actual seats were taken and there wasn’t that much floor visible either. It wasn’t even just the Crew; the New Directions were littered among them. Everyone was talking and laughing and it was pretty much exactly what we all needed. Lauren and Artie were able to get some stuff from their rooms that even let Kurt put the pictures from his iPad up on the big ass TV. “Okay. So, we divided the country into eight regions. A couple of the regions have some pull out shows…like pacific has LA as a whole different kettle of fish. The South has Atlanta and Miami as their pull-out shows. What we’re trying to do with that is tailor the stage apparel to be fashion forward, but not so out there that the average concert goer will be too shocked or appalled or even worse…won’t be able to connect. Another thing it allows us to do is cater to outdoor venues verses indoor…and to hopefully make sure no one gets heat stroke or whatever.”

“Wow…you guys put a lot of thought into this.” Sam said from behind me. He was gently massaging my shoulders as we sat on the couch with me leaning back against him. I was a little surprised when he tensed up. “Umm…I just realized…I don’t actually know what we’re wearing this week?”

I stopped, turned and looked at him. “Really? Not for any of the three performances?”

Sam shook his head. “I know that you told me to bring my old brown cowboy boots and favorite jeans for one of them. You told me to bring the black Prada work boots and the ones I wore on New Year’s Eve. I made sure that I had at least three pairs of dark boxer briefs. I did all that…but I don’t know what I’m wearing when…other than the stuff I brought just to wear around.”

Kurt just shrugged. He wasn’t sure that he or Ruth had actually shown any of them what they would be wearing. They had sent everyone a list of things they needed to make sure they brought with them that the stylists knew they had in their closets as well as the appropriate panties or boxers. “Oh…I’m sorry about that. Well,” he pulled up a different file. “As you know, Tuesday is the Radio Stage in the ballroom. So, Bubbie, yes Puck…I stole your Bubbie. I don’t have any living grandparents and she said you would just have to share. Anyway, Bubbie and I decided that that one would be the casual-club look…Casual…but still very high class. Red will be the main color for that one.” He showed us a red trapeze dress for the female dancers, they would wear black, ballroom dance shoes with the very simple dress. The males would be in black, wide legged slacks and a red zip front vest. Tina, Tana and Xena’s dresses were cold shoulder swing dresses that were red, black, pink and white stripped. Each woman would be in a different pair of modernized Mary Jane pumps, based on height and personality. Blaine had agreed to wear the same thing as the Dam Bros, black jeans, black Tims, and a red polo with black trim. My dress was more fitted through the body. It would hug my curves but had ruffles at the sleeves and the hem. It also had a deep V neckline…I’d need a bandeau or something to go under it. It wasn’t something I would have picked for myself, but it was adorable and since I didn’t want the whole sequins all over the place look just yet. It was coming…but at that point I was seriously willing to leave that to Queen Bey.

Puck and Sam were both in tight red button down shirts that looked like they were going to be sexy as fuck. The biggest difference between the two shirts was that with the cuffs and collar turned out, one showed a black and white check material and the other was just basic red. Their dark charcoal, almost black slacks would show their asses off perfectly. But where the colors were similar, Puck’s were wide legged jeans and Sam’s looked more like slacks you could go to a work site in if you were an architect. They would be fine in an office and yet good on site. Erika and Cass were in black tops and red pants, while Dave, Justin and Artie were all in the same red shirt and black pants as the Dam Bros and Blaine…well…Dave wasn’t his shirt wasn’t a polo, it was a tank top that he could shed when it got soaked through…and his pants were cargo pants to hold extra drum sticks.

Everyone loved the looks. I had one concern. “I like that. My only thing is that those shoes…god they are gorgeous. Anyway…I can’t wear tights or stockings with those.” I pointed out.

Kurt’s smile was wicked. “Oh yes, you can. Bubbie and I got you the toeless hose.”

“Well then, I’m golden.” I assured him. “What are we wearing Wednesday?”

“Okay, well, Wednesday is not my favorite night. It’s the Spotify house party, so Bubbie went with local fashion trends…and local means Texas.”

“So, that’s why y’all wanted me to bring my cowboy boots.” Sam nodded in understanding.

Kurt sighed. “Yup.” He started showing the styles we’d be in.

“Well, yee-damn-haw.” Santana groaned. “Bubbie Ruth can keep those boots in the wardrobe closet or whatever. I will never wear them again.”

Brittany disagreed. “I like them. They are cute.”

The simple truth was that other that Sam and Brittany, cowboy boots weren’t something any of us would have bought for ourselves. Neither were the dresses or skirts all the girls were in. the guys totally lucked out, red based flannel shirts over funny statement tees in red and white or black and red plus jeans and, of course, the boots. Still the costumes weren’t something that any of us really objected to. It would be fine. When Rainbow asked about the final show, the outdoor concert that benefited charity, Kurt’s eyes enlivened. There was some cohesion…but the main similarity was that each of us would be wearing a statement tee that spoke about some aspect of our personalities. Much like the tees the guys would get to wear under their flannels at the house party the night before.

My shirt was a purple, tunic length tee that simply read polyamory. I’d be rocking black, Capri length leggings and black espadrille wedges with it. Puck and Sam were in the men’s version in the same shirt, just bluish gray for Sam and regular gray for Puck. Their shirts were put with simple jeans and boots, black work boots for Puck and his cowboy boots for our southern gent. Like me Tana, Tina and Xena would be in leggings and a tee shirt. Tina actually got a choice. “Because I know you so much better than Bubbie, she gave me the job of picking your shirt. I could not decide between the black with white writing that said ‘You Call Me WEIRD like it’s a bad THING!’ shirt and the gray with black writing one that says ‘do all THINGS with kindness’. So, we went with dark gray leggings that wouldn’t look out of place with either one.” He tapped something else. “All the ladies are all in black wedges of differing styles, though they all have the light colored wedge. Xena, your leggings are green to match the lettering of your ‘It’s an ARO Thing’. Tana, we went with a dark gray ‘hashtag, LOVEWINS’ shirt for you…slightly lighter leggings, and of course the wedges complete the look.”

On to the next images. “Dancers, you ladies actually all have the same saying on your shirts…they are just in different colors.” He showed us hot pink, light pink, and black ladies tees and a light gray long sleeved, blouson tee that all read the same war cry. ‘On Wednesdays We Smash The Patriarchy’. “Like the female singers, you’ll be in leggings, but over those you’ll have long swirly chiffon skirts. We went with the split, soft sole dance shoes in colors to match your shirts. Jax…you and Sim are in black, wide leg jazz pants with your statement tees.”

“Man Sim…I think I’m jelly of your shirt…‘Started from the Closet, Now We’re Queer’…that’s hilarious.” Jax laughed.

“Oh yeah…what do you think of this then.” Kurt said wickedly. The next pic was a familiar black and white looking tee shirt.

“Straight Outta The Closet.” Sim groaned. “Man, can we switch I love Ice Cube…like seriously. ‘Straight Outta Compton’ was my JAM in high school.” Jackson didn’t have a problem with switching shirts.

Kurt shrugged. “If they fit, no problem. I just didn’t want to, you know, put the black guy automatically in the NWA based shirt.”

“The stereotype avoidance is appreciated, but if you don’t mind?”

“No, it’s cool.” Kurt assured them. “Mike, your shirt sums you’re outlook up perfectly.” He showed us a black shirt that read, ‘Straight, Christian & for Gay Rights’. Mike nodded in agreement. “Okay, so Blaine and the Dam Bros…Adam, I love your shirt. It says ‘Humanity is My Race, Love is My Religion and Peace is my Weapon’.”

“That’s deep.” Adam nodded. “I like it.”

Kurt smiled happily. “Damien, for you I picked… ‘God is Bisexual. He Loves Everyone’.”

“Hell yeah.” Damien laughed merrily. “What have you got for your boothang?”

“Blaine has a Legalize Love shirt. We can get married in New York, but until marriage is universal…the struggle will never stop.” Kurt said pulling the picture up. “All the male background singers’ shirts are black with white, or rainbow coloring. Well, Blaine’s shirt has the lettering in red, but the male figures are both bigger and white.”

“What about us, Hummer?” Dave shouted from where he and Cassidy had gotten tired of waiting.

“Satan, why on earth did you and Puck share that little tidbit?” Kurt groaned. “Dave, you actually have a choice… ‘Black Lives Matter’ accompanied by the iconic raised fist…or ‘Smash the Patriarchy’ accompanied by a slightly less iconic fist with an afro, I think, around it.”

He showed the drummer both options. They were both men’s racer back tanks. The BLM shirt was gray with black writing and the Patriarchy shirt was black with white letters. “Let me think on it for a minute. Come back to me.” Dave said thoughtfully.

Kurt was understanding. He moved on to Cassidy. She and Erika would both be in denim capris with black and cork wedge sandals like the rest of the chicas who weren’t dancers. Cass’s shirt was gray and in black letters proclaimed to the world, ‘Well the Patriarchy isn’t going to Fuck itself’. Erika leaned over and gave her a high five. Erika’s shirt was black. It said ‘I Play Like A Girl…Try to Keep Up’ with a little picture of a headstock and neck of a bass or guitar next to it. Cassidy had to return that celebratory gesture. Justin’s shirt was black too and had a grayed out picture of a man with a guitar leaning against a wall with ‘Save the Music’ in graffiti next to him. Artie also had a decision to make. He had a choice between a black shirt with the polyamory symbol on it or one with the picture of the guy in a wheelchair that read ‘Stupidity is not a handicap…Park Elsewhere’.

“Oh, the Park Elsewhere shirt for sure. Since neither Tana nor Britts have poly shirts…it makes it look like I’m in the middle of Commune’s relationship. Plus too…I’m always seeing normies parking in the handy spots. Assholes.” Artie swore.

Kurt made a notation. “Great…so…Dave, have you had enough time to reach a decision?”

Dave looked up. “I want the BLM shirt. It’s important…ya know.”

Kurt nodded. “Yeah, we know.” He started typing, sending the final decisions that had been reached to Bubbie, so she would know preferences for the future.

Quinn looked up from her conversation with James, Ben and Jon. “Okay…is the work completed, because I’m kind of wondering what we are doing when you guys aren’t performing.”

“I’m wondering when we’re going to eat.” Santana chimed in jokingly.

I looked at Sam. He looked at Puck, and we all shrugged. “Umm…Why don’t we get Hudson and see what she has planned?” I finally suggested. “I know she likes to take a bath after a flight, but she’s probably done…right?” I grabbed my phone and texted her. Hudson actually started the practice when she realized that she usually had nothing to do when we first got to hotels because Sam, Puck and I were you know getting our grove on.

Of course, our super-efficient PA was there only moments later. She had big bottles of sunscreen, folders and itineraries for everyone. “Everyone has a platinum pass. That will allow you to see everything when you aren’t at a KAMA show…and it will allow you to get into the KAMA shows too. I’ve included the schedule and the information you’ll need on locations and such. But you should each down load at least the SXSW GO app, as well as the GroupMe app to coordinate your activities and schedules. This evening you are scheduled to go to the spa this evening at seven. They are, very kindly, opening after hours for our group.”

“Damn, y’all balling like that?” James joked. “Uncle Steve don’t even get that kind of treatment.”

I gave him a complete screw face. “You know Steve Harvey don’t wait on a chair at any barbershop in the continental United States.” I shot back easily. “But still…why are they being so nice?”

“There are restrictions. Everyone gets four treatments. One facial, one body treatment, one massage and one mani-pedi. The lists are in the folders telling you who gets what when…there are no other options. We cannot make changes. Oh, and ladies, as I said in the email I sent you with your flight information…I hope that you took care of hair removal. Their waxing ladies are not here this evening.”

Every female there assured Hudson that it was already taken care of. Of course, she already knew about me and roughly half the New York crew because she handled all our schedules. Whether we asked her too or not. “Good. Now tomorrow, you guys have your choices of whatever you decide to do. There are gaming events at South by Southwest that I’m pretty sure that the guys will want to hit. There are a ton of movies and concerts and whatever. The limo bus will take everyone over at ten in the morning and bring everyone home at one AM…then do the same again on Monday. KAMA and crew, your itineraries show practice times as well as mike checks and performance times. New Directions…your itineraries only show the performance times. You will all still have plenty of time to explore. Friday, we’re checking out at three and have to be at the airport by five. You have until two to two-thirty to explore the resort, you can UBER back over to the event…as long as you and your luggage are in the limo bus by three thirty at the absolute latest.”

She checked something else before continuing. “Oh…and KAMA crew, don’t forget next Saturday is the photo shoot for the CD cover. You guys don’t have to be there until noon…Sam, Mercedes and Noah…you guys are there at nine.”

“Okay…now what about dinner?” Santana asked putting her hand in the air just to be extra facetious.

Hudson shook her head. “Dinner tonight is in the 8212 Wine Bar and Grill at five. We’ll have the place to ourselves for the most part…but you all might want to go change. You never know when someone will take your picture around these three.”

It was unfortunately true. I almost hated seeing everyone heading to their own rooms. It was really nice to see all of the crew and the New Directions and Ryan, Seth and Summer plus Ben and Jon all getting to know each other and getting along for the most part. Quinn and Summer would never really be friends…probably because they were the same architype, but I would never say that one to my friends. They were both good people…they just shared all the same negative traits. Besides, they got along OK so I was good.

On the other hand…since everyone rushed back to their rooms Sam, Noah and I were able to christen the hotel room’s pretty shower. I was feeling pretty damn fly after our shower, so I lotioned and put on some sexy as fuck purple lingerie before pulling on a dress that lived up to the name the designer gave it, Guilty Pleasures. The dress was lilac and plum off center color-block and had a gorgeous silver floral detail where the four front panels met. The dress had a really wide, fairly deep V neckline. I was really bad too, I didn’t want anything to distract Noah and Sam’s view, so while I wore my big ass diamond and platinum hoops. I didn’t wear a necklace of any shape, form or fashion. Instead I went with quite a few bangles on each arm and just my engagement ring. I shoved my phone, my mini-wallet and my room key into a pretty black purse. I dithered for a moment before grabbing a pair of four inch heeled, black strappy platform sandals.

I’d gotten pretty happy with the idea of southern weather and all I’d brought with me for shoes were sandals of every shape, color and style to go with my clothes. I’d brought a lot of shorter dresses, capris and shorts too. I made a quick decision and laid out a simple purple and white sundress and flip flops so I could do a very quick change before we went to the spa a little later. With the facial and other treatments that were scheduled, I didn’t bother with makeup beyond some pretty lip gloss and moisturizer. Of course, Sam had thrown on some khakis and a simple white button down and was good to go. Puck was in dark wash jeans and an ivory pull over that made his skin fucking glow. I still loved the barely stubble look he was rocking, but I wondered how he would look with his thick brown hair long enough to tug. Especially as he started the gauging process. I had to get rid of that thought since there would be no time for another shower with my men between dinner and spa time.

We headed down to the restaurant near all the meeting and ball rooms. It was quite a walk from the rooms. I was so grateful that we’d all taken the time to get a lot more dressed than we had been chilling out in the suite. The walk did give us a chance to see a lot of the rest of the resort. We decided that rather than going back to South by Southwest on Friday morning, we’d all meet at the indoor pool and just have morning of fun and relaxation before we had to head back to our real lives. When we arrived at the restaurant, everything was in readiness. They had rearranged the tables so we would feel as if we were all together and close and intimate. It was great. The menu definitely told you why they put wine bar before grill. There were like five options for each course, and like a zillion wines to choose from. We all limited ourselves to two glasses with our dinner and a lot of water. No one wanted to be drunk off our asses trying to walk back to our rooms at six fifteen in the evening.

Conversation flowed around me as we all picked and chose our desserts and all I could think was my life was well and truly blessed and I was more grateful than I could put into words.

Time of Our Lives (Pitbull & Ne-Yo)  
Finn PoV

I could not believe how much fun we had over our spring break. That first night we had dinner together…but not like McDonalds or anything stupid and childish like you expect when you hear the words ‘college kids on Spring Break’. We got dressed up and went to a real restaurant. There was wine that went with specific things. Like I got the steak, which it turned out was a filet mignon…and they get really testy with you when you order it well…but anyway, with my steak I had a glass of merlot. But Lauren got the shrimp risotto and she had a glass of chardonnay. It was awesome. Then after dinner we went to a spa. That was cool but weird. When we got there they had us kind of wash off and put on their robes and house shoes. Then we broke into couples, thruples or groups for our ‘treatments’. After the year I’d had the year before the word treatments made me sweat a little bit. But it was cool. They weren’t like the breathing treatments or the PT treatments from after my car accident. They were actually kind of awesome. First Lauren and I had a deep tissue massage with a rosemary sea salt scrub in the same room. It was really intimate…which I didn’t expect since there were the two masseuses there with us. I do not think I had ever been so relaxed without having cum a bunch of times before in my life. But the whole massage thing had a different effect on Lauren. She had my dick in her mouth almost before the door closed behind the massage artists. The second my dick was hard she was riding me to happy town. After we got done, I was even more of a puddle of Finn.

It took us a little while to get our breath back. When Lauren was completely satisfied, we hit the showers again really quick before we separated for our next treatments. I had felt a little bad for holding everyone up…but every single couple or thruple who had their joint massages for their first treatment was in the showers too. Even Mercedes, Sam and Puck where there and they got massages all the time. I tried not to think about the fact that Kurt and Blaine were there too. It wasn’t a gay thing…that was my brother. And not to be funny, but there was just something about Kurt that made thinking about him and sex at the same time seem just really, really wrong.

All of us ND alum guys and Vince headed in to get our facials…so funny, we were dudes getting facials. But they were special men’s facials, so that was at least something. We had what the spa people called the gentleman's sea escape facial but since Puck had a big hard on for something that he’d had done on his first trip to a spa, Hudson had added a back facial too. I wasn’t going to complain about that. My back didn’t itch for two weeks after that back facial. It was awesome. But what was even better was just spending that time talking and laughing and joking with my friends. Vince and James really helped Az educate us on a lot of stuff we’d never thought about until, well, we got our heads out our asses. “But I thought racism was way over. I mean, we have a black president.” I finally said confused.

James shook his head. “The world, on the surface got less racist. There were no more fire hoses or lynchings or whatever, but those feelings never went away. The people who were raised to think that you and I are basically different species, they went on to teach their kids to believe that way and those people taught their kids. But while they were teaching their kids that black folk are inferior, the smarter ones also taught their kids to hide those beliefs because society on a whole said that they refused to feel that way anymore.”

“Oh, so because of changes in societal expectations…it sent the hate underground. But shouldn’t it be getting better now. I mean, there have to be more people like us than like them? Right?” I asked desperately.

Vince sighed. “The truth is that the answer to that is both yes and no. Things are getting better, but nowhere near as fast as they should be. The problem is that the blowback against Obama…yeah some of it was politics and policy…but most of it was just plain racial. I mean, the man saved the auto industry, kept the recession from getting even worse and has been bring back jobs like a boss. But they still can’t give him credit and a lot of them are still questioning whether he is even an American. W…was a damn moron but because he was white he was alright.”

“Oh…I liked Bush…he kind of made me feel like if he could grow up to be president maybe I could too.” I admitted quietly.

Every single person in the room sighed. The lady, Alabama, who was doing my face patted my cheek. “Oh, aren’t you just the sweetest. Now, Sweetheart. Here is the problem with having a C borderline D student as President…they are only as good as the people doing their thinking for them. Here in Texas, W had his people to do his thinking for him. As President, he had the Arch-villains Cheney and Rumsfield in his ears…damned devils on both shoulders. Now he’s going down in history as the worst president of the last hundred years…well, ceptin’ for Nixon. So sad, because here to tell that man really has a heart of gold.” 

“When exactly did this country start looking for the dude bros for president. Sure, it is cool to have a president that is comfortable with the common person, but the fact that people are always talking about ‘the educated elite leadership’ as if it is a bad thing…that’s just bull shit. Finn, you know I love you like a brother. But if you ever run for president…unless Lauren or Artie is your running mate, I’ve gotta vote for the other guy.” Puck said honestly.

I just laughed and threw a towel from the side of the chair at him. “Truth be told, I’d go with Mike for my running mate…with Lauren as my First Lady and Artie, Tina and Cede on my cabinet. But definitely Mike for my VP…he is a lot nicer than the rest of you when I say something stupid.”

That had us all discussing which people in our clique would make the best president and who would be the worst. We actually decided that the best would be Artie or Mike and the worst would be Santana…she would so take over the world. But since she would probably do stuff that made a lot of sense, maybe she wouldn’t be so bad. Lauren would be right there with her…but the truth was that I loved her too much to admit that to anyone…even myself really. Then we left politics, thankfully and started talking about school. For the most part all of us felt we were on the right tract for us.

All of us except Karofsky. “I picked my major based on…I don’t know. I guess, it was my dad’s major and I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. But I’ve started taking some of the criminal justice courses now and I fucking hate it. It’s just so boring.”

“So, what do you want to do?” Az asked him. “Don’t say you wanna do something gay like drop out and run away to Paris or something. I’m asking you to tell me what you’d like to do with your life.”

“Fuck you Az. I am gay. You got the memo.” Dave shot back.

Az laughed. “If I hadn’t known before I got to your dorm room yesterday, I’d have known for sure after. Your roommate had a cock like a fucking horse and you were taking that shit like a champ.” He pointed at me. “Y’all think I’m joking…but LaKeith, his roommate and buttbuddy, had to be at least thirteen inches…and fucking thick too. It was ridiculous…and Dave had that shit in his ass like it wasn’t nothing.”

Kurt sat there for just a second. Before he blurted out, “You WATCHED?!?”

Az just shrugged. “Who wouldn’t have? I mean…I ain’t gay myself…but that was a sight to behold.”

“You shouldn’t have watched.” Kurt huffed.

“Man, Hummel, you are the only one here who wouldn’t have took the time to watch.” Azimio defended. “Dave might be a bit of a pudgy bastard…but his roommate is on a fucking swim scholarship. If I was ripped like that I’d be swimming in the pussy.”

“No one else would have watched. None of you would have watched would you?”

Alabama laughed. “Darlin’, I’ve paid for gay porn and didn’t get something that sounded as hot as what he described. Just looking at your friend over there...plus the promise of a thirteen-inch black boy with him. I’d have watched so hard that it would have been like using my brain to tape it for future viewing.” Several of the other spa matrons fully agreed.

Dave blushed and looked both uncomfortable and proud at the same time. Finally, he decided to own it. “He knows how to use it too.”

Sam scoffed. “Oh please, like it is hard to be good when fucking another guy. We’ve explored the equipment since the first time out dicks stood up. Puck knows how much I love him…but getting him off is easy as hell compared to Mercy. Sometimes, I, and I am man enough to admit it…if it weren’t for Puck, Mercy would be sore disappointed in my performance at least thirty-five percent of the time. I don’t have enough mouths and hands to work all her pleasure points. Hell, Artie...how the hell do you manage two?”

Artie laughed and bowed up proudly. “Because I gots it like that…and Britts helps me with Tana and Tana helps me with Britts. I want to know how all the hetero-normative guys handle their women on their own. Well not Finn…Lauren tells him exactly what to do and draws him pictures if he needs it.”

“Shut up…Lauren can’t draw.” I pointed out. “But yeah, I like it when she tells me what to do. What about Mike? It’s just him and Tina.” I diverted the attention to our other friend.

Mike’s smirk was seriously pride filled. “Once you know what works, you add to and vary…but never take away from the things she wants most. It helps if you have a way to clue into their browser history and see what kind of things they are into. Like everyone, Tina has her kinks. I just follow her moods. But what I want to know is…how did we get from helping Dave figure out what he wants to do with his future…to just talking about sex?”

Puck picked up what Mike was laying down and took us back to the safer, less likely to get us stuck on the couches in our hotel rooms, topic. “Alright Dave…so what do you want to be when you grow up?”

Dave shrugged. “The dream is to go pro. It’s the only reason I’m still not really out on campus and shit. I mean, Michael Sam has proven that the NFL is not as ready for inclusion as they thought they were or whatever.”

“Dude, you can major in anything and play pro ball if you’re good enough on the field.” I reminded him. “What you have to do is think about what you would want to do, either after your pro career is over, or what you would do if, heaven forbid, you threw out your shoulder or your knee or whatever and couldn’t play anymore?”

Dave looked like he was thinking hard. “I think…I guess I would want to help kids…maybe a social worker. Or no…you know what I would love to do…I’d want to be a guidance counselor. Ms. Pillsbury was great senior year with helping us get to college and all that. But the emotional stuff…I’m pretty sure she hated every second of dealing with that shit. And usually she just ended up giving you a pamphlet that may or may not have actually been pertinent to the problem.”

“Well, in her defense, she has pretty rampant OCD. Maybe the emotionally messy stuff got on her nerves as much as physically messy stuff.” Mike pointed out.

I shrugged. “Burt said that Coach Sylvester hired more guidance counselors who could handle the emotional stuff while she mainly deals with the career counseling stuff.”

“That’s real good…but it’s not just her. It is pretty endemic that if there are cases of bullying in schools, they best they do is to try and work with the victims…if they do that much. But even then, they don’t focus on helping them become strong enough that the bullies have to find someone else to pick on. And they sure as hell don’t work on the bullies…getting to the root of the problems that lead them to pick on people. How much better would things have been if Ms. Pillsbury or anyone at all really, had just taken the time to talk to me and figure out why I was harassing Hummel? Maybe I could help the next asshole get over himself…maybe I can help the next Kurt not to have to run for his life.” Dave finally completed his line of thinking.

One of the other spa matrons spoke up, kind of surprising all of us. “My sister-in-law is a guidance counselor. She has degrees in early childhood education and child psychology. But you’ll need at least a Master’s degree to get a job.”

Dave looked a little sad about that. But Vince had a good point. “Man, get your undergrad. If you make the pros, you can take classes towards your Masters during the off season.”

It was like the sun came out for Dave. “Yeah…I’ll set up a meeting with my advisor when I get back to campus. I’m gonna do it.”

“That’s good Dave. I still want you to go pro though. Then when you take your team to the super bowl…you can talk them into getting KAMA for the halftime show.” Sam encouraged.

“Yeah…maybe I’ll just get them to just get Mercedes. I remember Sam Evans trying to beat my ass in the Titan’s locker room.” Dave teased.

The ladies in that room were finished with us and sent some of us on to get our body treatments. The single guys went for their massages. The herbal poultice smelled a little funny, but the wraps were really warm and it felt awesome. After that the New Direction and ND adjacent guys were back together and we had these awesome hot stone massages for our hand and arms and legs and feet. We had to dip our feet into these, like, vats of some special version of candle wax. Then they did this thing where they like sloughed all the dead skin and callouses off our feet and cleaned up our nails. I kind of felt stupid when I realized that we’d had a mani-pedi. I probably would have liked it better if they had waxed all the knuckles of our fingers and toes…that really hurt. That was the last of our treatments and we all had to shower off and get dressed. I noticed that Hudson gave the person who had lead us through the spa all night a big envelope which I was pretty sure was like the tip for the night. That was awesome.

We all headed up to our rooms and Lauren and I had a great night breaking in that bed. The next morning, we got up and had breakfast in Commune’s suite with the rest of the crew. That was really cool. It was great getting to talk with everyone face to face. Of course, we also had to sit through Puck and Sam proudly showing us all pictures from Nikki’s birthday. Then we reminded them that almost all of us had seen them already. Nikki had sent me and Lauren some of them the very next day. But they were proud and happy. We’d all sent Nikki gifts ourselves and she’s sent us all really nice thank you notes. She was such a good little girl. Plus, she helped me with my math homework and didn’t make me feel stupid that she could do it and I couldn’t even though I was the same age as her dad.

After breakfast, we returned to our rooms and got dressed then everyone piled into the limo bus with the Rangemen and drove into Austin to enjoy all the things South By Southwest had to offer. We got to see Furious 7 and it was cool as hell. I mean, it was sad about Paul Walker and everything. But it was a good action movie. We listened to a lot of small bands and stuff playing different places. I thought it was weird having security guards with us everywhere, but Mr. Jones had had Burt ask me and Lauren to stick kind of close to Puck, Cedes and Sam, and I didn’t wonder if other parents had passed their kids the same message because we didn’t break up and go do our own things. We had fun hanging all together. It was better that way. We had lunch at a place called Clark’s that was actually a seafood restaurant, but they had an amazing cheeseburger. It was so good. We went to some of the tech panels in the convention center and Lauren actually got to talk to some of the big wigs at Apple and a few major players in some other tech giants. That made her seriously happy. What made her even happier was that someone had given Hudson the idea to have cards made up for all of us giving basically our name, the field we’d be going into after graduation and our contact information. She appeared out of nowhere and handed the Apple guy, who was ridiculously interested in learning more about Lauren’s ideas on net security, Lauren’s card. That was seriously major. 

As we walked around…I noticed how much product placement there really was. Like Capital One was sponsoring KAMA’s concert on Tuesday. Samsung had a charging station. AT&T rented lockers for personal items. NIKE had a great place where people could skateboard and we could shoot hoops. It was really awesome. Somehow, we wandered into the CNN Grille, which was a restaurant where they conducted interviews. Zain Asher spotted Mercedes before we could turn around and make a getaway. Before we could exit the building, she had approached our friend and not only did she get Cedes into a chair. Carl Aziz pulled Puck into a ‘conversation’ and Athena Jones got Sam. I was shocked when a guy came up and introduced himself as Mark Preston and he wanted to talk with Lauren and I about the car accident and the guy who had hit us. There wasn’t a whole lot we could say. We did discuss the information that was already a part of the public record. But we didn’t get into the civil case that was pending. Fortunately, Mr. Preston didn’t seem to want to. He wanted to find out more about the political fallout. Like how now that district had a democratic representative because of the fall out of the Republican favorite son being a coke head who ended the career of a promising young Buckeye. It was curious…very weird.

When we finally escaped the interviews, of course, Mercedes, Sam and Puck’s took a lot longer than me and Lauren’s, we checked out Pandora’s Discovery Den. They had some music from some of the people that KAMA’s Brantley was looking at for opening acts for their summer tour. Some of the music was really, really good…but some of it…not so much. I mean, a lot of the bands had great musicianship, but their vocals sucked ass. Or their vocals were good and their musicians needed a hell of a lot more lessons. Or, in more than a few cases vocals were alright, musicians were passable but the lyrics were so bad I was pretty sure that I could have written better lines when I was in my coma.

The whole day was great we had dinner there too. Then we went bar hopping. After the accident and all, none of us were big into drinking. Well, Az and Dave kind of were…I might have been to, but not after seeing first-hand the consequences of the dumb decisions people made when drunk and-or high. Tuesday, our friends Puck, Sam and Cedes became KAMA. There were rehearsals and sound checks and all of that. Their show started at eight, after a set by an indy band called Twenty-One Pilots…though there were only two of them, so I guess they were just a duo. They were good though. Their musicianship, vocals and lyrics were all good…I liked them. But I had to say, they were going to be famous, but when KAMA took the stage it was easy to tell the difference between soon to be and already were.

They didn’t do all their songs…just the first album, the songs they’d had on the SongBird soundtrack and then ‘Believe’ and a Bob Dylan cover of an old civil rights song called ‘The Ballad of Emmitt Till’. That song was so deep and depressing. But…Oh my GOD! Mercedes had the entire room in tears. Especially when she moved from that into a verse about the little boy that had been killed in Cleveland by that bad cop guy who should never have been a cop. Fortunately, that one was before the intermission and DJ Ca$$ brought all our happy back. Tina and Mike looked like they were always a part of the crew. Well, Mike didn’t exactly look right, because I was used to KAMA’s two to one dancer ratio. They’d incorporated Mike in but it still seemed that something was missing, like the two girls who should have been there to balance him out. I guess, that Mike threw off the background dancer’s typical symmetry, but they just set them up in a girl boy, girl boy, girl pattern, so it worked. Tina and Blaine joined in with the background vocalists and wow…it made the under vocals even deeper and richer. The voices blended great. If the first half was love songs and movement songs…then the second half of the set was all their baby making songs. Seriously, by their second encore…where they covered Prince’s ‘When I Lay My Hands On U’, I was ready to talk Lauren into making an early night of it.

But we’d all said that we were going to “Comedy Night Two”. It took about an hour after the end of the concert for all of them They were filming it as a special for Showtime. There were like seven comedians and the host. It was an okay mix, four guys and three women. I liked the host better than most of them. I got his jokes. It was funny when he was talking about being in an interracial relationship and how it made sure there would be less white people. Of course, Lauren loved those jokes too. She loves biracial kids. I was pretty sure that we were going to end up adopting at least one or two…in addition to the one or two of our own that I would hopefully be able to talk her into. Lauren was convinced that she was too big to get pregnant. She thought she was like the ‘My Big, Fat, Fabulous Life’ lady on TLC. But I saw stuff like the big women who didn’t know they were pregnant and it gave me a lot of hope. I liked the thought of adopting a couple of kids, but I wanted to give the world another Lauren too.

The rest of the week went by so fast. Even going to three KAMA shows in three days, I never felt like I was bored or like it was the same thing on repeat. They did a great job of varying their set list and their choreography to make each show something that could totally stand-alone even for those people who came to all of the shows. And it wasn’t just those of us who graduated with them and who they had gifted with the trip who were at all three concerts. They had a serious fan following. It was fun to watch the girls who didn’t just want Puck and Sam to sign their boobs, they wanted Cedes to do it too. Her face the first time one of those chicks flirted with her was so funny. We got pictures. We showed them to her later. She chased us through the entire ‘Gamer’s Experience’ sponsored by EA Games, seriously everything there was sponsored by somebody, until she caught me. People don’t realize that Mercedes Jones is like an amazing climber. She shimmied up me until she could reach the phone I had out stretched in my hand. She took it, but I’d already sent the pics to everyone there with us.

It was great to spend time with everyone and to make our friends forget whatever it was that they were keeping from us in the name of us not worrying or whatever. Of course, someone got Cedes’ Finn climb on video. It showed up on TMZ, but thankfully, they just pointed out that it was good to see that KAMA was just like everyone else. When they got together with lifelong friends, they forgot to act their age too. One of the dickheads said that I must have been really strong not to topple over with Mercedes weight fully on my torso. I was happy when one of his co-workers threw something at him and another slapped him upside the back of his head. I didn’t like it when people tried to make fun of Cedes size. She was my friend and she was beautiful.

By the dinner time Thursday, we were all tired as hell. KAMA was officially off duty and we were all tired. I mean, I’d never felt heat quite like that. I think we were all sick of having to put on more sun screen every two hours. We just wanted to chill out and relax. So, we all went back to the resort and showered and changed into swimsuits with tee shirts and cover ups. Hudson had worked her magic and we had the entire interior pool to ourselves. She, I was guessing it was her, had ordered us a boatload of some of the best barbeque I’d ever eaten in my life, even better than Dr. Benton’s though I would never admit that to anyone, ever. We spent the evening swimming and playing and just enjoying the time with our friends. It was what college spring break was supposed to be like. Though really the whole week was like a dream college break. Lauren and I had made love every night in that massive bed…it was awesome to just make love without having to be creative to deal with two people our sizes in a twin bunk. Friday morning, we even got to play three hours of Ma’am and Finnie before we showered, packed up and met the others in Commune’s suite to relax until it was time to go. I was more than happy.

Which was good because the airport was absolute madness. It was completely packed. Like the fire marshal might have to shut it down level of packed. We all ended up saying our goodbyes right after we made it through security since we were all leaving from like five different gates. I made sure to thank Hudson for helping make everything so awesome that week. I knew it was part of her job, but that didn’t mean we shouldn’t show our appreciation. Lauren, Dave, Az, Vince and I made it to our flight…only because none of us were small and together we could force the crowded corridors to bend to our wills. Unfortunately, our flight wasn’t as pleasant. What was supposed to have been a straight, four hour, non-stop flight started with an extra forty-five minutes on the tarmac. Worst of all there were like five babies on that flight and sitting still for extra time wasn’t something that made any of them happy. When we made it out of that airplane in Columbus, we were so happy it wasn’t even funny.

But then getting back to our dorm, made me a little sad. I missed that big hotel bed in the worse way. For the first-time Lauren and I considered moving off campus. We didn’t want to leave Vince behind. So, we dragged him into the conversation too. His original scholarship had forced him to live on campus…but Coach would be pulling him off that one and giving it to an incoming freshman that coming fall. His new scholarship would be based on both academic and sports performances. Not surprising since his GPA was higher than mine. It was a method that Coach often used when he was pretty sure that his candidates just needed a chance to show what they could do…prove who they could be. Since Vince had shown that he was a hell of a lot smarter than he’d allowed people to believe in East Texas, he wouldn’t be forced to live in the dorms but he would still have that option and he would still have his meal plan covered.

We also, among the three of us, decided that we’d need to bring Karofsky and his boyfriend-slash-roommate with us. If Dave wanted his sexuality to remain a mystery…then they could not continue to keep having sex in their dorm room. Someone would find out, rumor would spread and there would be no way to keep it from scouts and pro coaches. But if we could manage to find a place with three or four bedrooms…we’d be able to give him cover. He and LaKeith could just be roommates. No one would be able to know for sure. We could give them that coverage. Lauren decided that she would rake the point on finding us somewhere. “I know you guys. You’d have us in a former meth lab…or someplace so far from campus that we couldn’t conceivably get back and forth without so much trouble it just isn’t worth it.”

Me and Vince both knew she was kind of right. He and I would just look for the cheapest place we could find. Of course, she was figuring out how to even start looking, figuring out budgets, requirements…everything. And she was doing all that while managing her course load and her practice schedule and meets. So, me and Vince took over making sure that our dorm room was clean and kept stocked with snacks and bottled water. We forced ourselves to keep and maintain our schedules without relying on Lauren to make us. I talked to Dave and LaKeith and explained the plan and exactly why they needed to go in with us. LaKeith was all over it. He hated living in the dorms…but there was no way he could afford to live off campus and have the car he’d need to go back and forth.

Lauren and I were also prepping for the coming civil trial. The week after finals we would have to testify. Since the guy had pled guilty, Mr. Berry and Mr. Harris were sure that it was mainly a matter of letting the jury decide how much Paley needed to pay to make things right. Mr. Berry often brought the Triplets with him. Three biracial babies to play with kept Lauren’s temper from flaring up when Mr. Berry mentioned the word ‘makeover’ and started talking about how important it was that we presented ourselves in the best possible light. Somehow in the course of the conversation, Lauren and I ended up asking him for more information about how to find a place to live off campus and explained that it would be five people but four bed rooms. I think we ended up answering more questions than he did. By the time Easter weekend came around we were all ready for the break. Lauren was, officially, the National Champion collegiate wrestler in her weight class. There was interest from the US Olympic team for her to compete in twenty-sixteen. That was a dream come true for my beautiful girl friend. Dave was pretty much just as happy if for an entirely different reason. Since LaKeith’s family was not exactly happy with his sexuality, he only went home for Christmas and summer. For Easter, with all of us going back to Lima, Dave dragged him home to meet his dad. The semester was weeks from being over and I couldn’t believe how quickly the time had flown by. I just needed not to let myself get distracted and I’d pull off a B for the semester. Still, sometimes I just couldn’t wait for the summer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so first, Yeah, I know I've repped the Princess976 story before, but it is what I was reading. Yes again. I needed some happy and 'just don't give a f*ck about anything but getting his girl back Sam' makes me happy.
> 
> Second, Sorry for the delay. Sometimes Life Sucks and it threw my schedule a whole day off. GRRR!  
> Hope that everyone will for give me and review anyway.
> 
> Third, saw a great meme the other day that made me laugh til I almost peed myself.
> 
> Person praying
> 
> prayer= God grant me patience and serenity because if you give me strength and courage, I'm gonna need some bail money to go with it.
> 
> Fourth, drop me a comment and let me know what you think of the chapter and what questions you're still looking to have answered. (Or your favorite meme to live by...LOL)
> 
> #surviving&resisting
> 
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	36. Harlem (New Politics) & Hit 'em High-the Monstar's Anthem (Busta Rhymes, Coolio, LL Cool J, Method Man& B Real)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tessa & Jake spend their Spring Break in Harlem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Love & Circumstance by XPhan  
> (X-Files Fic)
> 
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> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!!

Harlem (New Politics)  
Tessa PoV

The first half of the second semester of my senior year of high school zipped by so fast it basically felt like I’d blinked the first day back after the holiday and boom it was already Spring Break. It was probably because there was so much going on. Joe and I were…we were golden. I mean, yeah, I still had that whole ‘he’s just so good’ thing smack me sometimes. But he always pointed out that if he was good and he wanted me…then he must deserve to have me. I couldn’t fault his logic. Then again, maybe I just didn’t want to. Our explorations were still in the same holding patterns we’d established months before, and yet I was so satisfied. I was almost more satisfied than I’d been exploring the more traditional definition of sex with Aidan. It made me, at least, have to be even more creative. And creativity was totally my jam. I got to combine being totally creative with Joe and orgasms, there just weren’t words for how happy I was.

Happy and satisfied. I mean, we explored erotic touch and massage. We became masters of dry humping and we played around with mutual masturbation. For that we had a rule that we had to be at least four feet apart. Close enough to watch to our heart’s content…but not close enough to touch. That was ridiculously erotic. I mean, it just, the first time we tried it…while we were doing it, Joe was telling me all about the things he wanted to do to me. I came twice just to his words and my own fingers. Of course, the second time…it was my turn and as an aspiring writer, I had to bring the thunder. I had planned out what I would say for days. When we finally got some time alone together, it was only about an hour of guaranteed time. So, I ended up making up a story about the two of us married with kids knocking out a quickie with me bent over his home office desk, his half-written sermon under my tits on the fly and saving the sweet and romantic story for another time. Not gonna lie the one I made up real quick had us both shaking and shivering with plenty of time to spare.

Everything was amazing with us, but I was really kind of nervous about meeting his great-grandmother. Everything he told me about Betty Hargis said that she was a strong woman who had the fortitude to survive when the world around her crumbled and everything she knew was ripped apart. She had done so at least twice in her life. That was a type of strength that wasn’t just admirable, it was intimidating. But I could shuttle my worries about that to the back of my mind for a while. Before Easter-slash-Passover weekend, Passover began on Good Friday that year, Jake and I were spending spring break in New York with Puck, Cede and Sam. That, I had to admit I had really looked forward to. The time with our older siblings did not disappoint.

We flew in Saturday evening. KAMA and their crew had spent the morning at a photo shoot for the cover art for their second album. It was just so them, that they had come to pick us up still decked out…I mean full hair and makeup and everything. They could have sent a car service. They could have just sent Hudson and a couple of Rangemen…but they wanted to be there themselves. Shelby, David and Beth were on the same flight, though we weren’t all seated together. Probably that made the flight easier for Beth…she had four laps to choose from and she had a blast sitting with Jake, basically because he spoiled her even worse than Puck and Dad do. She had juice. She had pretzels. She had peanuts. He charmed the stewardess into giving her two sets of wings instead of just one. Seriously…he did all that and I ended being the one to take her to the bathroom three times in a two-hour flight. Puck, Sam, Cede, Bubbie and Nik-Nak had all come to get us, along with Manny and Caesar…two of the Rangemen whose names I actually knew…mainly because they were the ones that usually watched my NYC niece and she’d told me all about them including pictures.

We had dinner in the airport at Abruzzo Italian Steakhouse, which allowed Shelby and David time to catch up with everyone, not that we weren’t all killing the calling, texting and Skyping thing. They also had a chance to say a nice, long goodbye to Beth without risking missing their connection down to the Caribbean for their belated honeymoon. Though that was actually harder than it sounded. Bethany was sitting between Nikolette and Jacob…her sissy and her favorite of all her uncles…even more than Stevie, Beth was paying her parents very, very little attention. Of course, when it was time for Shels and David to go and catch their flight, then she latched onto them and cried a few tears but said a bubbly good bye and promised to have fun. She was still bubbly and happy as we got to the big, black SUV…which kind of would have made me ask if the guys at Rangemen were compensating for something…but then we all were able to fit into one even with the bodyguards being larger type masculine figures, and Puck, Sam and Jake not being the smallest of guys either, so I decided those guys didn’t have to compensate for anything but the size of the party they were escorting.

At the brownstone, Jake and I each had our own guest room in Santana, Artie and Brittany’s side, while Beth was sharing a room with Nikki in Puck, Cede and Sam’s side. We took some time to unpack. Not that we’d brought a lot with us. Bubbie and Mercedes had both warned against it. Sunday had been cleared to take us shopping. Well, mainly me and Beth, Puck and Sam tended to send Jake the clothes they didn’t like or that Cede said they couldn’t wear in public again. After we showered and got into our pajamas, we headed back down and into the family room of Commune and Klaine’s side. My ass didn’t even hit the seat before Cede started in with the prom questions. “So, how did Joe ask you to prom?”

I laughed. “He asked me over dinner at the Family Center last Saturday when we were both volunteering. He also gave me this.” It had been so hard not to share this with anyone else before I told Cede…but from the squeal of delight that she let out seeing the pretty little, antique, art nouveau, silver and emerald ring that had been his great grandmother’s engagement ring, it was worth it. I told them all the lovely story of his great-grandparent’s courtship…though I kept the marital problems to myself. They had loved each other deeply even if Billy James Hargis proved to be unable to be a good steward of marriage or of his faith. In the end. He had made sure to protect Betty as much as he could, ensuring that the family never lost their home, no matter what else his scandals took from them.

“That is almost nauseatingly sweet.” Tana laughed. “Nice little promise ring. Knew Teen Jesus was the always and forever type. So, when is the wedding?”

I smirked over at her. “Two years after you and Brittany make an honest man out of Arthur.”

“Hey now, only my mom and the government can get away with calling me Arthur.” Artie threw in.

“Sorry Artie.” I replied, but we didn’t go back to the subjects of weddings, and Tana laid off the Teen Jesus stuff. It made poor Joe uncomfortable, though I’d tried to explain to him a million times that Santana actually meant it as a compliment…she actually respected how true he was to his faith. “So, what’s the plan for tomorrow, exactly?” I asked when there was another lull in the conversation.

“Well, I know that you and Becah took care of all your prom needs already.” Cede smiled. I rolled my eyes. Me and Becah had had a lot of fun…but we’d had to go a second time and take Sarah with us because neither of us knew what the hell we were doing really. Day to day fashion and such and Becah was good…special occasion, event fashion…not so much. “But, I thought that we could find you something to wear for the record release party that next weekend. And, maybe you and Jake could help us find Unique something for it too. Just to let her know that we’ve still got her back and she’s still our people, no matter what.”

“Yeah, this summer is going to be hell on her. Rylie at school, he’s been on hormone therapy since he was eleven and he isn’t transitioning until after he graduates college, but he’s already done research and he said that he’ll have it a hell of a lot easier than Unique will.” Noah chimed in. “So, we wanna make sure that she has a good time before her surgery.”

“And Knowing Unique…getting her into one of mags or something as a fashionista to watch on the KAMA purple carpet would totally qualify.” Sam pointed out.

I couldn’t help but laugh and Jake totally agreed. “That will definitely make her a happy girl.” He assured them. I could tell that our siblings were happy themselves with that thought.

“Good. I mean, we’re not inviting the whole gang this time since, I mean…the last time it was easy to get the whole choir out here last year because it was the same week you all had spring break.” Cede said a little sadly.

Sam was resolute. “Plus, there are people that we don’t know in the choir now…and to be honest, I don’t want to see Marley, y’all might be cool with her…but she is still on my shit list. She hurt Jake and tried to isolate Unique to keep her with her when she knew she was the one who was wrong. Okay, she wasn’t wrong since she was entitled to her own feelings or whatever. But the relationship ended because she and Jake didn’t want the same thing. She should never have tried to paint him as the evil dude-bro, who broke up with her because she wasn’t ready to go further. That sh-mess was foul.”

“Trouty has a point.” Santana cosigned. “Baby Puck, just say the word and me and Brits will make sure that skinny Berry knock-off has some severe moments of regret.”

I almost hated having to be the force of reason. “Look, Marley was wrong for trying to keep Unique to herself…to the point of isolating her was very much wrong. But I really don’t think she hurt Jake on purpose. So, let’s just let her live and whatever, while we enjoy youse guys’ successes.”

“Wow, Angela Chase…two hours back in New York and you’re already sounding like a reject from the ‘Goodfellas’ again already.” Tana teased.

“Oh, shut up.” I groused and threw a decorative pillow at her head.

Beth shook her head from where I thought she was asleep on Noah’s lap. “Aunt-Tess, not okay to throw things, use your words.”

I ignored the smirks from both Santana and Jake. “You’re right Bethany… I won’t throw things at Santana no matter how much she deserves to get hit in the face. I’ll use my words. Though, if I’d used the words I wanted to just then, your Abah, MeDe and Papa would have been quite upset with me.”

“Probably it would be best if Little Pitchers with their Big Ears were in bed for the night so the grownish folks could talk without having to resort to violence to express themselves fully.” Sam pointed out. “Besides, it’s going to be a long day tomorrow and both Lil Darlin’ and Pumpkin need to get up early.”

“You’re just saying that because you aren’t getting any snuggles.” Noah grumbled. But the fact that Nik-Nak was actually knocked out, even if Beth wasn’t, told him that Sam was probably right. Sam stood and took Beth from his husband and leaned down with her to allow Mercedes to give her a kiss. Noah did the same with Nik-Nak and they carried them up and put them to bed in their, Nikki insisted that it belonged to both of them even if she did get to sleep in there more often, bedroom.

By the time, they got back, we had driven head first into all the things we couldn’t talk about when Beth and Nikki were amongst us. Jake had brought everyone up to date on the fact that he was not, no matter what everyone at school always said, dating Regina or Jessica, just Chase. Though he did hope that Commune was inviting all three girls and not just Chase, because Jessica could definitely use the pick her up. Her parents had finally come to realize that Jessica wasn’t going to go to a normal college. She just wasn’t really academically focused. She was only good in one subject, and other than the science area, she kind of well, sucked at school. But that was okay, because she already had offers of scholarships from dance schools on both coasts. Getting her to New York to see if she liked the city enough to choose Ailey, like Brittany or Joffrey. If not, then she would end up in Debbie Allen’s school out in LA.

Secretly, I was pretty sure that Brittany’s presence in New York was giving Ailey and Joffrey Dance Academies serious advantages over even the amazing Ms. Debbie Allen…but what did I know. Mercedes was laughing at Jake’s spiel…he was trying his best to be convincing and charming…but not to insult her intelligence or do anything that might piss off our brothers. “Jake, we were already inviting both Regina and Jessica, and Ryder…I mean I understand that he and Unique are still working their whole ‘romantic, mostly platonic’ relationship thing. Oh, and Sugar and Rory…Sugar has no choice. She’s already skyping in on rehearsals and getting her shit together to join us for the tour.”

“When did she come out to audition?” I asked. I knew that Rainbow had very strict rules about her dancers.

Sam answered as he took his seat on Cede’s side. “She didn’t. Rainbow auditioned her and Mike via Skype and watching videos Shelby had that we sent to her.”

“Oh, that makes sense. When are you auditioning…heck how many of them do you still have to find?” Jake asked them.

“Oh, four more girls…well three and Sugar. And then another guy and Mike.” Brittany said happily. “Rainbow has us doing the first rounds of the try-outs over the Easter weekend. Then we’ll let Cedes, Sam and Puck meet the finalists and make sure they won’t mess up our flow even if there just with us for a summer.”

I could totally understand that and told them so. There was more conversation about the plans for the summer. Including things about how Joe and my summer job as swag sales people would work. “So, you two will have your own Nissan commercial van thing, it is bigger than a mini-van but looks cooler than a conversion van. You don’t need special licenses or anything to drive it and at night, you can hitch it to one of the busses and sleep in a bunk. Your kiosk will be in with the stage equipment so that will get set up for you…but the two of you will be in charge of setting up the displays and loading and unloading all your merch. You’ll be in pretty much constant contact with Darcy with your numbers and inventory and all that jazz. You’ll have portable credit card machines and can take cash and such…but the cash will need to be deposited after every concert. Darcy is going to open a special account just for you guys to make cash deposits when you need to. You’ll have an ATM card for it in each of your names. It’s going to be a big responsibility.”

I smiled. “Joe and I can handle it.”

“Duh, we know that…that’s why we’re letting you do it.” Puck said with a grin.

I nodded and then decided to be wonderfully honest. “Alright, now that I’ve been cocky and everything…please tell me there are plans in place to make sure to cover our asses if I’m being completely over confident.”

Everyone shared a laugh. “You’ve met Darcy and you know Lauren…do you not think that she has plans on top of plans on top of plans?”

“Is it weak or wrong to feel very reassured by that?” I asked everyone and no one at all.

Artie chuckled. “I think it is smart. This will be your biggest job yet, and it being something that affects your brother’s career means that you want to make sure you do a good job. That’s a good thing.”

I was reassured. We all started talking about the summer and the record release party and all that was coming down the pike for our huge crazy clique. We started talking about colleges and making these huge decisions that would make or break the rest of our lives. Or that was how it seemed to us at the time. The borderline adults were smarter for the kids than we were for ourselves. We ended up talking until like two or three in the morning. Bubbie was back over at nine and she didn’t stop until we were all up dressed and out the door. Seriously there were the ten sixteen to twenty-one year olds and Nikki and Beth but even so Bubbie, with an assist from their housekeeper Bautista and, of course, Hudson, managed to get us all up dressed, fed and out the door by ten thirty. She was scarily efficient at that. I mean, I was seriously scared for a minute there at what would happen if we threw off her schedule.

Shopping with Bubbie, Mercedes and Kurt should have been illegal. It was very much ridiculous. Mills, her friend Francesca, Cedes’ soon to be aunt, Nadia and her cousins, Melliscent and Riker, and Riker’s friends Chris and Dom all met us at the first store, which turned out to be Neiman Marcus. The next however many hours were fun, don’t get me wrong…but when Bubbie left with Nikki and Beth and the rest of us were driven to Cede’s favorite Manhattan spa for an evening of pampering. I needed it in the worst way. Bubbie had taken the results of all our shopping with her. We’d visited Neiman, Nordstrom, Saks. We hit shoe stores…including the Louboutin Boutique on Fifth Avenue. I found two, gorgeous pairs of black boots, a pair of ass kicking boots called ‘Who Runs’ and a pair of knee high, more dressy boots called ‘Dorififa’. I used my Christmas gift, and some of my own savings to get them. Cede got me a pair of booties called ‘Ondululu’ that were very much unexpected and cool and would look great with the Cinq à Sept, dark teal dress that Mellie had found for me to wear to the party the Saturday before KAMA’s second album would hit stores.

We all had so much fun at the spa. Melliscent and I had gotten to know each other really well over and since Christmas. She was as much a shopper as Bubbie and Sarah so she was a great compliment to my hatred of all things retail. We had so much fun that day. I wished she’d been on spring break too so we could hang more, but she had school so she had to go back to Jersey after we left Faina. Monday morning by the time we got up and got everyone showered and dressed, the house was pretty empty. It was just Jake and me, the girls and Bautista there at first. Then Manny and his coworker Grunt came over and suddenly me and Jake and Beth had some new, non-removable jewelry. The parents had been good about sharing some of what was going on with Mercedes’ having picked up a seriously dangerous stalker so we knew that the full time monitoring of our safety was coming. I did like the bracelets they had for all of us. They weren’t ostentatious or obvious. They looked like something we would have picked for ourselves. Mine was a Swarovski two-tone black alcantara slake bracelet that buttoned closed and looked like a wrapped, studded, black leather cuff bracelet. The studs were gold hearts and crystals so it didn’t look like something Jake would pick…but it was me. Grunt welded the button together so that the bracelet couldn’t be removed, but it still looked the same.

Manny assured me that we could bathe in it with no problems. Jake’s was just as him, an antique looking, rounded box link men’s bracelet in gun metal over stainless steel. It was very much something that he could wear every day and no one would notice anything. I liked that Beth’s was adorable. It looked like a typical little kid’s bead bracelet with metal beads showing letters that spelled out her name. looking at one would never realize that it contained, tiny little chips that monitored her physical location as well as indicators like her pulse rate to make sure that she wasn’t overly scared or anything. “Since, we’ll be monitoring these for the foreseeable future, we’ve avoided putting the indication chips in any bracelets other than Nikolette’s and Bethany’s there are several things that can cause false fear indicators in adults…or teenagers.” Manny explained. Grunt’s agreement with Manny’s statement lived up to his name. In fact, they were there for almost an hour and all he did was grunt.

Manny figured we must be pretty bored. “You guys are supposed to meet Sam, Puck and Mercedes for their meeting this evening, right?”

“Yeah, they said we would get to see the video and maybe even chime in on what we think of it.” Jake responded.

Manny smiled. “Well, that’s not until six…it’s not even lunch time yet. Why don’t you grab jackets, let Puck and Bubbie know that you’re going out and we can take you for some lunch and then find a few activities to keep you all entertained.”

Jake and I were all about that life. In fifteen minutes, we had the house all locked up and were out the door. After a nice lunch at a soul food kitchen near the brownstones, we headed down to Central Park and saw the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre where an hour-long puppet show revived our favorite fairy tales. Beth and Nikki had a blast. Jake even liked it…though he refused to admit that. Of course, we had to take them to the Central Park Zoo…though really it was more like Nikki was taking the rest of us. Then, even though Nikki was actually nine, they let us take her and Beth to the Tisch Children’s Zoo. That special area was supposed to only be for the six and under kids, but since Nikki was so small, they actually bought that she’d just turned seven a few weeks before.

We made it back to the Brownstone around four which gave me and Jake time to shower and get changed so we could meet KAMA at the Warner Offices at the appropriate time. I’d dressed carefully. I wanted to look like I belonged in the meeting. So, I paired a cool little pencil silhouette dress that had a low striped print on the knee length skirt and solid bodice with a piped V-neck with a matching, dark tan, cropped, leather blazer that matched the tan colored widest stripes in the skirt and at the neckline. To make sure that I didn’t look like I was trying too hard…the ultimate sin in New York…I wore a pair of brown, low heeled, walking boots rather than pumps or something. I kept the makeup light and my hair down and wavy. Technically, I was on vacation. No way was I about to bother with straightening it. Jake came out in some dark wash, tapered fit jeans, that could almost have been mistaken for casual slacks, a simple white T shirt and a kind of simple navy blue blazer. His kicks were bright white Nikes. He looked nice…like he was going to a meeting, but not taking it too seriously.

By the time, we made it downstairs, Blaine was home and Kurt had given him a direction that he quickly followed. He took a full-length picture of me and sent it off to the junior stylist and then did the same for Jake. There was a question about my new bracelet…but the second I said that it was a Rangeman original accessory, Kurt’s response was, “Okay…never, ever, ever, ever take it off then.” Jake, however, had to go up and raid Puck’s closet and get a shinier, more expensive, navy blazer. Blaine and Bubbie had the girls so Manny escorted me and Jake to the Warner offices on Broadway. Mercedes, Sam, Puck, Hudson, Haja, and Daniel were all waiting on us in the lobby.

But they hadn’t been waiting long. I checked them out and they were all dressed for the meeting too, not just looking like they’d completed what amounted to two full days of classes in the same damn day. Cedes was wearing a knee-length blue and white, long sleeved, printed business dress looking deal that kind of reminded me of some ridiculously expensive wall paper. Her navy Louboutin, Loubout, peep-toe, ankle booties were both ridiculously high and ridiculously fierce. Sam, like Jake, was rocking kicks, thought Sam’s were Chuck Taylors. My Blondest brother was a serious fan of the Converse All-Stars. He’d worn slacks though, not jeans and his shirt was a Captain America Graphic tee and his blazer was almost the same color as mine. He was also showing his a-hole side wearing a pair of hipster black glasses, though his vision was pretty good so at best they were reading glasses with thick black frames. It was something he’d started doing to irritate Darcy, who needed her glasses desperately. She hated the hipsters…kind of felt like they were all mocking her. Sam claimed he was desensitizing her. According to Lauren, it wasn’t working.

If Puck hadn’t gotten dressed even before Jake got up, I’d have thought they did that shit on purpose. Noah was literally wearing the same thing that Jake was, just black jeans and a black blazer and his Docs instead of Nikes. Man, seeing them side by side, dressed almost identically, there was absolutely no denying that those two were brothers. As we made our way to the elevator, Jake laughed at something Noah said, which made Noah smile his happy smile, and a chick full on tripped over one of the lower back sofas in the lobby. I don’t know who laughed harder at her, me or Cede…but oh that was some seriously funny shit. A younger chick named Gina came down to escort us, and a lot of us we were, up to the meeting. As soon as the introductions were all finished, she looked over Jake over and turned to Mercedes. “For the love of all that is holy…please tell me that he is both available and over eighteen.”

Cede’s laugh filled the elevator bay and, boom, a dude tripped over his own two feet. She didn’t even notice. “Nope, Jake has a girlfriend and he’s underage. Sorry Gina…you’re going to have to look elsewhere.”

“Well damn.” She groused good naturedly. “I’ve gotta find me a Puckerman. I mean, your uncle Aaron was almost as fine as the two of you and really good in bed, but dude was seriously on the sketchy side.”

“Yeah, he makes his living as a charming con-man. Has never been arrested for it, so he must be somewhat good at what he does.” Puck admitted. “I’m pretty sure that Matthew is more of a gigolo…yeah, if you run into them again…don’t try and hit the sheet with Matt. He’s like a literal petri dish for STDs. I’m fairly sure that he has a few that don’t even have names yet.”

“Yesh…” I groaned. “That’s just nasty.”

“Agreed.” Gina and Mercedes both cosigned.

When we got to the conference room, there were more introductions. I tried to remember everyone’s names, but that was pretty much a lost cause. In addition to the people I knew, there was the director and his assistants, and like fifteen different executives plus some of their assistants. They did feed us though and the food was legitimately amazing. There was some conversation over dinner. Of course, with Jake and I being the age we were, there was tons of conversation about colleges and one of the execs had gotten his undergraduate business degree from the University of Iowa and we had a cool conversation about the school and all the changes since he graduated. He’d been back over the previous summer for his fifteenth reunion. I thought I liked him…

Then we watched the video. The completely awesome video that made me almost cry and totally turned Jake into a teary little b-word. My brothers were so emotional…no matter how hard they tried to hide that behind their ‘sex-shark’ personas. It was beautifully shot and the storyline was almost a novella in its short, but, sweet intensity. It told the story of all the different ways their romance could have gone if they hadn’t been brave enough to become a triad. Noah and Mercedes could have dated and married, while Sam looked on yearning for them. Or Sam and Cede could have done the same leaving Puck on the outside looking in. the least likely one, knowing Sam and Noah as I did, was the one where the two of them came together with Mercedes being their bestie. Still, the three of them together was perfection. Then came time for comments from the peanut gallery. I expected the ‘are we sure about showing the gay wedding?’, and the ‘should we really put out something that seems to support the legalization of polyamory?’ comments. But then Clinton Ludlow, who had seemed like a nice enough guy when we were discussing colleges, opened his mouth.

“I know I’ll get blasted for this…I always do. The last dress…isn’t it a bit well…both of the other dresses were pretty. But they were, I guess they looked more appropriate on her body. That last dress was far more…It would have looked less revealing on a woman with less…just less.” He finally blurted.

Ms. Willthorne’s hackles were definitely all the way up. “So, what…we should have kept the fashions to some arbitrarily assigned sex appeal level, because Mercedes has breasts that most women would KILL for. Yeah, I think not.”

“It isn’t just the over the top display of cleavage, Valerie. You all never like to confront reality. If an adult male such as myself is distracted by carnal thoughts about Ms. Jones for hours after seeing these videos…what kind of effect are they having on younger boys who lack my self-control.” He insisted. 

I knew I shouldn’t have said anything. I knew I should have just kept my mouth shut. I knew it wasn’t my place. But I spoke up anyway. “Why is the onus of those boys’ lack of self-control always on the girls and women around them? We are always told how important it is for girls to follow the rigid dress codes in schools because boys will be too distracted. Or women have to dress a certain way lest they be raped. Why do we, as a society, not teach young men to understand that the way a woman dresses has nothing to do with whether or not they are allowed to touch her? That just because a woman may allow another person, or even persons to touch her…she still has every right to say no to that particular male. Yes, Mercedes has breasts bigger than most people’s heads. Yes, that may give lots of young men happy feelings in their pants. But why on earth should she not be able to wear what she wants when she wants. If you’d said that you disliked the costume selection based on the appearance of the dress or something that is a relevant opinion…that would be different. But I’ve seen ‘’Blurred Line’ and ‘We Can’t Stop’ and a million other videos where skinny, boy shaped women are showing a lot more skin than Mercedes. Would you have objected to those?”

“Very eloquently put, Ms. Altman.” Mr. Cohen smiled. “Clinton, we go through this with every KAMA video autopsy. This business thrives on videos and their popularity. KAMA has some of the most popular videos out today.”

Bubbie’s friend, Deborah spoke up. “The focus groups all love this one even more than usual. We literally had less than two people out of a hundred list anything they would have changed, and those two were complaining about the Sam and Puck wedding scene.”

“Wow, really, I’d have thought more people would have objected to that.” Sam mused.

Christophe Hamilton shook his head. “Your target demographic is the teen to mid-twenties ages. They have far less prejudices against LGBTQ equality than those just five years older.”

“On the whole, people our age have a lot less prejudices across the board. They have trouble understanding that just because they are free to say something doesn’t mean they should say it…but that’s a different subject.” Jake pointed out. “I have a question…why object to the sensuality of the last gown only…the dress she wore when she married Puck was lower cut since it didn’t have that lace across the bust line. The one when she married Sam was pretty low too…I’m confused.”

Everyone at the table looked thoughtful and they ran the video back and sure enough, Jake was exactly right. All eyes turned to Clinton, “The center of her cleavage is exposed a lot further down in the last dress.”

Puck opened his mouth only for Cede and Jake to slap their hands over his mouth. Jake was closer than I was and Sam was on Cede’s other side. We all knew that the next words out of his mouth were going to be related to the ideas the well of cleavage had given him. No way did I want to hear that…and no way did Mercedes Jones want anyone other than her and Sam to hear it either. Mr. Cohen made the executive decision to table that subject and ask for concrete edits. There were not very many. A release date for the video was confirmed for two weeks from that Friday and the album would drop on schedule at the end of the month.

There were discussions about a prom contest that would see KAMA traveling to someone’s prom sometime in the next month or so. When we left there, I geeked out a little bit at having not only attended a real, serious, adult type business meeting but having made a good point that was, seemingly, listened to. I was flying very high. My first few days visiting my old home town had been much better than I’d expected. I couldn’t wait to see what else would happen. I could only hope and dream that it would be as good.

Hit 'em High-the Monstar's Anthem (Busta Rhymes, Coolio, LL Cool J, Method Man& B Real)  
Jake PoV

Man, the more time I spent in New York, the more I wanted to change my mind about staying in Ohio for college. I had made the decision to keep Puckerman Pools alive so that we wouldn’t need to restart it and waste the reputation that Noah had fought so hard to build. We’d already shed the other rep he’d built for it. The MILFs understood that Puckerman Pool boys were available for ogling…and not much else. Columbia was still developing their architectural engineering program, but their individual architectural and engineering programs were considered to be world class. Monday, going to the zoo and the puppet show hadn’t really been my thing, but the very fact that they were there and so easily accessibly was awesome to me. There wasn’t a need for a ton of advance planning, or a two-hour road trip or anything. It was great. Every day that week, we’d have a great breakfast that Bautista would make. Then we’d shower and get dressed. Niks had some reading and a math project to do over her break, but she had me to help with the math and Tessa was a serious reader. Nikki’s reading comprehension was only a little above grade level, and she was going crazy trying to get it to at least two grade levels ahead. My niece, the over achiever. It really didn’t help when she realized that Beth was already reading at least a second grade reading level.

Still, we worked on those things in the morning. Tessa and I had projects too, but we did those in the evenings when the college students were working on their stuff and Nikki and Beth were playing in their room. Around lunch time, Manny would show up, usually with another Rangeman and take us out to do awesome things around the city. One day it was laser tag with Saul and Mills plus the Rangemen. Another day, Bubbie took off and we all went to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. It was ridiculously cool. Even Beth never got bored, though she and Nikki both had to get carried when they got tired. On Thursday, Blaine almost skipped his afternoon classes to go with us to the Children’s Museum. He was seriously jazzed about it, but then he remembered that he had some sort of test he couldn’t miss. His face was hilarious. Every evening, we had dinner all together. Bautista was a really, really good cook. After dinner, we were all sitting around, before Nikki and Beth had to go and start the process of getting ready for bed. “Alright, so here is the game plan for tomorrow and Saturday. After classes, we’re going to have dinner out…everyone here, plus all the Mayzer fam in the city, oh and I think Daniel, Dom and Grant may join us too. Riker and Chris are on like late evenings or something right now. After that…Jake, Puck and Sam have a surprise for you. Then Beth, Nikki and Tessa…well, I have a surprise for you. I’ll need the three of you to pack an overnight bag. Beth, me and you will take care of yours before bed. Nikki, I know you’ve already figured it out…but don’t let it slip out.”

“I won’t Mede. As cool as it was, half the fun was the surprise.” Nikki assured her.

Bautista came in almost as if on cue. “Patrick washed up the new things you asked him to take care of and they are already packed in Nikki’s overnight back. I’m heading home. Y’all have a good evening and Little Miss Beth, I know that you love writing on the wall with your soap crayons…but please keep them on the tile.”

“Yes ma’am, Ms. VB…It was an asskident.” Beth said sweetly. I’d have to make sure to check their bathroom in the morning to make sure there wouldn’t be anything to make Bautista’s job any harder.

“I know it was Angel Face…but we each have to learn from the things we do on accident, so we don’t make the same mistake more than once. Its best to learn that on the small accidents rather than repeating big ones more than once.”

That made a lot of sense. Beth looked thoughtful. “Okay, Ms. VB…” I had to hide a smile. Beth couldn’t quite manage Viola…she kept saying Violin instead, and no one could stop laughing when she tried to say Bautista…so Ms. VB was her compromise. It was ridiculously cute. “Ms. VB…thank you for making me ice cream. It was yummy.”

Bautista smiled happily. “I’m glad you liked it. If you’re going to eat sweets, it’s always best to that homemade ones, so you know they aren’t full of chemicals…or preservatives. Besides, you should thank whoever got that Breville ice cream maker. It was still in the box.”

MeDe looked embarrassed. “Yeah, I knew if I opened it…”

“Ice cream is a weakness a lot of people share.” Artie pointed. “Maybe it is a good thing Bautista is just now finding it…if we’d had it last year…”

I could understand that. That ice cream had been ridiculously good. Bautista had made a gallon each of vanilla, strawberry, chocolate and buttered almond. It was all gone…like we’d licked the bowls gone. “Would it have been as good without Tista’s recipes, though?” Santana asked thoughtfully. “Hey, Hummer and Me Love You Long Time…Artie, Britts and I are going to hit Space Ibiza tomorrow night. You want to go with us?”

The talk turned to planning for the next night. Before nine, the bedtime ritual began. It had been the same every night we were visiting. Tessa and Mercedes took Nikki and Beth up to have a bubble bath in Commune’s jacuzzi tub. The girls all loved making the bubbles. Once they were dried and dressed, Mercedes and Tessa would brush their hair while Puck and Sam, and often Kurt and Blaine told them or read them stories. I liked watching my brothers and Klaine acting out the tales and using weird voices. Once their hair was only barely damp, MeDe and Tessa would braid the girls’ hair down so it wouldn’t get all knotted in their sleep. By that point, the girls were pretty well knocked out. So, everyone gave them kisses and MeDe, Sam and Puck tucked them in.

A part of me couldn’t help but remember my own bed time ritual when I was little. My mother had been almost doting. The fact that she still hadn’t tried to contact me…not even responding when I sent her a Mother’s Day or birthday or Christmas card. If not for my grandmother and aunts and uncles, I wouldn’t know if she was alive or dead. My grandmother wasn’t really talking to her either though, not since Paul bit the dust in prison and Alicia had spent six grand to bury him. Thank Yeshiva, she gave him a very traditional Jewish funeral or it could have cost twice that amount. Part of the money had come from a loan Alicia had taken out on her car. Grandma wasn’t happy about that at all. Man, it just didn’t make any sense to me at all. He wasn’t her husband…he’d never been her husband, and yet she was more loyal to him than she was to her own flesh and blood. I just didn’t get it. I didn’t have kids, but no chick could ever be more important to me than Nikki and Beth or any of my family members. Hell no.

I took my shower and lotioned and got into my pajamas. The beds in the guest rooms were actually twin over full bunk beds, but they had seriously comfortable mattresses and the sheets were freaking awesome. Even as much as I was wondering what on earth Puck and Sam had planned for me, I still fell asleep within minutes of my head hitting the pillow. It turned out to be a good thing that I did. The next morning, Hudson was waiting on us when we got stairs. After I forced her to submit to a hug, she was family now…she had to get used to them. She hadn’t been on hand as much as I kind of expected. But Cede’s had told us that Huds was busy planning the drop party and working with Brantley, Rainbow, Haja and Darcy on finding the people they needed for the tour. I couldn’t fault her for that. I’d felt a little bad for leaving the guys to do the spring break week of shock treatments on all the pools we took care of by themselves. But Joe and Ryder said they had it all under control.

“Alright, we’re going to go shopping. But it won’t be as bad as what happened Sunday.” Hudson was quick to assure us. “Mercedes found everything in one store and she made a list of what she wants each of you to try on. You don’t have to worry about anything but trying things on so we can make sure that the size and fit is right.”

Nikki shook her head. “I don’t need any more clothes.” She whined. “I have so many closets full already.”

Hudson laughed. “Yeah, yeah you do. But don’t worry, Bubbie and Mercedes say that it is time for another closet clean out. The Family Center in Lima could use some more clothes in your size.”

I was a little surprised at how quickly that made Nikki calm down. It took me a second to remember that she’d grown up on a single parent, teacher’s salary. She was probably used to a more economical existence. She could deal with all the extras as long as they went to help someone in need when she was done with them. but the thought of that much waste…it was good and right that it bothered her. Of course, she was also a caring and giving little lady, much like MeDe. So the next words out of her mouth were less surprising than they could have been. “Oh…so can we get some toys to send with the clothes?” when Hudson said of course we could, I lost any hopes of avoiding the damn store.

The week had taught us to get dressed for going out when we washed our faces and brushed our teeth. So we were ready to go as soon as our protection detail arrived. It was still strange to me that we had a protection detail. But Manny was a really, just great guy. He didn’t just stand there all boring and straight either. If he had something that enhanced the conversation, he shared it. If we were all together and he had backup, he’d carry the girls for us. He was awesome. But…not near as awesome as Hudson. Apparently, she had made contacts among the personal shoppers at MeDe’s favorite stores. When we got to Nordstrom, Hud’s contact had already pulled the thing on Mama Cede’s list in a few sizes so we could try them on and figure out what fit best and everything. We started with Beth and Nikki, so they would be in a good mood while they had to try on things. Besides, they just had more to try on because their sizes were still changing really rapidly. Like we found out that Nikolette had finally gotten out of the six-X she’d been for months. Unfortunately, Beth had totally skipped six-X and leapt right to sevens.

To be honest, I kind of expected Nikki not to be okay with that development. But she just started talking about how they should get the same outfit, just in different color and see if people thought they were twins. I could see someone assuming that they were fraternal twins. Beth’s hair was somewhat lighter than Nikki’s. Noah’s younger daughter’s eyes were Fabray’s aquamarine and his older daughter’s eyes were bluer than blue, like her mother’s. By the time they were finished, they had two new pairs of jeans each…True Religion jeans even. they got almost identical shirts. Cute little ‘cold shoulder’ shirts. Beth’s was blue and had short, kind of fluttery sleeves, but Nikki’s had long sleeves and it was powder white. They each got a matching pair of Kenneth Cole riding boots, which were completely adorable. They looked like little mini-versions of MeDe or Becah or something with their little outfits.

Once they had settled on that outfit, the second one went even quicker. Each of my nieces got a pair of leggings, a cute little, swirly tank top and a light sweater. They also got matching Uggs boots, it was April…according to Tessa, convention said that boots were acceptable until later spring or early summer. But convention was a thing of the past, so boots were acceptable whenever they wanted to wear them. Tessa was up next. She ended up with two outfits too. The first was a pair of super skinny jeans that cost more than she was used to spending on a week’s worth of clothes. Her top was a silvery gray down to darker, gunmetal, cold shoulder number that she literally petted. Like seriously. It was silk or something and Tessa just loved the feel of it. “Mercedes says that this outfit will be perfect to show off your new knee boots, especially since you won’t have to do much walking.”

“It is almost sinful how much I love that idea.” Tessa told her with a smile.

Hudson chuckled a little. She was still pretty shy around me and Tee. She’d spent some time with us, but not enough to be really comfortable. That was understandable. “Good, now…get back in there. Comfy, cute and casual is the next order of business.” That was exactly what they ended up getting. A wine colored top that wasn’t anywhere near as demure as the one Tessa had wanted, so Hudson had the shopper pull Tee a navy blue drape front, cashmere cardigan. It matched the navy blue of the blue and wine plaid leggings Tessa was getting. Once again, she wouldn’t have to worry about the shoes since she already had a perfect pair for the outfit. Unfortunately, since Mercedes and the personal shopper had pulled the perfect accessories for the look, that meant Tessa was done…which meant I was up next.

It actually wasn’t that bad. MeDe had put together the look she wanted me in and all I had to do was find the best fit. It took less than half an hour and I had a pair of straight legged, medium wash jeans that cost so much I mentally moved the decimal point to somewhere I was more comfortable with, a graphic tee that was black and gold. In fact, for as much as it cost, that needed to be actual gold not just paint in that color. She had me a hoodie that matched the shirt sort of, black with gold eagle wings on the back. Then there were the shoes. I left there with a pair of the Jordan XX9s and a pair of the Lebron 12 golds. As if that wasn’t on fleek enough, I got a new watch too. All over black with a big face, it was boss as hell. I couldn’t help but wonder what all that was needed for. I did make one determination. Either I didn’t need a second outfit, or the girls had gotten their second outfits to make up for the cost of the watch. That finished us off on the whole clothes shopping thing. Only because Hudson had managed to convince Nikki that she and Beth could pick toys for the family center online and have them delivered directly there more easily than they could get the store to ship them out.

When we got back to the brownstone, I couldn’t believe that we’d only been gone for like three or four hours. Given that traffic out had been painful even for those of us who weren’t driving, I considered that a miracle. But little did I know Hudson had been on a mission. She got us home just before Patrick arrived. He washed all the day’s purchases, which I hadn’t realized also included things that Mercedes had picked out for her and Noah and Sam too. Bautista fed us an amazing lunch of veggie stacked pita pockets and a chicken or shrimp and snow pea salad. Beth and Tessa had the shrimp, while Niks and I stayed somewhat kosher and had the chicken. Then after lunch she took the girls up to their bathroom and they helped her pick it all up and get it cleaned. While they worked on that room, Tessa and I rushed over to our guest rooms and cleaned up behind ourselves. Neither room was really bad, but we didn’t want to make Bautista’s life more difficult. We also stripped our beds and took the linens to Patrick and remade them with fresh. He had done it that Tuesday and confessed that he did it twice a week when the rooms were being used.

Once ‘chores’ were done, Nikki brought out a whole bunch of her board games out and Tessa and I were soon forced to admit that we got our asses handed to us in all the math based board games by our nine year old and five year old nieces. We got beat so bad, I kinda wanted to hide. Thankfully, right around the time that Nik-Nak was trying to convince us to play another one…she had gotten a grip of games for her birthday…Santana, Brittany and Artie showed up and pointed out that we needed to start getting ready for the evening. Patrick had our clothes looking even better than they had in the stores. I mean, seriously Dude did amazing things with an iron and a steamer. I took a long hot shower, shaved, and lotioned everywhere I could reach…the center of my back missed the hell out of Chase, man. Black boxer briefs went on followed by gray athletic socks with black stripes. I hated white socks, they were too stark and I was not Michael Jackson. I had realized long ago that I tended to get dressed in the exact same order a long time ago. But it worked for me so I didn’t see a reason to change it. On went my freshly purchased and washed Jacob Cohen jeans. Then I put on my black tank tee and the new Palm Angels tee. Looking in the mirror, I kind of wondered how I would look with my ears pierced.

Then I put that thought right in the trash can. While the Talmud may not have had a problem with it, both Malika Michaels and Ruth Mayzer did. Though Bubbie said if I wanted to after I was a complete and total adult, she wouldn’t complain. I grabbed the bottle of Gucci Guilty pour homme that I’d gotten two Christmases before. I loved that stuff. Since Uncle Saul had given me more for my birthday that next year, I’d kept this small bottle for when I had to fly. When the TSA said no more than four ounces, they weren’t playing and Gucci cologne was too expensive to lose to some box in the ass end of nowhere. I had replaced the small thing of after shave balm that came with the small bottle of cologne from the original gift set a few times. Thankfully, I didn’t need to shave every day, or I’d always be broke. I knew that I could always let Becah, or even Noah, know when I needed more, but it was important to me to be as independent as I could. Probably, my mother’s decisions to put Paul Puckerman above me had left me with some abandonment issues. I knew that the family wouldn’t love knowing that, but still, it made me feel better to try and handle as much stuff as I could by myself.

I put on my slick new watch and then took all the packaging off my brand new, black and gold sneaks. I stood up and regarded myself in the tall, slightly angled mirror atop the guest room’s dresser. I looked really fly. Like I wasn’t sure where we were going that evening, but there was no way I wasn’t gonna have girls all up on my ass all night. They wouldn’t get none. I was still working on the monogamy thing. I was man enough to admit to myself that I still loved all the attention. I made sure I had my wallet, my gum, my Burt Bees’ lip balm and my keys to the brownstone then headed back over to the Commune/Klaine family room. When I got down there, Tessa, the girls and Tana were assembled, watching ‘Say Yes to the Dress’. I joined them when I realized that it was the rerun of the time Becah had been on. It was weird seeing my ‘mom’ and my ‘aunts’ on the screen and hearing my brother’s voice coming through telling Randy Becah and George’s beautiful love story. Of course, Randy teared up a little bit. Santana had a blast laughing at the rejected dresses…and of course at the other brides looking for their one in five million dress. One of the brides wasn’t text book pretty. She had features that were just too much. And not like Sugar was too much…but she had done that shit on purpose. I mean, her lips were MeDe or Sam sized on Brittany’s face. Her boobs were fake and she was so skinny that they looked like the boobs a dirty guy in a bar draws on his napkin stick figure of the perfect woman.

“Okay, I know that my tatas are store bought…but that is just a senseless waste of money.” Santana said with an evil smirk.

Tessa had a weird look on her face. “You know, something has been bothering me about that for a while. Your father is a doctor…why would he let you get breast implants before you were even sixteen. That doesn’t make sense.”

Santana smiled in a way that should have scared me, but I quickly realized she was just proud. “You know Ginger-Mary Ann’s Love Child, you are the very first person to realize it had to be for a reason. I had a congenital defect called tuberous breast deformity.” She explained to us, in boring, clinical terms…though not really medical ones, she was explaining to Nikki and Beth too, what exactly tuberous breast deformity was. “Didn’t know about it until puberty hit. Then I had a choice…I could stuff my bra for the rest of my life and hide my body from others…or I could get them fixed. There was no reason to wait, especially since my dad’s friend from med school was a serious boob job pro. I would have gone bigger, but I really didn’t have the skin for it. If not for the defect, I would have been able to, but with it, that wasn’t going to happen. Besides, Papi and Dr. Troy said that correction of the defect was fine, but breast augmentation for augmentations sake wasn’t good for me at fifteen.”

“They were probably right.” Artie said as he rolled in, clearly having learned something new about one of his women. “I mean, you know I love you, Boo…but you were bitch queen enough with full B cup breasts…if somebody had made you any bigger, there would have been no dealing with you.” His words were kind of mean, but his tone and the smile on his face took the sting from them. She just waited until he rolled into his spot between the sofa and chair then thumped him. That was followed by a kiss to let him know that they were cool.

Of course, he was soon drawn into the show when he realized which episode it was too. We’d all seen the dress in person. We’d all been at the wedding, but that didn’t stop us from watching that whole episode. By the time the next one started, most of the gang was down. We were only waiting on Commune. When they finally got downstairs, it was really easy to see that they hadn’t been late just because they were the last ones to get home on Fridays…they’d been knocking boots. I was a little bit jealous. Chase and I hadn’t gone a whole week without being together since our first month-iversary. Damn, Monogamy was hard as hell. Especially since I knew that Chase wasn’t my one. But we had agreed to be together until she left for college and, as she pointed out, this sort of ‘training monogamy’ would only help me out when I did meet the girl I was meant to spend forever with. For a while after Christmas, I mean, with that shit that went down Christmas Eve eve, I’d thought that she was her…but as much as we did care about each other, we knew we weren’t in love with each other. Still, we were always gonna be friends.

I checked out what they were wearing and it looked a lot like me, Noah and Sam had pulled from the same template. Jeans, tee-shirt with something on it, and Noah and I had zip front hoodies and Sam’s was a pull over hoodie. Everything looked expensive as hell, but still normal clothes. Miz Mercedes Jones, however, looked like the diva she was. She was rocking some seriously tight, dark wash skinny jeans…or jeggings with over the knee, wine colored suede stiletto boots. Hers didn’t have red bottoms, like most of the other women in the room were rocking, but there was no denying that they looked just as ridiculously expensive. Her top though…it was ivory and went all the way up to her neck, at least in the front. She was wearing a cropped, burgundy suede or maybe velvet, bomber jacket so I couldn’t tell if the back was just as high. But it was an asymmetric tunic top that came down to her hip on one side and then went down to her ankle on the other. She was wearing a necklace with it that mirrored the burgundy of her shoes and jacket as well as long, dramatic earrings that were three rows of burgundy and black gemstone ‘flowers’ with little rose gold pieces between them. her hair and makeup were the very definition of fierce. Kurt checked her over and declared her to be perfection. She did look like she was going to a photo shoot rather than to dinner and then wherever she was taking Tessa and the girls. She had a medium sized Pullman with her and Noah and Sam had Nikki and Beth’s overnight bags. Tessa ran and got hers, making really good speed in her red bottomed, knee high, four-inch stiletto boots.

We actually rode to dinner in a caravan. The three Rangemen, who had arrived promptly at six thirty, drove KAMA and the girls, while Tessa drove MeDe’s Mercedes and Santana followed with her boos and Klaine in her Cayenne. Tee had more experience with Manhattan driving than I did, even if it wasn’t much more, but she was nervous as hell behind the wheel of such an expensive car. We had dinner at a really nice restaurant called ‘The Water Club’. Looking at it, I was shocked we were allowed in dressed so casually, but it turned out that they had rented ‘The Upper Deck’, a private dining space, for the night. Bubbie and Uncle Saul and Mills were already there with Neal and Francesca…I loved calling her Frankie, she hated it so much. But I’d heard all about how she’d made Moms D climb all those stairs when she was pregnant with the twins. So, all the rest may have forgiven and all…but I liked taunting her ass as much as Neal would allow. He did let me know the few times I went too far, but he chided like a nursemaid, so I felt more guilty for making him unhappy than actually disciplined.

While the place was most assuredly a seafood restaurant, they made one hell of a steak and I was definitely grateful for the fact that my pants sagged just a little and fastened around the tops of my hips rather than the middle of my stomach. There was a ton of laughter and a ton of just good people being together. It was great. I had so much fun, I almost forgot that that wasn’t the point of the evening. However, when the head waiter for the room asked if we’d like dessert, Noah shook his head. “Actually, the three of us need to get going.” He got the check and paid for the whole room with his card. Then Hudson handed him an envelope and he handed seven bills to the guy. I think that was the first time I realized that every time they ate at a restaurant, they tipped each waiter a hundred bucks. I knew that there had been a story about that on like Entertainment Tonight or something but I hadn’t thought of it as a thing they did all the time. When we got down to the valet, Puck, I tried never to call him Noah in public, tipped each of the dudes who brought the Rangeman SUV and MeDe’s Mercedes a fifty each. MeDe gave Manny the keys to her car where Tessa, Nikki and Beth were sitting in the backseat and me, Noah and Sam got into the SUV with Caesar and Binkie. I had wondered why the girls’ luggage had gone into the Mercedes trunk when they were almost all in the SUV. It made sense now.

Puck was seriously not telling me shit and Binkie was even smiling at the fact that they all knew what I didn’t. But when we got out at Madison Square Garden, it was totally worth it. they had tickets for the Knicks versus the Celtics. Now don’t get me wrong, I was a Cavaliers fan all the way, but no basketball fan worth his salt would miss a chance to see Knicks versus Celtics in the Garden nonetheless. We were ushered to Suite 200 and once we had bottles of water and Binkie and Caesar were settled with their counterparts, the concierge type lady took us to our seats. Our seats in the VIPE section Row AA seats eight, nine and ten. I legit, almost passed the fuck out. Our seats were spectacular. We were seated between Whoopi Goldberg and a short, thin, older black gentleman and lady. They looked a little familiar, and after Sam and Puck had greeted Ms. Goldberg and introduced me to her, they introduced me to Spike Lee. When the name didn’t ring any bells, Sam pointed out several movies he’d directed. “Jake, this is the man who brought the world Samuel L. Jackson for the first time. He is the mind behind Malcolm X…the movie anyway.”

Puck laughed in my face when I was still looking stupid and sheepish. “Man, you should know who the hell Spike Lee is…you’re half black. His name should be written on your mom’s half of your DNA.”

Mr. Lee looked at Puck like that was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard and took pity on me. “Don’t worry about it young buck, I’m sure that your brother will make sure that you’ve seen at least a few of my movies by the time you come to another game with them. This is my better half Tonya.”

Boom, I knew who he was when he said that. “Spike and Tonya Lee…you two wrote the first books I ever read by myself. ‘Please Baby Please’ and ‘Please Puppy Please’. Thank you so much. Man, I loved those books. I got them for Maea and Mara too. Those are Mercedes’ twin baby sister. Reading them to the two of them and Sloane, Sam’s baby brother, it gets them happy and sleepy every time.” I gushed a little, happy to finally have recognized the man as everyone expected.

Sam just shook his head. Puck dropped his head to his hand. Ms. Goldberg had heard the whole interchange and was laughing…hard, like dying laughing. Mrs. Lee just looked pleased and proud. “Young Buck, you know what, I ain’t even mad at you. I love hearing about kids reading…too many of them, especially our boys and girls act like reading is something only white kids can or should do. Like Whoopi over there,” she was still laughing. “Yeah, we see why Disney made you a hyena, or me or even Oprah…Do they think we could have done half of what we have if we couldn’t read? I’m proud of those books, as proud as I am of most of the movies I’ve made.”

The rest of the night was surreal. Mr. Lee was an avid Knicks fan, but he talked to me in the lulls. I even found myself confiding in him about my desire to come to NYC for college and the problem that presented to me. He was the one who presented me with the perfect solution. “Are there any more Puckerman’s coming up behind you?” When I told him that we had a younger sister who would start high school the fall of my senior year, he looked at me like I should make a connection that I just wasn’t making. “So, then she can have a turn running the business while she is in high school and you’re in college.”

I face palmed. “I guess because Sarah is a girl, I never thought about her doing it…but as long as she doesn’t take jobs alone, she should be golden. She has a better head for the business side of things than I do. Sarah’s great with numbers.”

“Good, and the business has her name on it too. She shouldn’t be left out of the chance to run it just because she’s a girl.” He pointed out.

“Yeah, and Stevie and Stacey might not have the same last name…but they can definitely manage it the year me and Sarah would both be away at school.” I said thoughtfully. That could definitely work. I should at least present Sarah with the option.

I turned my attention back to the game. The Knicks lost to the Celtics, but only by four so it was a good game to watch. Watching it live was a hundred times more exciting than seeing it on even the biggest screen TV. Noah and Sam ended up on the jumbotron a few times. Thankfully, the audience was excited to see them. One of the times the cameras focused on us, Puck had me in a headlock so I was in the shot too. That one set twitter ablaze. They seemed to love the fact that my brother brought me to a game. There were some asking where Mercedes was and to be honest I’d wondered that myself. When the game was over, we said good night to the Lees and Ms. Goldberg than scooped Caesar and Binkie from Suite 200 then headed to Pacha NYC, Puck’s favorite under twenty-one hot spot. Even as famous as they were, they were not going to even try and get my barely seventeen year old self into a place that sold alcohol. In the car, Puck and Sam finally told me what the girls were doing. “Mercedes and Tessa have taken Nikki and Beth to spend the night in the Eloise Suite at the Plaza. They’re going to stay later tomorrow for a special brunch and then get mani-pedis. But they will be home tomorrow afternoon and we can have a quiet evening together before you guys have to leave Sunday morning.”

“Man, Nik-Nak and Beth are going to love that.” I said happily. I knew that Nikki had stayed there with her besties for her birthday weekend and she’d loved every single second of it. Puck and Sam told me all about their adjacent room while Binkie winded his way through late night New York traffic. I could not tell you what time we made it home, but I knew that I had danced the whole night at Pacha. The DJ had been amazing. The mixes were on point and there had been enough slow songs to give a guy a rest. But the music wasn’t all EDM and Trap music. It had a really good blend of fast alternative and rock, rap and sexy R&B and pop. Puck and Sam had danced a lot too, but they’d made sure not to really dance with any particular chick and to sit out the slow songs. There was still some bullshit that came out in the grocery store rags that week, but it was handled quickly and easily by pointing out that if Sam and Puck were going to step out on MeDe, they’d have gone to a real club with adults. Darcy loved making people feel stupid on social media.

The next morning, we all slept in then went out for breakfast since Bautista didn’t work on weekends. We could have cooked, but Tana, Brits and Artie were all hungover as hell and I was pretty sure that Kurt and Blaine hadn’t gotten off their asses drunk the night before because they were not experiencing the symptoms of a hangover. Instead, they’d been just tipsy enough to think something was a good idea that wasn’t because they were both sitting funny and Hummer was limping like he’d pulled something. Of course, they were also smiling like crazy guys, but they still didn’t feel like cooking either. When we got home we just vegged out on the couch watching TV until Tee, Niks, Beth and MeDe got home. There was something on E! about how much a night in the Eloise Suite cost and it took us a while to realize they were talking about it because someone had ratted our family out, we were up and back out the door in a heartbeat.

As we piled, literally, into the Cayenne, Brittany was on the line with KAMA’s manager to get more Rangemen over to the Plaza to meet us there. We were in such a hurry, we didn’t want to wait on a car service or a Rangeman SUV, so Sam and Noah took their bikes. It turned out that it was a damn good thing Brittany S. Pierce wasn’t as dumb as she seemed at first. There were four Rangemen waiting on us at the Plaza when we got there and two more showed up to help The Plaza security with crowd control. It was a mad house outside the iconic luxury hotel. When we got inside, we found that there was another Rangeman there with KAMA’s social media manager talking to the head of Plaza security. They were working on a plan to get our girls out safely. They were still up in the spa, unaware of the drama. Noah was not a happy man. “How the hell did this get out?” he asked heatedly. “We were here just last month and there wasn’t anything like this.”

The manager pulled him to the side a little bit to explain. “A very wealthy gentleman called in last minute yesterday evening and wanted the room for his eldest granddaughter for last night. Of course, your PA booked it months ago, as was right and proper. We explained to him that the suite was unavailable for the night, but it was actually available tonight. To be honest, he should have been grateful at his luck. That suite is booked solid for the next fourteen months. In fact, I believe that the only reason it was available at all for tonight was because we kept it free just in case you all wanted it for the entire weekend like you did for the elder young miss’s birthday last month. Well the gentleman was very unhappy. He was tweeting horrible things about the Plaza all night. Then, around four this morning, he somehow ascertained the names of your family members staying here… furthermore spent the next hour to an hour and a half making rude comments about Ms. Jones, and the young misses. Still, it wasn’t until a few hours ago that the crowds started amassing outside.”

The Rangeman who had been talking with Darcy and the head of security came over and shook hands with the manager. Lester Santos was all business, in a black on black suit that I was almost positive was Armani. “Darcy is already on social media crucifying entitled rich guy. The crowds outside are mixed between KAMA fans, and asshats who follow Mr. Entitled Ass and are calling out bullshit about Mercedes and the girls. We need to concentrate on getting the girls out without being seen. Sam, you, Puck and Mercedes are just going to have to fall on the grenade on this one.”

“Tessa and I can go out with you guys.” I spoke up. “Last night, people seemed to love it that you guys had taken me to the game. We can use me and Tee to take their minds off the girls.”

All eyes were on me. They stopped. “Could it be that simple? Just send the girls out the back with Manny and Chet and let the five of you go out front and do a little song and dance.”

The manager looked thoughtful. “Given the nature of the paparazzi and the fickleness of fame…it should work well enough to give your security time to get your daughters out through the kitchens to the garage.”

Santana spoke up. “If you guys will keep Hummer and Filipino-Fro with you, we’ll take the girls back.”

Lester nodded. “There is plenty of room in with Darcy and I.” 

“Okay, so when will Mercy and the girls be done up in the spa?” Sam asked the next most important question.

The concierge had the information in a couple of minutes. They should be finished up within the hour. That gave us more than enough time to make sure that all was in place. that included a quick conversation with the HNIC at Rangeman in Trenton. As soon as we got all of that straight, the question of ‘who is going to tell Mercedes’ came up. I had my finger pressed against my nose saying ‘not it’ before anyone could finish throwing each other under the bus. Somehow, Brittany and Darcy ended up teaming up and going to the fourth floor in time to meet our fam when they were done. The concierge gave us the luggage the ladies had left with him and Tana and Kurt ran the four pieces on out to Santana’s Porsche. When the elevator reached the lobby again, the six women came out arguing. It was easy to see that Mercedes was not happy. In fact, I was sure that she’d passed ‘not happy’ about four exits back on the anger super highway. She was all the way to full blown ‘pissed off’. It took all of us to get her calmed down. For real. Even the manager guy and the concierge helped though their idea of soothing MeDe was complimenting her on her newly done nails, her cute hair and makeup and her fierce outfit. But ultimately, I had to give the manager credit, he worked in more than a few compliments on her voice and KAMA’s music. I was pretty sure that he even walked away with an autograph.

We all hugged Beth and Nikki before assuring them that we would see them soon back at the house and sending them on with their Rangemen and Bartana. Then we Evans-Jones-Altman-Puckermans headed out to face the ravenous hoards. When we walked out the main doors of the Plaza, they had the two motorcycles and the two Rangemen SUVs waiting for us at the valet stand. Unfortunately that still left about ten to twelve feet that we had to cross being accosted all the way. Hell, it was so crazy that people were grabbing at my shirt and trying to get me to sign their naked titties. People were weird, but it wasn’t just the fans. The papz were yelling questions at me and Tessa too. I think some of them were trying to see if we said something different from what Noah or Sam or Mercedes had said over the last few, however long. I tried to ignore those questions. But then someone asked me how I’d like the game the night before. “It was awesome.” I answered then I just said that I was happy to have met Ms. Goldberg and the Lees who were the authors of the first book I’d read by myself as a child.

Tessa was asked about the Eloise Suite and she answered politely, then her tone turned cold as fucking ice. “It was a wonderful night. My nieces and sister-in-law and I had a great time. Unfortunately, what should have been a lovely Saturday morning for us was ruined by a some rich, entitled, blowhard who seemed to believe that he should have what he wanted no matter what the cost or the usual protocols. Those are not the actions of a grown up, they are the temper tantrum of a man baby. I am angry at him for ruining our time together. I am upset with him for getting all of you all hyped up to try and get pictures of my very much underage nieces, which all of their parents have stated they do not want publicized. But even more I am completely, totally, and aggressively incensed that he and some of you have had the nerve to insult Nikolette, Bethany, Mercedes, Puck and Sam, how dare he? I hope that he gets help for his serious issues.”

The fans ate it up. Out movements from there were very hurried. As we reached the vehicles, two of the Rangemen took the motorcycles back while the five of us and Kurt and Blaine were shoved into the two SUVs. I didn’t know how they got us back up to Harlem so quickly, but before we could fully dissect the possible fall out from Tee’s comments with Darcy, we were already being let out in front of the brownstone. The two Rangemen who’d been on the bikes, parked them and ran up with Puck and Sam’s helmets and keys. Everyone was doting on the girls who kicked off their shearling lined boots to cuddle up on the couch with everyone. We ordered in lunch, but for dinner, Mercedes, Kurt and Blaine took Niks and Beth into the kitchen and had the little ones help them make us all a nice meal. The spinach, chicken and artichoke lasagna was the bomb. The big ass salad and garlic bread that they made to go with it were even better, because those were where Nikki and Beth had helped the most. While me, Sam, Noah and Tessa cleaned up all the dishes, the rest of the house was chilling out in the family room.

Just as we were finishing up, Santana, called us into the other room. She was pulling something up on the TV that she’d been reading on her iPad. It was Huffington Post article about all the shit that had gone down that day. It just threw me completely how fucking famous our peeps actually were. Not just because the three of them were my siblings, but also because they were just so cool about it all. When we made it home without pictures of the girls out there for all the world to see, it was over and done with for them. That was an admirable trait. I wanted to be like them when I grew up. The article, however talked about the expectations of celebrities and illustrated Tessa’s comment with examples about Halle Berry’s and Jennifer Gardner’s kids. It was really well written and Tessa came out smelling like a rose. There was a second article examining my comment about the game and the Lees and their books. To be honest, I didn’t see how you got such a long article about two or three sentences, but Tee said it was well done too, so I rolled with it. Chase texted me to tease me about getting all famous in NYC. That may have led to some sexting, but it was all good.

The rest of the night passed far too quickly and morning came far too soon. Even with all the renewed interest in them, Noah, MeDe and Sam took the three of us to the airport that Sunday. Shelby and David’s flight was delayed, but they made it just in time to catch our flight home. Literally, there was not a moment to spare for them at all. We’d stayed up late talking the night before so we slept good on the plane. As soon as we walked in the door at Becah’s house, we were pounced on with happiness and words of how much we’d been missed. Even though we had school the next morning, we stayed up late that night telling the parentals about our trip and showing off all we’d gotten in New York.

Monday, we were back in school and deep in prep for show choir and, in Tessa and Chase’s cases, cheerleading National. I was shocked when I got a text that Bubbie had been nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Costume Design for a daily news or talk series. She was over the moon about it and we were happy for her. The when we got home, Tessa had some news. There were four big, fat envelopes waiting on her with different letterhead on them from schools she’d applied to, and three slim, regular ones. She’d refused to check online, something about having the full college experience. I was so glad that I’d ridden with her that morning. Sarah, Stevie, Sarah and I crowded around her as she opened the three small ones first. Tessa tore into them all with shaky hands. Within minutes, we knew that she’d been rejected by MIT, Colorado College, and Johns Hopkins. It took longer to find out that she’d been accepted by Oberlin, Kenyon College, Boston University and Wesleyan. She was still getting packets and envelopes that Friday evening when everyone converged on Lima for the Easter Holiday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm happy to bring this to you, even if it is a week late. I apologize for my tardiness, WORK and Life got in the way...mainly work.  
> We're about six weeks from the end of Commune's sophomore year, so about six to eight chapters left of this story.  
> I'm accepting thoughts on continuation as well as ideas for the title of the Junior Year story.  
> I want to thank those who expressed their concern about my absence last week.  
> Thank you for caring.  
> I hope that you all enjoy the Chapter.  
> Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.  
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	37. My Town (Montgomery Gentry), Rock the Boat (Aaliyah) & Because He Lives (Vickie Winans)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Easter Break in LIMA & We finally find out where Tessa and Joe are planning to go to College

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Rump Shaker by fbeauchamphartz
> 
>  
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!!

My Town (Montgomery Gentry)  
Mercedes PoV

We got really lucky that year. With Passover starting the same day as Good Friday, we ended up having enough classes canceled at Columbia and Juilliard didn’t have classes Thursday or Friday that week that we went home early Thursday afternoon, rather than having to fly on Good Friday and miss the dinner Mom was preparing for everyone. But having the extra time at home wasn’t even the best thing that happened that week. Bubbie Ruth got nominated for a second Daytime Emmy. She’d won one back in the early nineties when she was dressing Susan Lucci on All My Children. And equally as good…if not even better, Bubbie’s words, not necessarily mine, over the course of the week Tessa got answers from all of the schools she had applied to. All twenty-five of them. No seriously, I loved the girl, but even she had to admit it took a certain level of neuroticism to apply to twenty-five colleges. Personally, I was of two minds about the results, not that I knew exactly what they were. She refused to tell anyone which schools were on which list. She was planning on waiting until the Seder and telling us all at the same time. Even just knowing the overall breakdown was exciting. Still there was internal conflict about what I did know. On the one hand, of the twenty-five, she got into an even dozen, was rejected by nine and waitlisted at the remaining four, so that was good, but I’d read the portfolio of poetry, fiction and non-fiction works she’d submitted with her applications. She should have been accepted to each and every one of those damn schools. But I guess, considering that it was rare to get into all the schools a person applied for, I should just remember that it was probably character building or something.

Hudson flew out with us, though she was in constant contact with Rainbow and Haja as they worked through the preliminary lists of applicants for the male background vocalist, the one male and four female background dancers we still needed to move into rehearsals for the tour. That week had begun our three times a week rehearsals for the drop party performance. Rainbow was an amazing choreographer. She said that she would be with us through the summer (Puck was betting we’d be doing a European tour) and after that, she was going to pull back just to choreography and Bae and Jax would share the lead dancer position. She seemed almost apologetic when she named those two, but I didn’t understand why. They had the most experience. They were awesome at their jobs and they had certainly earned it. I think she thought that we would want or expect it to be Brittany…but we knew something there she didn’t. Santana would become a solo act as soon as we all graduated. Brittany would follow her and be her lead dancer, and Rainbow would have another choreography client. That would be really hard to deal with, separating from them and finding people to take their places with us. But deal we would, because Tana and Britts were our girls and we really did want nothing but the best for them both.

We were traveling pretty light, the three of us and Nikki, Hudson and Manny on our flight. Hudson had rented a Mercedes Benz GLS550 from the same Mercedes dealership that Noah and Sam had gotten my Christmas gift from. Manny drove us from Columbus to Lima. We swung by Mom and Dad’s new offices, just to see the place. It was kind of weird seeing them in a different setting. They had been in the other space for as far back as I could remember. We ended up having to do some autograph signing while we waited for Momma to finish up with a patient, but it wasn’t too bad. As soon as she saw us, Momma immediately gave us huge hugs like she hadn’t seen us in years. “Hey my babies,” she said happily, kissing Nikki who’d been picked up by Daddy as soon as we stepped into the office so she was unable to receive a hug. “Your house is all set up and waiting for you. If you all don’t mind, we told Joe’s great-grandmother that she and her nurse didn’t need to get a hotel. So, we set up the room next to Hudson for Manny and two of the rooms on the floor with MeMaw for Mrs. Betty and her nurse Ms. Lilly. Dev and Kev can’t get time off for this weekend, since they really want to be there for your drop party at the end of the month, so you all have plenty of room.”

I nodded. “We told Saul and Mills that they could have the other bedroom on Bubbie’s floor, the one not right next to hers. They will be here in time for the Seder tomorrow. Is anybody else coming?”

“Your grandmother is already at our house. MeMaw, also, won’t be here until tomorrow. I invited Franklin and Hannah…but they are taking the twins to New York and spending the holiday with Duane and Maxi. Oh, and Ruth said that Neal and Francesca were spending Passover in Flushing to see if their families could get along or if they needed to do a destination wedding instead. Shelby and David will be with us tomorrow night at the Seder, and they are joining us Sunday at Ada for Easter Sunday service.”

We were happy to have the company. Finn, Lauren, Vince and Dave were coming home for the weekend and while, the Hummel-Hudsons, Zizes and Karofskys would be joining us for Easter dinner, they were mostly spending the weekend with their families. So, the parents' plans were fine with us. I guess I wasn’t paying attention to all of them because Momma was looking at me like she was waiting on an answer to a question I hadn’t heard. “Sorry, what was that?”

“I asked if you could take Mara and Maea with you when you take your girls to get their Easter outfits tomorrow. Those beautiful dresses I got the twins would have been perfect, but they decided that now was the perfect time to finally have a growth spurt," Momma repeated.

“Of course, we still owe the little terrors their birthday gifts.” I quickly agreed, suddenly I had a vision of seeing all four of the girls in similar dresses. The best part was I could see in my mother’s eyes that she shared the vision and that was a big part of why the twins’ dresses hadn’t been purchased yet. Momma and Daddy took us on a tour of the new building and we walked over and saw Gwen’s new offices and Mr. Antwan and his partner’s new law firm. Mr. Antwan was actually on the phone with Uncle Ethan working through some information about Finn and Lauren’s civil case. In both places, there was some paperwork that they had been holding back, which just needed us to go over and sign. They hadn’t bothered overnighting it to the office since we were coming home for the weekend. Originally, they had each planned to come out to the house to deal with it, but since we’d popped in, it was done and off our plate in under an hour. I talked the guys into going over to check out the new and improved Jewels and V&L Salon. Apparently, Jewel, Veronica and Lamar had gotten together and made some changes to both of their places to increase their market value. Jewels no longer offered beauty services beyond those associated with a spa, so facials and skin therapy and manicures and pedicures. They had added laser hair removal, laser tattoo removal and whole body cryotherapy services.

For her part, Veronica had used her new space to offer a more inclusive looking salon. She and Lamar were now equal partners. When I’d first started taking my friends from the New Directions to Veronica and Lamar, they had all been a little leery, not realizing that the ‘black salon’ could or would handle other ethnicities. That was definitely not the case anymore. Veronica and Lamar’s Salon had grown greatly from the four stations and five dryers it has been in its previous location to twenty hair stations, fifteen dryers and a real waiting room with good Wi-Fi and everything. Ronnie had two weave stations which were in their own room with a nice sized TV on the wall and all she did, other than managing the salon, was extensions and weaves. Lamar had a similar set up, but his coloring station room had its own sinks and he didn’t bother with a television, instead he had a docking station that allowed him or his clients to run their playlists for the time they were in there. In the main salon, the twenty stations were divided along the outer walls with five additional makeup stations dividing the huge center aisle. Those stations had a wide array of women and men manning them, Black, White, Asian and Latin…everyone could immediately feel welcome because there was someone there who ‘looked like’ them. The hair dryers lined the back walls under the large windows that offered views into Ronnie’s and Lamar’s worlds.

I noticed that Veronica had decided against uniforms, though everyone there was dressed in navy blue. It was interesting to see so many different styles and personalities represented within the confines of the dark color. There were goths, rockabillies, fashionistas and everything in between. As soon as we’d stepped into the door, we were greeted by Veronica running from her office in the back hall. “I’ll be…Mercedes Jones get over here and give me a hug.”

Lamar stuck his head out of his room and damn near squealed. When Ronnie got to me, he was only a step behind. “Girl, you are looking fierce. I want to put some color in that weave though. Brighten up your look…winter is over," he said honestly. 

I thought for a moment before confessing. “I was thinking about going natural for a while, until right before the start of the tour really.”

Lamar and Veronica exchanged a telling look. “Oh, no Boo-boo…no, no, no. Do you know what all those stage lights and shit does to hair? Girl, there is a reason even white folk on Broadway wear wigs.” Lamar chided. 

Veronica was quick to cosign that sentiment. “If you’re tired of weaving, let’s get you in some braids or let me make you a few really good wigs. Oh, in fact, I probably need to gets on that now…it will make your changes when you’re touring so much easier. Give me your stylist’s info and I will get with her and I’ll have them ready for you ASAP.”

I was positive that I gave her a serious side eye. “Don’t those things take months to make?”

Veronica nodded. “Yeah, but isn’t it supposed to take fifteen hours for your weaves as small as we braid your hair? I’m just that damn good, Miz Jones. Besides, three to five wigs for one person are a hell of a lot easier than five wigs that are meant to fit five different heads.”

“Oh, okay, I guess that makes sense. But still, won’t it take a hell of a lot of your free time?” I tried again. I didn’t want to take advantage of a woman who had always been a good friend to me.

“Stop your fretting now Boo-Boo. I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t willing to do it. And it isn’t like I’m saying I’m going to do it free of charge.” She cut me off before I could say anything else. “Do you think I would have this great new shop if not for you? Even with the greater overhead costs, I still just made more money in two weeks than I used to make an in an entire quarter. I cannot wait to see our numbers for April.” She looked around and made sure no one was close enough to hear what she said next. Then she dropped her voice and leaned in close anyway. “I went to a booth rental system since its more than just Lamar and me. They rent their booths for twelve hundred a month. So if they clear five grand in services a month, they’ll take home almost four of that. Now, they do have to pay us for the supplies they use, but we decided to do that so the clients would get the same quality of product no matter who they go to. Still, the stylists are clearing at least three grand every month. And Lamar and I split at least twenty-five grand a month, just off the rental fees after all our overhead, and Girl, I ain’t trying to be funny but these other folks tip like ‘whoa’. So none of the stylists are complaining at all. In fact, this month, Georgia over there,” she pointed out a pretty rockabilly looking chick with crazy hair that was three shades of blue. “She swears up and down that she paid her April booth rent with her tips from just two weeks of work.”

All we could do was tell them how happy we were for them. Though neither, Noah, Sam nor I understood how that could be credited to us. Their success was their own, at least in my mind. But Lamar had even more to add. “And it’s not even just us that are experiencing blessings from knowing you. You can go and see how much Jewel’s was able to expand too. And her new digs are so nice that she’s charging Dayton area prices and nobody is saying boo. And Mother Richards…Between Sam’s parents starting to use her to watch Sloane and everybody in town knowing that she watches your little sisters, Mother Richardson has ten kids from six white families now in addition to the seven families she already had. She’s pretty much out grown the church and she’s talking to your daddy about renting that empty site over in building six and turning it into a daycare center. She’d have to charge more…but you know people will pay it because her kids always excel in school. She teaches the little creaters more than just their ABCs, numbers and colors. A few of our new clients are already in love with her because they are loving the difference in how their kids are behaving…one richy bitch said that her little boy is totally different after just a couple of months.”

“Oh, that’s because Mother Richardson is the shit,” Puck interjected. “I bet you if they took her advice themselves, they’d find their lives better for it too.”

“I know, right?” Lamar agreed. “So anyway…let us take care of you. You can go natural right before your tour since you’ll be wigging it up on stage.”

I thought about it for a moment. It could certainly work…and to be honest, a big part of why I hadn’t done it yet was because doing my natural hair every day took a lot longer than doing the weaves or rocking some braids. “Alright, that’s what I’ll do. Can you work me in for some highlights on Saturday morning?”

“Saturday morning, the day before Easter, and you want me to work you in on two days’ notice.” He looked scandalized, before busting out laughing. “Mercedes, I told you to let me get my hands on your head. Come in around seven-thirty, I’ll get you first.”

“Ooohh Lord…seven thirty…I’m gonna bring coffee…serious coffee…all the coffee.” I muttered.

Lamar laughed. “Alright, get it from that place Baristas right there in the shopping plaza. Their coffee is to die for.”

Veronica came closer and threaded her hands through Nikki’s long thick hair. “Baby, you’ve got your daddy’s pretty hair.”

Nikki smiled shyly. She knew that Veronica was good people or I would never have let her touch my little girl. “Thank you.”

“Now, what are you gonna do with Little Mama and your other baby girl’s hair for Easter?” She asked me.

I shrugged. “Beth’s hair is a little bit lighter, but it’s just as thick, so I plan to wash it and set it on rollers Saturday night…both their hair holds curls almost as well as mine. When I find their dresses, I’m going to find them somethings to put in their hair…them and the twins.”

Ronnie nodded. She headed over to a counter and came back with four packs of flexi rods. “Use these. They’ll give the girls some really pretty ringlets. They won’t pull and they’ll work for your two and your sisters. In fact, you might want to invest in some for yourself.”

“Okay, how much do I owe you?”

“You can just get them when you settle up with Lamar on Saturday.” She waved me off. “Now, gone and get out of here. And you know you’d better swing by the church and say hello to Mother Richardson.”

That was actually not a bad idea. It was too bad we didn’t have enough car seats…not until we hit the house to be able to save the family a trip and take Double A and S home. There were two in the back seat of Sam’s truck and a booster and a car seat in the garage for the two cars as needed. But the pointed ended up being moot. When we got there, Tessa and Jake were there picking up the babies. Of course, we ended up making a scene. Mainly because Double A and S started squealing in happiness and Sloane was seriously…he just freaked out when he saw Nikki. It was awesome. Though Maea and Mara weren’t any better. But I was their first target. It didn’t last as long as one would have thought considering I hadn’t seen them in six weeks, but they were little and so were their attention spans. As soon as they were done loving me up, they were on to the next one…in this case Puck. I took the opportunity to go and talk to Mother Richardson about something that Veronica and Lamar had mentioned.

Our conversation began with the usual welfare check. Mother Richardson always checked after me through Momma and Daddy, so there wasn’t a lot she didn’t already know. But she had known me since the very first Sunday I was allowed out of the house when I was like a month old. Anita Bell Campbell-Richardson was an incredible woman. She’d graduated high school at sixteen and gone to Spelman where she graduated with dual bachelor degrees in elementary and secondary education and an associate’s degree in English in three years rather than the usual four. She had married Deacon Richardson, a Morehouse educated teacher himself, and they had moved to Lima and taught school for thirty five years each before they’d retired the year I was born. Deac was happy to just make his yard the winner in every botanical contest in the county, but Mother Richardson had needed to be around kids. “They keep me young," she always said. So she had developed the children’s church and daycare programs at Ada. Every one of Ada’s children who passed through her arms did significantly better than their counterparts. Just looking at me and Azimio were easy proof of that. I was one of Mother Richardson’s babies…Adams had gone to Kindercare. I was reading when we got to pre-k…Adams was still learning his letters.

If she wanted to expand and move into caring for more kids, I was absolutely positively sure that it was a good thing. I was also sure that God had put me in a position and put it in my heart to help her do so. “Mother Richardson, a little birdy told me that you were looking at expanding…maybe even renting space in that new office park?” I said with a little smile.

She cracked a smile of her own. “Let me guess, that little birdy is the reason my hair looks like pepper and salt not just snow.”

“You know Lamar loves you. He wants you to have what you want and need to be happy. Just like I do,” I said sweetly.

“Well, that’s good of both of you. I did look into it, but I’m not going to be able to do it. It just costs too much I’d have to raise what I charge per child to make up for the loan I’d need to take out just to start outfitting the new place and I can’t do that. You know some of these parents can barely afford what I charge now, and I’m the lowest charging licensed daycare provider in the county.” I hated seeing her look so sad.

“Don’t you worry about any of that. If you could take in more kids and maybe you could charge on a sliding scale, so people like Momma and Daddy pay more, but people like the Morgans don’t…would you expand?” I asked.

There wasn’t a moment of hesitation. “Of course I would. I love being around all the babies, making sure they are safe and loved and fed and educated. It hurts my heart that I can’t take more that these twenty. But I’d need more staff. I’d need to create a day care center in a big old empty space. It would need to be totally built out. I’d need to fence in the area behind the center and get playground equipment.”

I shook my head. “Mother Richardson, you don’t have to do any of that. You do the work. You make the babies feel as safe and loved and well fed and educated as you made sure that I felt and you let me and Daddy and George and Sander handle the rest.”

“Now Mercedes, I cannot…”

“Why not?” I challenged. Respectfully though, Mother Richardson could and would pop me in the mouth for being disrespectful. “Mother Richardson, I have the money. I like doing good things with it. Heck, God wants me to do good things with it. If it wasn’t for people like you supporting me, who knows where I’d be today. If you can give me three good reasons not to help you, I won’t say another word about it.”

I literally saw her trying to come up with even one. There weren’t any…not really. She knew that I wouldn’t try and take over. She knew that I’d make sure she had everything she said she needed. She knew that I had the money and the dads had the expertise. “Fine, but, this means that you get a percentage of the profits.”

I had a comeback for that one too. “Okay, but that means that you and your employees are covered under the same group health benefits as the rest of my people.”

“If I can offer good benefits, I can get some seriously good caregivers," she said thoughtfully.

I nodded. “We offer medical, vision, dental, short and long term disability, 401K matching and six weeks paid vacation," I said just to sweeten the pot. “Those would apply to you too…and Deac would have help with your books if he ever needed it.”

“Alright, but I’m gonna get that nice Antwan Berry to create a contract all the parents will have to sign that says that they cannot sue you or your men if they try to sue the day care center. You know these people today, little Tommy takes a tumble doing something he shouldn’t have been doing and they don’t want to say, ‘well, I guess he learned his lesson’, like we used to. Nowadays they want to sue over the dumbest things.” She sighed. I couldn’t disagree. I gave her a hug and thanked her for helping me to grow up valuing education and reading. I’d been sheltered, not stupid. “I’m going to call Mr. Berry and get him to put this all in writing. Because I know you Mercedes Antoinette Jones, if we don’t you’ll never take a dime you’re supposed to.”

I hadn’t planned on it. She needed that money a lot more than I did. “Yes Ma’am” was my only response though. I wasn’t an idiot.

Nikki came over and broke up our confab with a question. “Excuse me, hello Mother Richardson.” She said politely before her excitement overwhelmed her. “MeDe…can I stay over with Sarah and Stacey tonight. They are staying at SugaMama’s and you can just pick me up when you get the twins in the morning…PLEASE?!?!”

For a moment, I couldn’t help but remember going to the Jones Family Gatherings and wanting nothing more than to follow behind Felicia and the other older girls. I couldn’t wait to see them all. The Jones Family Gathering had been pushed back when everyone found out that our record release party could be one of the family events if it was moved and held the same weekend of the party. “Sure, Nikki. If it’s okay with Sarah and Stacey. I would say if it was okay with SugaMama and Big Poppa, but let’s be real, the only reason Momma didn’t keep you with her at when we were at their offices, was because she had to finish up for the day.”

Nikki smiled at me real big, “It was Sarah and Stacey’s idea.”

I smiled. “Alright, ask Manny to take you to get your overnight bag out the car. You have clothes enough for a sleepover in there. Be good, don’t turn Sloane into a baby doll and eat all your vegetables.” I just couldn’t help myself.

Nikki nodded emphatically. “Stacey and Sarah wanted me to ask you if they can come with you tomorrow…they need Easter dresses too.”

I eyed her closely. “Why didn’t they ask me themselves?”

“Umm…they have school.” She admitted.

I shook my head. “Well then I’d need to hear from Angel Mom and Bekah that it is fine for them to miss school to go Easter shopping…otherwise, tell them to make sure I have their sizes and I’ll make sure they look good.” My little sisters thought they were slick. But I wasn’t crossing our mothers, not in that or any other lifetime. But the truth was that I never minded shopping.

When I told the guys that Nikki was going to be spending the night with her aunts, their eyes lit up. Since I knew how much they loved having Nik-Nak with us, something told me I was in for one hell of a night. When we left the church, Nikki was in with Jake and Sloane heading to the parents’ house and we headed to our own Lima residence. Pulling into the driveway, we used the biometric gate opener on our keys and left the SUV outside in the courtyard before letting ourselves in through the side entrance into the mud room. It was very apparent that the Moms had either come in themselves, or had that maid service they liked come in and get everything ready because there wasn’t a tap of dust anywhere. Hudson showed Manny up to his room and we took our stuff to our bedroom. Looking around, I was almost surprised when Sam spoke up. “The only thing this room is missing is a toy chest. We should make a run down to Lion’s Den and see Brandon…pick up a few things to keep here for when we have down time.”

Puck picked up his train of thought easily. “We take Manny and tell Hudson she can have the night off because we’re just going on a date.”

“Do we really have to take Manny?” I wasn’t sure about having a witness to what we were buying.

“We cannot go someplace like that without backup. Not anymore,” Sam said wisely. He came over and hugged me close, kissing my neck. “Come on Baby. We can stop and grab a quick dinner. Leave Huds the keys to one of the cars so she can get dinner somewhere if she wants. We make the trip real quick, four hours and we can be back here playing with your sexy body for the rest of the night.” More teasing kisses. “Besides, me and Noah ain’t got any lube here…we need to pick some of that up too.”

It was probably a little wrong how quickly I was suddenly behind Sam’s plan at that point, but yeah, we headed out a few minutes later in Sam’s truck since it was the least conspicuous of the vehicles at our disposal. We did take the time to move the car seats to the GLS-550 and make sure that Hudson had the keys to Noah’s Charger before we left though. Thankfully, the parental units had made sure that the tags had been put on the cars in our absence. Manny’s excellent driving shaved almost twenty minutes off the hour and forty minute trip to the Lion’s Den that Brandon managed…the one closest to the apartment he shared with Netta, Vince’s sister. The guy checking the IDs was the exact same one who was there when we’d visited before the NYADA reception a few years before. This time he refused to let us in until we had given him an autograph. Sam made it out to Alex, the Gatekeeper. The guy loved it.

“Hey are Brandon or Netta working tonight?” Noah dipped back to ask.

Alex nodded. “Ornetta is in the video cage tonight, damn shoplifting assholes. Brandon should be on the floor somewhere. Maybe even in the Dark Room.” He said naming the room where we’d first met the tall, buff store manager. As soon as the door closed, Alex’s voice came over the store’s PA. “Good evening customers. Just in case any of you decide to be nosy, or try to get rich off other people’s business, please remember that you can’t say you saw any one here who without admitting that you were here yourselves. We here at Lion’s Den pride ourselves on our discretion. You should each practice the same.”

“Thanks, man.” We grabbed a basket and headed to the video cage. That stop was all about seeing Netta. None of us were really into the movies, though I’d found more than a few of the erotic fiction books that I loved last time we were there. Netta did find something of interest to all three of us. She showed us an ‘instructional video’ that outlined the hows and whys of aftercare when living or even playing in the BDSM lifestyle spectrum. It wasn’t a surprise at all when Noah added it to our basket.

That night, after saying hello to both Netta and Brandon, we made short work of grabbing the necessities, lubes-both flavored and regular, flavored and regular condoms. Puck decided that he just had to try watermelon flavored condoms for some reason. Then Sam decided that he wanted to try blueberry. So, I grabbed some strawberry, just to add to the madness. We grabbed a nubby glove for our Lima home, an interesting toy that was a flogger on one end and several feathers on the other. I found an interesting pair of vibrating nipple clamps that had tension knobs so they would be tight enough for Puck, but could also work for me. Of course, we got tie down gear for our Lima bed and a sensory deprivation mask, anal beads-graduated and the string kind, a vibrating clit teaser and the list went on. Sam and Noah got happy. I mean, don’t get it twisted, I put more than a few things into the cart that replaced the basket within the first fifteen minutes, but they were a little ridiculous. “Okay, come on…what on earth do we need a seven and a half inch, vibrating, realistic dildo complete with molded balls for?” I scoffed as we were finally checking out.

Noah rolled his eyes. “Because…I want it.” he said simply and refused to explain further. I dropped it…if either of my husbands had a plan it usually benefited me a hell of a lot. We’d kept to our timeline at Lion’s Den, only because Manny had culled us out some extra time. After we said our good byes to Netta and Brandon we headed to a small little Mexican restaurant they recommended and had a quick dinner. We were a little later than we’d intended getting home, but not too bad. As we got out the car, I hid a smile as I noticed that Manny had a small black plastic bag of his own. He sent us in and did a perimeter sweep before locking the house down and heading back up to his room to sleep, or whatever. I checked the kitchen before going to our room. I wasn’t surprised to see that it was fully stocked. After all, while Momma would be hosting the Passover Seder, Easter dinner was happening at our house. It made sense and was the main reason for the size of our house in the first place. As soon as my feet hit our bedroom floor, the door was closed behind me and I was sent to shower. When I entered the bathroom, Sam was at the sinks washing our new toys…yeah, they definitely had plans. I couldn’t wait.

Rock the Boat (Aaliyah)  
Puck PoV

When Nikki decided to stay over at Moms D and Benton’s, I started making plans. The second Sam mentioned a trip to the Lion’s Den, my plans grew plans of their own. There was something he and I had been talking about for a while. But we had thought that, until we got time to go back to Chicago, which was going to need to happen before the tour, for serious, we’d both thought it was a pipe dream. The brownstone was mostly soundproof…but no way would Anderson and Hummel not hear Sexy Mama with what we were thinking about doing to our beautiful woman. And the Lima house was even less of a possibility since Nikki was right next door. But now, Nikki was gone to her grandparents. We had the entire first floor to ourselves. And after our Lion’s Den visit, we had all the toys we could have wanted…oh yeah, plans were coming to fruition. I sent Sammy Boy into the bathroom to make sure all the body toys were thoroughly cleaned while Cede did something in the kitchen. As soon as she came to bed, I sent her in to shower and ran out and grabbed a few bottles of water from the fridge. Then I took my time and attached the cuff sets to the four posters of our bed, making sure that they would reach even with Mercedes’ sexy little short self in the middle of the bed. Soon as that was done, I ran down and showered in the bathroom off our home gym. Sam brought out the washed and dried toys then took his own quick shower and by the time that Cede was done in the bathroom, all was in readiness.

Sexy Mama came out having showered, removed her makeup and moisturized most of her beautiful chocolate skin. Her hair was braided down in two French braids that met in one long tail, but she hadn’t wound it up or wrapped it up at that point. She had also pulled on a pretty little nightgown. I shook my head, “Nope, you can lose the nightie. All me and Sammy Boy want to see is your pretty brown skin.”

“Noah, all you guys ever want to see me in is my ‘pretty brown skin’," she shot back. But she did take off the night gown.

I pulled down the comforter, blankets and flat sheet, leaving just the mattress and sheet. Our beautiful woman laid out in the middle of the field of golden ivory. She was laying on her back, her tits just fucking begging for attention…fuck, my dick was hard as a rock. “Now, Babygirl…oh my fucking god, the things we’re gonna do to you. But I need you to tell me and Sammy Boy over there that we can play. We can play with your sexy body to our hearts’ content. That tomorrow you’ll go back to being the Head Bitch in Charge, but for tonight…you’ll be our toy.”

“Your toy, Seigneur?” her voice hitched in anticipation. “For you and Messire, I would allow anything.”

The mattress sank just a bit as Sam knelt on her other side. I couldn’t resist that hard, little nipple looking at me from Cede’s big ass titty. So, I moved over and licked it. “You’re so fucking beautiful Mercedes Jones.” I whispered as I leaned back. “As sexy as you are, it’s the beauty that you show that takes my breath away.” My hand trailed down her belly. “I’m so glad that you’ve never allowed anyone to convince you to lose the softness and your curves. Sam and I, we’re going to worship you tonight. You’ll be our toy because we’re going to do anything and everything we want to your beautiful, sexy, curvy little body, but you bets to believe that we’ll never touch you with less that total and complete love and worship.”

“I know, Noah…I always feel how much you and Sam love me…no matter what kind of love we make.” She said soothingly.

That was exactly what I needed to hear, because the things we were going to do to her sexy ass…I definitely wanted to make sure that she was down with them and knew that we loved her even when we were getting kinky as all hell. “That’s good Babygirl, real good,” I murmured. “So, Sammy Boy, we’ve got our beautiful woman spread out before us…where should we start?”

Sam smiled against Cedes’ forehead. “Well, I’ll start up here on my side…” he suggested helpfully, so we did that. He started kissing her, stroking her body from top to bottom.

Without a word, I started on Cede’s left side using my mouth and hands to kiss and stroke her from the bottom to the top. I was confident in our girl’s hygiene, so much so that even though she’d been rocking ankle socks and kicks all day, I knew her feet would be clean. I sucked her toes, licking the big toe like a lollipop. My tongue caressed the strong, high arch of her small little foot, I slid it down over and around her heel. As I came back up her ankle and calf, I put my teeth into play. I made sure to use my teeth and tongue to tickle the inner corner of the bend of the back of her knee. As always, the whine that left Cede’s throat when I did that was delicious and made a shiver of need roll down my spine. I worked my way up her thigh. Fuck, she was so wet she was dripping. Purely by a wonderful coincidence Sam and I ended up reaching her pussy at the same time. So, he went high while I spread her legs wide and went low. I licked and sucked and tongue fucked her opening while Sammy Boy flicked her clit with his tongue. We drove her through three orgasms before we finally left her hidden treasure and moved on work our way along the rest of her beautiful body. Of course, I got distracted by her titties and didn’t move on until I’d made her cum, one mo’ gain. Fuck, she was hot as hell.

When we finally finished teasing and tasting her front, and damn did she taste great, then we helped her roll over and it was time for plans to come to fruition. Babygirl was gently cuffed down, leaving as much play as possible in the lines, because she was going to be thrashing and writhing all over the place. Sam put the love mask over her eyes and whispered in her ear that we were going to make her lose her damn mind. We maneuvered her so that Sam could get in front of her and I smirked as he rubbed the enflamed head of his cock against her kiss swollen lips. “You look so pretty with your mouth on my dick, Baby," Sam drawled. I could tell from the way his head dropped back that she’d done something. So, I looked around and saw that she’d licked the head of cock, working her tongue around, under the glans and over the helmet.

I grabbed the fake dick Cede had been so against us buying and slathered it with some of the silicone gel lube that we’d gotten earlier that evening. The dildo was shorter than either me or Sam, but it wasn’t small. In fact, I was pretty sure that it was a little bit thicker than either of us. I held it carefully to the side as I used my free hand to spread her legs a little wider and pulled her hips up a bit. There it was, Dat Ass was amazing, and it opened up and her asshole was... "Fuck Babygirl, your sexy ass knows I’ve got something for it.”

“Fuck, Puck…shit, she’s loving that idea," Sam muttered. It was evident in the way she’d wiggled her hips and the hum that came out around his cock.

I took her demonstration of anticipation as permission to move forward. So, I slid that dildo into her ass gently, but incessantly. When it was fully seated with the balls turned up and out of my way, I gave Cede something that she had never felt before. I slid my cock into her hot, wet, tight pussy. “Oh fuck, Babygirl, your pussy is so fucking tight like this. Does it feel good? Your sexy little body is taking like twenty some inches of cock. You’re taking it all. You like being completely, totally fucking full?”

Mercedes mouth was too full to answer, but the sounds that were coming out around Sam’s cock and the fact that his eyes were rolling round his sockets in pure pleasure, I was pretty sure that she liked it. I knew for sure that I liked it. The way her tight, wet walls were squeezing and massaging my dick drove me crazy. I got in maybe five or six minutes of nice, smooth, even strokes. That was a total of, hell I couldn’t even tell you how many times Cede peaked. I could tell you that she came so hard she fuckin’ squirted…bathing my pulled up tight ball sack and thighs with her juices. “Aw FUCK, Babygirl!!!” I busted my nut so hard I screamed my damn self. Sam later told us that me and Cede screamed at the exact same moment. That he had no choice but to come with us…despite having cum himself just a few minutes before. He had to separate us, get the rubber dong out of Mercedes’ ass and undo her bindings.

I’m not sure what time it was when I woke up tied down myself. Apparently Cede woke before me and decided to get her revenge. Of course, Sammy Boy was happy to help. I found out that that little bit of difference in girth between me, Sam and the fake dick was seriously intense when it came to taking that bad boy up the ass. I came so hard I skeeted all over everything. She and Sam almost laughed at how hard I came, but since Mercedes' laughter did Sam in and his pulsing, cumming cock made her cum too…their laughter was curtailed by their orgasms. We had to shower and remake the bed and wash our original bedding. Seriously, the three-dick fucking had turned Mercedes into a gusher and that less than yielding, thick ass dildo up my ass with the Cede’s soft hand reach around orgasm had been a big mess too. Those sheets and blankets needed some serious TLC. We also showered and may have played around in the shower a little bit. We were insatiable. We knew it. But we were also really young, so it was to be expected.

Morning came earlier than we’d have liked. Sam forced us down to the gym…but we only did thirty minutes before we showered, got dressed and headed up to the kitchen. I was shocked to find that Moms D had dropped off Nikki, Mara, Maea, Sloane, Stacey and Sarah on her way to the dental office. Manny and Hudson were already down stairs. Manny was in the kitchen making his Guatemalan and his Mexican ancestors hearts proud. He’d put together huevos rancheros with flank steak and some honey bran muffins.

“Thank you, Manny. You didn’t have to do this. I’d have made breakfast.” Mercedes told him giving him a big hug in gratitude. I should have told her to hug his ass again when I tasted everything. That breakfast was fucking awesome. Still, something told me it was a good thing Sam had talked me and Cede into working out after all.

He threw her a wicked grin. “Well, there was so much activity about six, and then I just decided to go for a run. When I got back, I helped your mom get the kids out the car…and loaded the car seats into the Mercedes. Martinez is bringing Beth and Gruber over…they should be here in a few. So, after breakfast, we’ll divide between the rental and one of your private vehicles. I just need to know where we’re going so I can call it in. Hector is monitoring you all from Trenton, in addition to Grunt manning the controls in Manhattan.”

“Is all that necessary?” I heard Cede mutter.

Manny nodded, but it was Hudson who explained. “CSG,” Crazy Stalker Guy, “is back stateside. So, yeah, security is being stepped back up.”

I leaned over and put my hand on Cede’s, “look, all of us going on a shopping excursion is what they call a target rich environment. Let the precautions be taken. It doesn’t just protect you, it protects all our girls too.”

“Okay, you’re right.” She agreed, and then took control of the day back into her hot little, diva hands. “So, Brandon gave Noah the name of his tattoo guy and he does piercings too, so if nobody minds, I’d love to go back to Columbus, hit the Easton shopping mall. We can shop while Noah runs over and gets his ears pierced like he wants. Do you have the information Brandon gave you on what kind of earrings to look for?”

I nodded and whipped out the blank receipt paper Brandon had put all the info on for me from my wallet. “Yup…need a titanium or platinum setting and I want decent sized diamonds.” I chuckled. Before I could make further comment, David and Hal arrived with my baby girl, Beth. Since they had already eaten, we hurried up and finished breakfast, Mercedes, me and Sam cleaned everything up while Stacey and Sarah helped all the babies use the bathroom. Within thirty minutes of David leaving Beth and Hal behind as he headed to McKinley, we were all in either the Charger or the GLS and heading the two hours to the big ass mall. It didn’t take me long at all to get what I needed. I called the dude and he was happy to work me in that morning, before the shop opened for the day. I had to drive to the area of town that acted as the buffer between the wrong side of the tracks and the actual ghetto, but it was cool. The car had insurance. The guy’s name was Moses and he was really awesome.

Soon as I walked in the door, he put my nerves at ease. “Don’t worry, cars in this lot don’t get jacked. The bangers like my work and they aren’t about to piss me off.”

“Cool, man, thanks for hooking me up and coming in early and shit.” I shook his hand. He was covered in ink…even more than Brandon and that guy’s sleeves had sleeves.

“Brandon is good people.” Moses smirked. “So you got your piercers?”

I handed him the brand-new earrings. Half a carat black diamonds in a titanium setting with a one point two-millimeter shaft. I’d forked out extra for the piercers that were capped by titanium balls rather than just the regular screw on things that left the sharp end poking out behind my ear. He took me through the process of cleaning them, telling me as he did how I would need to take care of my ears and the earrings after the piercing and for the following six weeks. “I’d give yourself a full two months in the one point two mil, before you start moving up. In fact, I’d say wait two months at each before you move up. Less chance of tearing the lobe.”

It took him longer to measure and find the center of my lobes than it did to do the piercing. I took a pic with him for his Instagram and thanked him on our Twitter. Then I paid him, slipping him some extra for the extra time he’d had to spend in the shop. “Hey, if you guys decide you want some ink, let me know.”

“Sorry man, can’t have ink, I’m Jewish.” I said simply.

Moses laughed. “Dude, so am I. I just don’t plan on getting buried. The thought of it fucks with my head. Figured, since I was going to get cremated anyway…might as well get my ink on.”

“Gotcha. If I change my mind. I’ll let you know," I finally said. The guy had a point, but unless it was all three of us getting some matching ink…I didn’t see that shit happening.

Unfortunately, the visit hadn’t taken long enough for them to finish up the shopping. My shopping luck was so shitty, in fact, that by the time I caught back up with my family, Cede, Sarah, Stacey and Nikolette had decided that me, Sam, and Stevie needed new suits to match Sloane’s. Two hours after I got back to them, we finally had everyone in the family who wasn’t the parent of an adult child, a new Easter Sunday outfit that matched the color scheme, in Cede’s mind. The twins and Beth were even dressed alike. Then again so were Stevie, Sloane, Sam and me, but that was just because there wasn’t all that many options in beige linen suits for men. Still our woman was happy. Our parents would be happy, if they cared at all. Probably I’d have only had to suffer an additional thirty to forty-five minutes of shopping but then I went and I bit myself in the ass. I was being an asshole and decided to ask Mercedes, what about Passover Kiddush clothes. Next thing I knew she had whipped out her phone and looked up what would be appropriate. I couldn’t even make that shit up. Then she texted Bubbie to make sure that she had the right idea. Thankfully, Sam and I would be allowed to wear the gray and navy suits we’d brought with us to wear for both services. She decided to get a new dress, because of course she did. If the color scheme for Easter Sunday was peach, then the color of the evenings for the Kiddush was blue and ivory.

Thankfully, during finding the right dresses and everything for the Easter service, Cede’d already found great dresses for everyone in one of the two colors. That definitely shaved some time off of things. So, when we left there, we left there with two to three new dresses for all the girls, even Hudson, and two new suits for Sloane and Stevie…plus the linen suits for me and Sam. Oh and shoes and accessories for all. It was hell. She even wanted to trick Manny and Hal out. It was cray-cray. Thankfully, they pointed out that they had to be in uniform. So, that saved them. I kind of felt like they were laughing at me and Sam just a little bit. Mainly because trying to stop Cede when she got shopping-happy was like trying to stop the tide. It didn’t work and we looked dumb as hell trying. It wasn’t until we were having a late lunch at Brio Tuscan Grille that I realized I only had myself to blame. Sometimes when we laid it on Cede, we wore her out. But others…others it just gave her boundless energy. The night before had led to the latter reaction. We were all paying for it.

We did make it home before school let out for the day. By a whole hour. That did allow us to go and see Becky Jackson. It weirded me out a little bit to see her in a suit rather than the Cheerio uniform. But she was her same bossy ass self, so all was right with the world. “So Becks, think you’ll be able to talk your parents into letting you coming with Sue and Sugar’s dad for the drop party?”

Becky laughed. “No clue. Dad is good, he’s still working on my mom.”

Sam sighed. “Would it help if we invited them too? It’s not really fair that all our friends have gotten to come to something and you haven’t.”

We all discussed the merits of the parental invite and decided to go for it. We’d realized when getting ready for the Grammys how much Becky had missed getting to do something big too. It sucked and we wanted to do this for her. Besides, I wanted to hear what Becky had to say about all those people pretending to be important. That shit would be hilarious. “Look, we’ve just gotta make this shit happen. Because I know Cede and Bubbie already have your dress.”

Cede slapped me hard on the arm. “Shut up. That was supposed to be a surprise," she hissed. “Ignore the idiot. If you can come…well we’ll be happy to have you with us. But I don’t want you feel pressured.”

Becky smiled the smile that always my balls recede…it meant she was planning something that was both devious and effective. “Actually, thanks Puck. If my mom knows that you guys want me there so much you’ve already paid out good money…that might make all the difference.”

“Well, hell then, we’ll have you a ticket and a room booked by the end of the afternoon.” Sam suggested.

I shook my head. “Naw, we go that far and her mom will think that she said for us to buy them as if she already had permission.”

Cede nodded. “Yeah, it’s like back when you wanted to sleepover at a friend’s house. It’s fine to get the other’s parents’ permission before you ask your mom and dad…but you cannot already be packed and ready to go before you ask your parents.”

Sam thought about it for a second. “Yeah, good point. We’d be screwed if they thought she was trying to scam them. I mean, we know she’s gonna scam them, but they don’t need to know that.” We all shared a laugh.

We had to gather our people, and pry the babies from Coach Sylvester’s office. I laughed when I remembered that I used to think that that woman was evil. No one who loves babies that much could possibly be all that evil. Still, the threats she came up with to try and keep the twins and Sloane with her were ridiculously in depth and rather scary. Especially since she did them in that ‘I’m around kids and don’t want them to realize that I’m saying adult things’ tone of voice. Finally, Nikki and Hal came back from visiting Ms. Pillsbury. Nikki wanted to ask her about special math camps for kids, we’d decided against any of the ones in Manhattan, it would be too hard to do security without letting the whole damn world know where she was. Hal just wanted to see his honey. That was understandable…I’d have done the same thing. But once Nikki and Hal got back, with the pamphlets proving their visit to Emma Pillsbury office, Sue had no choice but to give up the munchkins.

We managed to make it home in time for everyone to shower and change. We welcomed Mrs. Hargis and showed her and her nurse to their rooms. Allowed them to get freshened up and we all still made it to the Temple for the Kiddush. It wasn’t a very long service, but then we headed to Moms and George’s house for the Seder. I loved my mother, but Seders had gotten so much better since Moms D and Grandma Mae took over the cooking. She made apple & almond haroseth, traditional matzo ball soup, Mediterranean-style brisket served with roasted asparagus with garlic & coriander oil, thyme & olive oil gratin potato, and a flourless chocolate-almond cake with almond-cherry-caramel glaze. I ate so much that I spent like an hour hating my fucking suit and wishing I was in sweatpants. I did have to admit two things when we got home that night. I was more than grateful that our big ass house had so many bathrooms and so many hot water sources. And there was no sleep as good as a sleep after a huge meal, some serious bathroom time and a long hot shower. Saturday, me and Sam slept in while Cede went to get her hair did.

As she and we should have guessed, she was there for five hours. Veronica decided that our woman needed a new weave and Lamar still wanted it brightened up for the spring. That meant that she needed her natural hair deep conditioned and before the new weave could be sewed in. At ten, Veronica called the house and Hudson and Manny ended up going to the other family houses and picking up Tessa, Stacey, Sarah and Nikki and taking them all in for a wash and trim. Sarah talked Lamar into giving her some auburn highlights, or he talked her into them. It was kind of hard to tell with them. They were thick as thieves when me and Sam finally went to help everyone get home. Cede had driven the Charger and not taken any car seats since she hadn’t expected to have Nikki end up there with her. All of the girls looked beautiful when we picked them up. I was glad to see that they had only trimmed Nikki’s hair, not cut it for real. We spent much of the afternoon at our house, everyone relaxing and watching movies and playing video games. I busted some ass at Mario Kart. Then Nikki had to prove she was my daughter and kick my ass. It was a proud and yet humiliating moment. 

The second-best part of the night was the interactions of all of the grandmothers. At one point Joe’s great-grandmother asked my Bubbie the best religious based question I’d ever heard. “Do you think that part of the problem the other ‘one God’ based religions have with the Jews is just plain old jealousy? I mean, I’m not trying to be racist or nothing, and I know gross generalization is one step from it…but I know some people feel that the war between Satan and the angels happened because of their jealousy of God’s new creation, humans. So, what if we all have the same problem? The Christians and the Muslims,” she pronounced it Mooslems, I shit you not. “Hate the poor Jews because they are God’s Chosen people…because they all forget that God loves us all. It’s the same reason the Muslims hate the Christians and the Christians hate the Muslims. Everyone is so sure that God can only love one set of us, that we act in ways that really means he shouldn’t love any of us.”

“Wow, GammyBee, that makes a lot of sense.” Joe breathed. “The truth may well be that God is watching how we all treat each other knowing that we’re all worshiping the same Him.”

“If so…we are flunking that test hard,” MeMaw chuckled. “There are no atrocities greater than the ones committed in the good Lord’s name.”

That lead to a raucous religious discussion that lasted so long we had to scramble to get everyone back where they all needed to be so they could shower and get dressed for Temple and Seder. We’d worn the blue outfits the night before so everyone was in ivory that night, except the grown-ups and me and Sam. We switched out our shirts and ties and rewore the suits we brought with us. Sam and I could pretty well wear each other’s pants, but not suit jackets. Sexy Mama was looking good as hell in the curve hugging cream dress lacy dress. It was hot. Seder after Temple was once again amazing. Again, the Seder plate was perfect. I swear there was nothing that Moms D couldn’t do. Seriously. A Mediterranean-style haroseth, spicy matzo-ball soup with trinity vegetables and hot peppers, veal shanks and braised mustard greens with spring onions (and seriously I didn’t even know there was such a thing), smoked sweet potatoes and chocolate truffle pie with orange-champagne sabayon and strawberries. “I couldn’t pronounce everything, but hand to the Lord, I have never eaten better.” Betty Hargis said happily. But then she turned to Tessa, “Now, there was supposed to be an announcement that was made at last night’s Seder…but you managed to avoid it. Pretty little thing like you has a right to be shy as she wants to be. But Darling, inquiring minds do want to know.”

Tessa’s face turned so red, she looked like she should have been yelling ‘oh yeah’ and busting through walls. She had been really happy that Joe’s Gammy-Bee liked her and approved of her and everything. But now that the older woman was shining a spotlight on her…she looked like she was wishing Mrs. Hargis had liked her just a little bit less.

George reached over and squeezed her hand. “I’m glad Mrs. Betty said it. The suspense is killing me, all of us.” he encouraged.

“I know…she won’t even put it up in the choir room because she hasn’t told the family yet. I’m dying here," Jake agreed.

Tessa just laughed in his face. “You know, you keep saying that and yet you’re here and still annoying me,” she shot back.

Joe took her other hand. “I’d kind of like to know too. Your future plans pretty directly impact mine," he said gently. Joe always said stuff gently. I think if I ever heard him raise his voice in anything but song, I’d drop dead of a heart attack.

“Well, I was waitlisted at, let’s see, U C at Irvine, but I’m not really a Cali kind of girl any way. Um…University of Pennsylvania, didn’t want to go there unless it was the only option. Also among those schools who might still want me are Vanderbilt and University of Virginia.”

I shrugged and so did Sam. “Eh, you didn’t care nothing about Vanderbilt and UVA…you don’t wanna go to school in the south.”

Tessa shook her head. “It snows in Virginia and MeMaw is in Tennessee…so, I might have been able to deal with those two, but you’re right…I don’t think I would really be happy in the south for four years. Well, maybe Atlanta.”

Joe nodded. “Emory has a superior theology program.”

“Did you two get in there?” Sarah almost shouted. We all turned and looked at her. “Look at me all you want, take a picture, I don’t care. If we don’t nail her down, when we leave this table we will still have no clue where they are going.”

With a serene smile, Joe nodded. “I got into Emory, Boston University, Princeton, Northwestern and University of Iowa. I didn’t get into NYU, Hamilton, or Cornell and I got waitlisted at Columbia and Notre Dame. I didn’t apply to as many schools as Tee did.”

“Nobody applied to as many schools as Tessa did.” Stevie teased.

Tessa’s eyes rolled hard. “Fine. I already told everybody that I applied to twenty-five. I got waitlisted at four, rejected from nine and accepted into twelve.”

“Yeah, but which is where?” Sexy Mama demanded. The best part though was that she wasn’t the only one to ask the question in exactly the same way. Moms D and, surprisingly enough, Mills echoed her precisely.

“Okay that was freaky," Sander commented. “Are you three just that much alike, or was that one of those black things all the tee-shirts warned us that we wouldn’t understand?” He took the napkins that were thrown at him. But he got the laughs that he was hoping for.

It also worked to get rid of Tessa’s nervousness. “That joke was so bad, Sand…so very, very, very bad.” She shook her head. “Fine, I’ll tell you as long as Sander…nor his sense of humor clone, Sam, make any more horrifically bad jokes. I got no love from MIT, which surprised me not at all. Hamilton College, Washington University in St. Louis, Colorado College nor the University of Michigan. Ummm,” her thinking face was not the cutest, but looking at the way Joe looked at her, you’d have thought it was the prettiest thinking face ever on the planet. It wasn’t only his virginity that made him a good enough guy for my sister. “I also got very politely worded yet completely humiliating letters of rejection from Notre Dame, they must have known that I am a bad catholic, Johns Hopkins…and the two most Ivied of the Ivy League, Princeton and Yale.”

“Okay…that sucks but I haven’t heard any of the schools in the top five of that ‘best creative writing schools’ list yet. So, you must have gotten into at least a couple that you actually want to go to. Stop trying to build the drama and just tell us already.” Doesn’t she realize that Sammy Boy, Sexy Mama and I have to get moving on the whole buying her a condo or something soon if she wants to have a place to live when she goes to college in the fall.

“Okay, big bro. I got into Boston University, Emory, Emerson College, Oberlin, Wesleyan, Cornell, Kenyon College. NYU and Columbia both said yes, as did Northwestern and…UNIVERSITY of IOWA!” She crowed happily. “They accepted me, not just into the school, but into their highly competitive and much lauded Creative Writing program.”

We celebrated so loudly there was no way the neighbors didn’t hear us despite the tent surrounding us. Everyone was so very happy for her. She’d gotten into her first-choice school and her dream program. Mercedes had to know, “So, is that the one? You’re both going to UI?”

“If all the parents are good with that decision?” Joe asked in his own quiet and respectful way.

His father shrugged. “Joe, while we appreciate that you want to be respectful of us, our feelings and our budget, your mother and I both told you that this is your decision. It is really the first step on your way to true adulthood. If this seems like this is going to be a good fit for both of you and you’re not just following where Tessa is leading, then you have our full support.”

Joe smiled. “They have a religious studies program that looks amazing and the more I prayed about it, the more I realized that it would be a great foundation for a doctorate in divinity and I could go to seminary for the doctorate after I finished the undergraduate degree. If I can manage the course load, I’d love to double major in secondary education and Tessa can write anywhere. If we lived in a college town, I could teach during the week while I’m either still an associate minister or building my own small flock.” He sounded so enthusiastic about that life plan, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that it would make him seriously happy.

Tessa’s eyes glowed with happiness. “I could teach while I write until I can get my first book published.” She looked thoughtful. “Or maybe I could do editorial work for a newspaper or news site or something.”

No one could resist laughing at that. Tessa would be one of those teachers that would be ridiculously difficult to get an A from. She’d be snarky and militant about education. The kids would hate her. She wouldn’t much care for most of them either. It was Joe’s mother that found a way to make us all stop dying laughing at the thought of Tessa teaching even college classes. “Well, I’ll be honest, I took the digital tour of the campus when Joe told me that it was your top choice. It’s beautiful and walkable and I just think that you two are going to have so much fun.”

That just opened the flood gates. Apparently, every woman over thirty at that table had done something similar. I listened with half an ear as I signaled Mills to let her know to get with whichever of her contacts she had in Iowa City so we could get a move on finding a place and getting it renovated in time for Tessa and Joe to move in before their classes started. She, Francesca, Nadia and even Madeline out in California all belonged to the National Association of Realtors and so they had connections around the country. So, they could find us places wherever we want them to look. After Antwan told us that Finn, Lauren and the OSU crew were looking for a place near campus, and after Kurt managed to convince them not to really start looking until the summer, one of Mills contacts had found a great duplex for sale. We’d snatched it for a song and were in the process of renovating it. The plan was to do like we’d done with Tina and Mike and their buddies. We’d rent half to our people at a greatly reduced rate and then make a mint on the people we didn’t know. According to the prospective rent the agent said we’d be able to take in, it would pay for itself in six years. Technically it would be less because after our people graduated, we’d rent out their half for the big money too. It was gonna be so boss. But for Tessa’s place, we were doing something a little different. We’d just give Tessa her house when she graduated.

We talked for a while longer and then we made sure to help get everything all cleaned back up. Then we caravanned out asses back to our house with all our guests. When we got there, Mills dragged us into the home office to go over what we wanted her to have the agent in Iowa look for. “Look, this one is going to be a wash. We aren’t looking to make money on it.” I told her bluntly. “When they graduate college, we’ll be giving Tessa the house.”

Sam agreed. “Joe’s never gonna live there without paying something. So, let’s charge him like two fifty a month, and put that money into an account for upkeep on the place.”

“That works. If there is money in the account when they graduate, we can give it back to Joe, like a savings account. A nice nest egg to start off with.” Sexy Mama suggested.

Mills smiled indulgently. “You guys are seriously such sweethearts. I swear, you’re just adorable. Okay, so then we’re looking for a house or a condo…not a duplex like we’ve done in California and Columbus.”

“Yeah, I know we might be over estimating exactly how anti-social Tessa really is, but I just can’t see her being all that neighborly. So, a house in a neighborhood, or a condo in a building would be fine. She can either ignore everyone in the building like a true New Yorker, or make a few friends in the neighborhood if she feels like venturing out.” Sam pointed out.

Mercedes agreed but had a valid point about the other half of the equation. “Yeah, but Joe needs people and in either of those he’d be fine. I agree though, a duplex or even a semi-detached house would be too close to the neighbors for Tess though.”

“Two or three…no, three or four bedrooms. Tee’s book addiction is serious, an office-slash-library-slash-reading room is going to be a necessity," I thought aloud. “And Joe needs like a meditation space too. Plus, gotta have a garage, and make sure that bitch has an automatic opener. Can’t have Tessa coming home late and something happens because she’s parking on the street or some shit.”

“Yeah, but we need it to be close to campus. One of the things all the grown folks loved was how ‘walkable’ the place was,” Sam said with a grin. “We’ll get her a good Taser and lots of pepper spray. Maybe we should see if the Rangemen would be cool teaching everyone self-defense over the summer.”

Mills smiled. “That is not a bad idea. MeDe, I know that it would be smart with all that’s going on for you to take more than just a college judo class," she said pointedly. Then before Cede could say anything, Mills brought us all back to the topic at hand. “So what is the budget for this one?”

We conferred together for a little while, looking up the rough costs of houses around the University of Iowa. “Let’s definitely stay under two hundred fifty thousand. Maybe get a fixer upper since we’re going to do a shit ton of upgrades anyway," we finally told her.

“Yeah, gotta get the place wired for tech and the security system…we want a damn good one in place. As soon as we buy a property, we’ll need to get the blue prints to Hector or Grunt to ask if they can work up a schematic for the construction people to install,” I told them as I made a mental note. 

Mercedes glanced over at the clock. “Well, I’ve gotta go. I’ve got two little girls to wash and their heads to do. So, you guys are going to have to finish up without me," she chuckled as she got to her feet.

Mills quickly saved the notes she’d taken on our wants, needs and everything and closed up her iPad. “Girl, Beth and Nikki have a hell of a lot of hair between them. Let me give you a hand.”

“I appreciate it," Sexy Mama told her honestly and they left us in the den to go into the girls’ room. We didn’t see them for two hours after that. Two hours me and Sam spent with Mrs. Betty and Ms. Lillie, Saul, Bubbie, MeMaw, Manny and Hudson down in the home theater. That Kimmy Schmidt show was pretty damn funny. I wanted to get the gay dude roommate to do something with Cedes for a video. I didn’t have it fully fleshed out or anything…but it would be hilarious to have to two of them just communicating via facial expressions. I needed to put Haja on that shit.

Cede texted me and Sam to let us know that we could come and tuck the girls in. By the time we got upstairs, the darling duo was in their beds, their long, dark hair all sectioned up and wrapped around curlers. They looked like giggling little, almost twin, Medusas. Adorable and yet probably dangerous. Then again, maybe the ‘dangerous’ title only applied to Beth. Ms. Shirling was such a good person, her genetics had had to have reformed the Puckerman genes in Nikki. While Beth had Puckerman and Fabray genetics. Sam and I read them that story that Jake had been talking about with Spike Lee and his wife, Please Puppy Please. I think it did less to put them to sleep than we’d have liked. They loved that mischievous little puppy. I was pretty sure that we were going to be getting the puppy-slash-pet question way too soon. We left them with a night light on and closed the door.

The plan was to say a quick good night to all our guests, but then we got to talking with Mills, Saul, Ms. Betty, MeMaw and Bubbie about the plans for Tessa and Joe a place to live when they were at school. After we laid the plans on the table, every one of the grandmothers had an idea to flesh things out. MeMaw smiled, “When you’re getting the house set up, you’ll have to have it fully decorated, fully equipped. College kids take clothes and personal items…other than you three, most of them don’t need furnishings. If we want to keep George’s extended family at arm’s length, which is his decision and it’s been made…then Tessa’s graduation registry should be normal as possible. I would like to help out with that. Maybe I could do some online shopping for things they will need, like kitchen things and bathroom stuff. It will be fun and give this old bird something to do when I get bored.”

Bubbie laughed. “How the hell have you managed to be bored with our grandkids?”

“Easy, I stay my happy ass in Tennessee.” MeMaw crowed. “I get to enjoy them on holidays and such, get them all hopped up on my desserts then I leave the day to day work to you and their parents.”

Mrs. Betty chuckled. “That’s the best part of being the grandmom," she agreed. “Great-grandmas have it even easier. They give us all the news and info about the good and whine to the moms and grandma about the bad.” She chortled. “Now, I’m gonna tell y’all so you can let George and Rebecah know, even if they do have a fully functional kitchen, unless that sweet little Tessa knows how to cook, they’re gonna want to get her a meal plan. The one time Rachael tried to teach Joe how to really cook, ya know beyond hot dogs and those noodles that are just so bad for you…well anyway, Jacob had to replace all the cabinets and damn near had to replace the whole kitchen.”

“Tessa can technically cook…she just isn’t that big a fan of doing it a lot. Mainly breakfast…so yeah, we’ll make sure that she gets a meal plan.” Mercedes said with a laugh.

We talked for a while longer, everyone chiming in with their tips and ideas. Things that had made their own college experiences better from Saul and Mills. Things that we should make it a point to look for in the house from the ladies. It was a pretty damn good conversation. But after about an hour, the grandmoms decided it was past their bedtime. It was a great idea, so we all adjourned to our room too. Sam, Cede and I made love then we took turns in the shower, letting Cede go last so she could do her cleansing regimen before she showered. We hit the bed so hard then we bounced. It had been a long weekend and it wasn’t even over yet.

Because He Lives (Vickie Winans)  
Sam PoV

When Noah and I got up Easter Sunday morning, he was surprised that Mercy was already up. I wasn’t. I knew how important Easter Sunday service was in the Black church. It was almost as big in the southern Catholic churches. Not just because Easter was one of the biggest religious holidays in the churches, but because it was one of the biggest fashion events in the churches. On top of that, Mercy was seriously into hosting the Easter dinner for all our family and friends. So, of course, she was up and already busy in the kitchen. Noah and I headed down and found that Manny and Saul were already busy in the home gym. I just hadn’t realized quite how long she’d been up already until we got back upstairs. The whole first floor was alive with the voice of Pastor Shirley Caesar when we hit the floor. ‘I Feel Like Praising Him’ was an epic, epic gospel song and I wasn’t surprised to find MeMaw jamming to it just as hard as Mercy and Danica. I was a little surprised that Grandma Mae, Moms D and Momma were all there that early too. the ladies had been working, a lot. I opened the fridge to grab the milk, Lucky Charms was the true breakfast of champions, and there were already three big trays of deviled eggs, and a huge bowl of MeMaw’s macaroni salad. Momma’s shrimp and potato salad was there along with a smaller bowl of just potato salad for Nikki, who kept a lot more kosher than Puck did. I also saw two big hams, a huge, already perfectly roasted, turkey and more than a few of those Honey Baked Ham store turkey breasts.

The top few rows of the wine chiller had been repurposed and held more than a few pies, lemon meringue, fresh strawberry and pecan. On the counter in six pretty glass cake plates sat two of MeMaw’s coconut cream cake, what I was pretty sure was two sour cream pound cakes with a pretty glaze and two carrot cakes that were making my mouth water. I happened to peep in the butler’s pantry and noticed that there were three big pans of corn bread and three big pans of Jordan rolls waiting on us. The small chiller had two big punch bowls inside that looked like strawberry-ade, my personal favorite, and sweet tea. There were a bunch of crockpots filling the counter in there that were working hard on collard greens, a green bean casserole and, surprisingly enough, macaroni and cheese.

I guess our appearance tipped Cede off to the fact that it was a little bit after nine and we’d need to be at the church before eleven. The other mothers shooed her off and sent her to get herself and our girls dressed. It was pretty easy to tell that Momma, Moms D and Grandma Mae were dressed and just wearing housecoats over their dresses. Puck and I quickly finished our breakfast and headed into the girl’s bedroom to help Mercy. Only to find that Mara, Maea and Sloane were in the beds with our daughters. It was so damn cute. There may have been a mad dash for cell phones to take pictures before we finally woke them up. Then we spent the next little while getting the five of them all up and quickly showered, lotioned and dressed in their cream-colored panties, and slips, well diaper and dark beige socks for Sloane. Soon after that we helped all the adorable little darlings brushed their teeth and we washed their faces. As we worked, I mentally flashed back to all the Easter Sunday mornings I’d watched Momma doing exactly the same things with Stacey while Daddy took care of me and Stevie. Nikki and Beth’s dresses and sweaters and head bands had all been laid out the night before and Sloane’s suit along with the twins dressed had joined them.

Thankfully, Mills and MeMaw came in and took over from there, they ushered the little ones to the dining room where their breakfast was waiting on them. That gave Mercy, Noah and I the chance to go and get dressed ourselves. Puck and I were done first, we were already showered and just had to pull on our dress clothes. Mercy had basically managed to recreate the linen looks we’d worn for the scene in the video where Noah and I married each other. Except my suit was darker than his vest and pants. Oh, and the ties we wore were subtly different shades of peach, rather than both being the same shade of purple. Putting the three, almost identical dresses on Beth, Amara and Amaea was an experience. Beth’s peach satin details were just a little bit darker than Maea and Mara’s. Nikki was able to get herself dressed and everything so Mills and MeMaw spent the next little while taking the flexi-rods out of four heads, and brush a fifth.

Puck and I came out just in time to help pull wide toothed combs through curls and affix peach flowery headbands. We put in tiny little earrings. The only one who didn’t have her ears pierced was Beth, because that one was up to Shelby and David. She was wearing her Star of David necklace that hid a Rangeman tracker. In fact, all of the kids were wearing either Stars, crosses or in Sloane’s case a crucifix, that hid trackers. Thank goodness that metal Jesus couldn’t drown and the Rangeman chip was waterproof. All the siblings had tracker jewelry, even if they didn’t know what it was. Everyday watches, simple necklaces, cute, stud earrings. Things they could wear and never notice the tracker. It cost us a pretty penny, but to us it was worth every single cent.

We got the kids all dressed and lined up on the big sofa in the great room. There may have been a metric shit ton of pictures taken. There were five cute little kids all in coordinated or matching Sunday go to meeting clothes, with grandmothers and great-grandmothers and Mrs. Betty present, of course there were a whole lot of pictures taken. As it was getting closer to time to leave, Hudson came down in a peach dress with a high-low hem and wide ribbons of sheer material giving it a high neckline and a longer skirt. It was a pretty dress on our pretty pseudo-big sister. The moms all cooed over her, giving her maternal attention that she hadn’t received in far too long. Hal and Manny showed back up, both in black dress shirts and black slacks. Hal had Ms. Pillsbury with him. Despite her and Hudson having similar builds and the same hair color, it would be hard to mistaking them for sisters. Even Ms. Pillsbury’s understated floral dress was loud and vibrate compared to Hud’s simple dress. Ms. Lilly even came down before Mercy came out.

But damn if when she finally came out she wasn’t so pretty that it was worth every moment we’d waited. She was wearing a long dark peach maxi dress that criss-crossed into a halter top with a sexy, but not too showy keyhole between her luscious breasts. There was band of ruching under them too which made those big pretty titties look even bigger. The color made her skin glow. She’d paired the borderline church-unfriendly dress with an ivory, waist length cardigan that buttoned at the base of her neck. It looked like a total mom sweater but Mercy was wearing the hell out of it. Her shoes were even cute. Light tan heeled sandals with flowers that went around her sexy ankles and down to the tan strap across her toes. As she walked around checking everyone over, I finished checking her out. Her hair was lighter than usual; a really, really, really dark brown with lighter brown high lights throughout. It was as curly as all the girls and pulled back at the sides with two ivory rose barrettes. She looked pretty as a picture.

The next twenty minutes were a flurry of activity as we made sure everyone had their purses, that we all had enough change for the kids to all have money for the offerings and that everything in the kitchen was on low to warm or continue cooking without burning while we were gone. We got into all the cars and made it to Ada almost on time. Thankfully Daddy, Bekah, George and Hell Bent had gotten the rest of the family to the church early enough to save us all seats. When we opened the program, it was no surprise to find that Mara, Maea, Stevie, Stacey and Sloane all had speeches. I was a little surprised to see that Sarah didn’t but then I realized that at thirteen, she was probably in the play or something…not the speeches. It turned out that she was one of the praise dancers. They were performing to a song that I remember Mercy being shocked when she found out that it was by a white guy. A guy named Wess Morgan had done a song called ‘You Paid It All’ that Mercy loved. It was a beautiful song and the dude did have more soul than a little bit. We were a little bit surprised to see that both Tessa and Jake had readings too. but we were shocked to find Mercy’s name on there to do a solo.

“Momma?” she turned to Dani to ask.

“I just told Sister Adams that you’d be home for Easter. And that we were all coming to church.” Dani shrugged. “I guess they assumed that you’d do your solo like you’ve always done for Easter service.”

“Still, would have been nice to have a warning.” Mercy groaned.

Hell Bent just laughed. “Well, you didn’t sing it on the Grammys…” he teased. “I guess we here at Ada United Methodist all get to hear you show Beyoncé up anyway.”

“Daddy.” Mercy groaned. “They already heard the song done right. They all went and saw Selma.” She pointed out. But two readings after the program started she went up to the front and showed every single body in that church that she could make ‘Precious Lord’ her own just like every other song she touched. Every person in the church was on our feet when she finished. God, I loved hearing her sing. It was a completely religious experience, no matter what song her voice rose with. More than a few of the parishioners felt the same way. Some endeavoring soul even taped it on their phone and put it up on YouTube with the Beyoncé Grammy performance immediately following it and had people weigh-in in the comments section with who they thought did it better. The video went viral. By the time we found out about it, it already had over a million views and over two hundred and seventy thousand views. It was a thing that happened. Sometimes, I had to stop and ask how the hell that was my life.

But then two twin little angels scrambled down from their seats on the front row of what was usually the Deacons corner and I remembered that it was definitely my life and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Amara was immediately after her big sister and hearing the little angel tell the church that Jesus died on Calvary for you and me’ was almost as cute as hearing her sister say, that “He rose on the third day, with all power in His hands.” Sloane’s speech was even shorter than the one sentence of the other two of our toddlers. Simply ‘Jesus Rose’. After the last of the under seven set was the praise dance. Sarah was the only white girl up there, but she moved like she was like Brittany, Black when she danced. Once the ten girls in white and pale gold left the floor at the front of the church, then Stevie and Stacey’s age group was up next. Since the twins were at the higher end of that group it was a while before they were up. Their speeches were whole long poems. Churches loved to do that to you right before you aged out of the whole ‘speech’ thing. Though considering how much public speaking I’ve had to do in recent history, I probably should have been grateful for all the training things like Easter Services and such gave me. We clapped for all of them but clapped for our people more. There was a second praise dance, without Sarah.

We got to the church at eleven and didn’t get out until almost three. “Thank God for programable ovens.” I heard Danica whisper to the Grandmothers. “I didn’t think this was gonna go on this long. Usually we’re out by two.”

Apparently, they had planned everything on the two o’clock release from the service, because when we got back to the house, the Hudson-Hummels, Zizes and Karofsky and his boy LaKeith were all already there. Burt and Carole had brought a bottle of wine and cases of sodas. Mr. Ben and Ms. Laura brought some snacks and finger foods. Dave and LaKeith smiled and LaKeith just admitted, “We’re stupid and young…we just came to eat.”

“If it will make you feel any better, we’ll totally do the dishes.” Dave offered. “I mean…there is a dishwasher in this big ass house, right?”

“Shut up Karofsky," Puck shot back. “You know we only invited your ass so your boyfriend could see that you have some normal friends to make up for your crazy ass. Don’t make us start telling stories.”

Dave tried to melt into the crowd, which got easier as the Harts, Neeleys and Fosters arrived. Shelby and David came with Shelby’s parents, the Andersons, Lopezes, Abrams and Pierces rounded us out. We all spent the next four hours eating, drinking and making merry. The food was amazing…we were blessed with a family of people who were amazing in the kitchen. We played down in the game room while we waited on all that delicious food to settle so we could have dessert. We pulled Finn, Lauren, Vince, Dave and LaKeith to the side. “Okay, look, we heard from a little birdy that you guys were thinking of looking for an apartment off campus for all of you to share,” I broached the subject with my usual subtlety.

“Was that a birdy or a Berry?” Lauren shot back. “I knew Antwan was bringing those adorable little biracial pumpkins there to distract me these last few meetings. I thought it was because he wanted me to keep my cool when I was thinking about that asshole who almost stole my Finnie from us. But no, he knew that I wouldn’t pay him any attention. In fact, now that I’m away from all the cuteness, that last meeting we barely discussed the case. Mostly we talked about what we wanted in an apartment.”

“Yeah, we needed info.” Mercy told her with a grin.

Finn smiled as he caught up with the conversation. “And what did you guys do with that information?”

“Well, we found a duplex, little over half a mile from the stadium, a whole lot closer to most of your campus. It is currently occupied, but of course, those people will be out at the end of the semester. Soon as it is empty the construction crews hit it," Noah told them.

Mercy went and got George and Dad who helped us explain the changes that were being made. “Okay, so the place was originally two five bedroom, two bathroom apartments. We’ve fixed it so that you guys’ side will be a four and three with a small office. That gives the two couples larger bedrooms with walk-in closets. The five-bedroom unit is getting upgraded too we’re taking some space from tow of the bedrooms to create a second Jack and Jill bathroom. Now, both units are actually being gutted and rebuilt. The wiring was still knob and tube. It was very lucky that the place hasn’t gone up in smoke yet. There were some serious upgrades to the plumbing that were needed too. But the place was built back when things were made to last, so she has some good bones," Daddy explained.

George took over from there. “The crew will have it ready for habitation by the end of July, beginning of August. The basement is going to be accessible to both units, there will be on site laundry, a small gym and some storage space. We’re redoing the parking surface, there will be room for five cars. Your unit gets two spaces. Both units will be furnished. Cede is planning on fully furnishing your kitchen, the other will just have basics.”

“Yeah, you’ll be responsible for feeding yourselves and you’ll be paying your own utilities. We’re doing your rent just like Tina and Mike out in California. Two fifty a month per person in your unit. But, um, don’t tell whoever rents the other one because we’re charging five-fifty a month per person on that side," I pointed out. “Still, I mean, we’re not going to be hard ass landlords. If you have a month where money is too tight, let us know, maybe you can pay what you have and pay more the next month. Oh, and you can hang pictures and that kind of stuff…but ya know don’t trash the place.”

LaKeith laughed. “Man, Dave, your friends are the bomb. Guys, you do not have to worry, I will personally make sure that house looks as good the day we move out as it does the day we move in," he promised.

Burt must have been listening in from somewhere behind me, because he chimed in over my shoulder. “You all will. You’re too young to really understand how good a deal this is for you. You’ll be paying about three grand a year for rent when the dorms cost almost four times that for nine months. Finn, you and Vince promise me now, if you’re having trouble with something, you will call me and Ben before you take advantage of the fact that your friends love you.”

Vince and Finn solemnly swore to do just that. Lauren knew she was safe. She already had a serious surplus with her scholarships. In fact, later on, when they moved in, she paid for two years, full rent, right off the bat. That afternoon, she just laughed. “I’m handling the cable, internet and phone bundle bill…because I know what kind of internet we need to keep me happy.” It was funny how quickly LaKeith picked up the water, sewer and trash bill while Finn and Vince agreed to split the electric bill every month.

Mercedes just looked at George. “Tell that Ringler guy, he’s doing the decorating in the duplexes right? Yeah, tell him to put king size beds in the master and two of the other bedrooms, the fourth should have two full size beds if possible.” She looked Finn and Lauren over then Dave and LaKeith. “Make sure they are sturdy. This is not a time to go for form over function. Oh, and when y’all leave, take you can sure as hell take those mattresses with you. We’ll replace them for the next tenants.”

Finn blushed. Lauren smirked. Vince shook his head. LaKeith looked surprised that she would say something like that. Dave just nodded. “Yeah, that might be for the best. Put it in the leases that we’ll pay five hundred towards the replacements since we shouldn’t leave you guys in the lurch like that. And mattresses are way more expensive than you’d think.”

“Probably we should have done that for Tina and Mike too," I joked.

Puck looked thoughtful. “Dave, LaKeith, not trying to be an asshole but you guys need to be good because if you break up during the lease, one of you can move into the extra room, but that isn’t gonna be a good enough reason for us to let you out the lease.”

“That’s reasonable, man," LaKeith said thoughtfully. “I’m grateful to be included in all of this from jump. I mean, I was worried about Dave getting outted because of me. I don’t care about me. I mean, let’s be real anyone who talks to me for more than ten minutes knows I’m queerer than a three-dollar bill. But Dave is different. He needs to keep his private life private, at least until he’s established in the NFL. So, this is like the answer to a prayer, because I just couldn’t seem to make myself leave him alone.”

I looked over at Mercedes. “I get it. Once you feel that strongly about somebody, even if it may not seem like it’s been that long to those outside looking in, you just feel the love. Whether they try and say that you’re too young…”

“Or just too different," LaKeith said understanding that I really did get what he was saying. “Yeah, sometimes you just know.”

Vince groaned. “Alright, let’s cut it with all the lovey dovey talk. You know what I know…I know that I’m ready for some dessert.”

“Aww, Vince, my brother’s younger doppleganger…you’ll find your one eventually,” Mercy assured him with a hug. “And if you find her in the next two years, if you want to move her in with you, she can just sign a lease and get the same deal as the rest of y’all.”

Lauren wanted to talk to the designer who’d be filling their space once everything was done. But Puck had to put the kibosh on that. “No, sorry Laur, but it can’t be too person specific. You guys will be juniors next year, and graduate the year after that…we want to rent it out at full price for at least four more years after you all go. I don’t want to have to do more than arrange a deep cleaning and have the paint freshened up. That’s why it won’t be any carpet anywhere. If you think the floor is too cold, fork out for a rug.”

Elle rolled her eyes. “Fine…just make sure that our room has a lot of storage.” She hinted deeply enough that George and Dad both dipped to the left.

Mercy gave her a fist bump. “Girl, you know I got you. I know how much shit you’ve gotta have just to make Finnie and Ma’am work. We’ll get a big armoire with drawers in it just for your play gear.”

“Good looking out.” Lauren returned the bump. “Now, Vinnie boy mentioned dessert. One of those strawberry pies is calling my name.”

The rest of the evening past quickly in a haze of good food and good conversation. Laura and Ben hugged all three of us. They had been very worried, not about Lauren…but about Vince. He, even more than Hudzes had been getting restless in the dorms. Lauren and Finn just took the two loft beds as a challenge. But Vince was finding the dorms a pain in the ass. With Netta in the same city, they wanted to see each other more often. But with her schedule, it was hard for them to see each other given that the dorm they lived in had visitation hours. However, he’d been concerned about his ability to move off campus, even once he found out about the coming changes to his financial aid. Our stepping in and giving him a place that he could afford, that was near enough to campus that his lack of a vehicle wouldn’t present a problem…solved all the problems he’d faced. The parentals were quite happy. The numbers on what the duplexes would bring in and the fact that we could help our friends made the three of us happy.

After everyone had dessert, the whole family and all our friends made short work of putting the house back to rights. Shelby and David took Beth home with them when they left and that was hard. Oh, that little Pumpkin had a piece of my heart, every bit as much as her big sister. We slept in Lima, but were up, dressed and at the airport in Columbus in time for a six am flight. The Moms assured us that they would lock up behind Mrs. Betty and Ms. Lilly, who wouldn’t leave until a more reasonable time, get the maids in to clean the house from top to bottom and lock it back down until our next trip home. We were back in Manhattan in time to make all our classes and get Nikki to school on time. We even managed not to pass out before our scheduled rehearsal after dinner. It was as we were on our way back to the brownstone at the end of a ridiculously long day that all of our cell phones and Hudson’s rang at the exact same time. Scared the shit out of all of us.

Hudson put hers on speaker when we realized that we were all getting parts of the conversation and trying to listen to each other’s halves of the other conversations and therefore panicking without ever hearing what the problem was. “Mr. Berry, please repeat what you just said, we’re all listening.”

“I know that Rachel hasn’t done anything to deserve your kindness, but please. We can’t get there for five more hours at the earliest. I’m sure that she’s gonna be scared if she wakes up alone," Hiram Berry said beseechingly. I’d never really understood what that word really meant until that instant. 

It explained why my dad was saying something about the Berry’s having dropped the triplets off with them and the Joneses. “What happened to Rachel, Mr. Hiram? I didn’t catch that part from Daddy,” Mercy asked her voice sounding strained…scared.

“We don’t know. A policeman called us. she was found on a subway train beaten really badly, they stole her laptop bag and the money from her wallet, if she was carrying any, but her ID and phone were with her. They rushed her to New York Presbyterian Hospital in Queens. We…please…”

“Mr. Antwan, Mr. Hiram, don’t you worry about a thing. No matter how we feel about Rachel, you two are family," I said as soon as Mercy nodded that I was doing exactly the right thing. “We’ll go to the hospital. I don’t know what they will tell us, but if possible she won’t wake up alone.”

“Yeah, and you two can stay with us," Puck assured them. “You just concentrate on getting here safe and sound.”

Caesar had no problem getting us from Brooklyn to the hospital in Queens. By the time we got there, they had, thankfully received a fax from Gwen on behalf of Antwan and Hiram, releasing them to allow us to visit Rachel in their stead. We’d worried that even if we got in to see her, she would wake up angry at our presence, after all we weren’t her favorite people any more than she was ours. Little did we know that once the doctors gave us a brief summary of her injuries and overall condition we’d be much more worried about the fact that she might not wake up at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of us in corporate positions, this is the time of the year where we get merit based raises and bonuses.
> 
> I would like to appeal to you, my readers, if you feel that I deserve a 'job well done' for the work I've put into this entire series, drop me a very nice bonus, in the form of a nice long comment where you express your favorite moments from the series. (If you read this on both sites, you can leave your favorite here and your other favorite on the other site.) *Insert Innocent Smile Here*
> 
> Also Happy Birthday to Celine Dion and Norah Jones! Its rather cool that two such notable voices share a birthday.
> 
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	38. The Fight Song (Marilyn Manson), When You Need Me (Bruce Springsteen) & Good Things Happen (Dierks Bentley)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Happened to Rachel?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> e who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Take It Back Now, Y'all by Down By The River
> 
>  
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!

The Fight Song (Marilyn Manson)  
Rachel PoV

I stayed in the city for Passover, attending B’Nai Jeshrun in the Upper West Side for Pesach services. I’d studied the temples in the city carefully before committing to attending one. While Congregation Emanu-El had more heavy hitters, per capita, B’Nai Jeshrun was home to Tony Kushner and Lloyd Blankfein. It was my hope that, should I ultimately prove unable to convince Kushner that I was the perfect for the lead role in his next play, I’d be able to ensnare Mr. Blankfein’s younger, and still unwed, son. It also had the distinction of being the second-oldest synagogue in New York. There was a certain cache of being a New York Jew, especially one associated with either of the big two synagogues in the city, and I definitely enjoyed the perks. In addition, the after-service noshes were always amazing. I found classes the second semester just as uninteresting as those from the before winter break. I longed for a day when I only had to concentrate on my performance classes. After all who really cared that the US was a representational democracy rather than being truly democratic? My ability to land a role on Broadway would never hinge on my ability to understand the electoral college.

I was grumbling to myself as I rode the subway back to my ‘charming’ little cell of an apartment in ‘all the way in the Bush’ Brooklyn. In true New Yorker fashion, I barely noticed the train car getting fuller. I certainly didn’t notice when I was surrounded by large bodies. It happened often enough that I no longer paid any attention. I had my head phones in and I was, perhaps unusually, minding my own business when suddenly a huge hand covered my mouth and nose. I struggled but the hand was too big. I was pressed against the stability pole so hard, it was smashing my bountiful bosom. When we went into the tunnel there was a break and a voice came over the PA announcing something that no one, even the most native of New Yorkers could understand. But anyone could understand the sudden halt and darkness. I tried to scream, but there was no air in my lungs and I wasn’t sure there ever would be again. I was sure that I was going to be raped. I barely had the time to think that the joke was on my attacker, I hope he enjoyed his new STD, when the first blow took me by surprise. The big man whose hand was over my face seemed to be directly behind me, but the blow came from my side. It was a sharp, measured fist to my lower back on my right. The hand over my mouth tightened to contain the grunt of pain.

There was no way that my beautiful face wasn’t being bruised by the hand mauling it. In quick succession, I was hit three times from behind by a fist so large it had to be the partner of the hand over my face. I screamed breathlessly and tonelessly. The hand over my mouth and nose squeezed so tightly, my jaw popped. There was nothing getting around the hand that was helping the pain to render me unconscious. Several more punches to my right side made me want to vomit. I felt more than heard a snap as something gave in my side. When the first punch came from the left, I couldn’t hang on even to the last tendrils of consciousness. The last thing I felt was the hand moving off my face only for it to curl into my hair. “Daddy, help me.” I whimpered. The big man bashed my face into the pole and I knew nothing more.

When You Need Me (Bruce Springsteen)  
Antwan Berry PoV

“Daddy, help me.”

Hiram and I were in our dining room feeding our five-month-old triplets and trying to eat something ourselves when I could hear Rachel’s voice…clear as a bell calling for me. “Hiram, did you hear that?”

“I heard Channing’s carrots hitting my ear with unerring aim.” My husband turned and looked at me. “But no, other than that, I didn’t hear anything. Why, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. I thought I heard Rachel calling my name," I answered thoughtfully, still looking around uneasily. I tried to shake it off and continue with our nightly rituals. After we finished getting the babies fed, each had a third of a jar of pureed carrots, green beans and peaches, we took them up to their bathroom and gave them their bath. We were diapering Terrence, he was the last one that Monday night, when the house phone rang. To be honest, we shouldn’t have been able to hear it, not with the study door closed and us upstairs in the nursery. It caused a shiver to run down my back. Before I thought, I shoved the stuffed Kermit I’d been distracting Reba with into Hiram’s hand and ran down the stairs. I managed to catch it on the last ring. “Hello.”

“Hello, may I please speak with Mr. Antwan or Mr. Hiram Berry?” an officious sounding voice asked.

“This is Antwan Berry.”

“Mr. Berry, this is Sergeant James Bright with the sixty-seventh precinct. I am sorry to have to call you this evening. Do you have a daughter named Rachel who lives at fourteen oh three New York Ave in Brooklyn, New York?” he asked efficiently.

“Yes, she’s a student at Tisch," I groaned. “What’s wrong? Is she okay?”

He let me know very quickly that Hiram and I needed to be in Brooklyn as soon as we could. “Your daughter was found unconscious, stuffed under the seats of a subway car. She was badly beaten. That is all we know for sure right now. She was taken from the train to New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital.”

“Umm, okay. I’ll…we’ll, we’ll get someone to watch out three younger children and be there as soon as we can catch a flight,” I breathed. “But, please…Sergeant…my daughter is alive?”

“She arrived at the hospital in critical condition, but alive. However, I wouldn’t waste any time getting here," he said in the blunt almost brutal honesty one would expect from a Brooklyn cop.

From there I flew into motion. I raced up the stairs and told Hiram to pack the kids; we needed to take them to Danica. “Rachel’s in the hospital. We have to get there now.” I had us packed for a week or more in New York. Whatever we didn’t have, we’d fucking buy there. It was New York, they had everything. We packed the sleepy-angry babies in the car, Hiram explaining to them something they wouldn’t understand and I headed to the Jones home. They didn’t hesitate to agree to watch the babies. Benton had our spare key so if they needed anything, it would be easy for them to get it. Danica even called our manny and let him know that they would meet him at our house with the triplets every day so as not to disturb their schedules or his.

It was Benton who reminded us that there were people in New York who could go and be with our baby until we could get there ourselves. I hesitated. Rachel had been horrible to Mercedes…Sam and Noah too…but she had been the worst to Mercedes more than to anyone else. But the thought of our little girl waking up in a hospital all alone, forced my hand. Of course, Danica and Benton and Sander all made calls of their own too. I’d actually called Hudson, because I wasn’t sure if Commune would still be in their rehearsal. Apparently, with four simultaneous calls happening in the same car at the same time, no one was hearing anything clearly. Hudson put me on speaker phone and quieted the others. I explained what we knew so far and pretty much begged them to go to her. There were no words for the relief I felt when Sam told me that no matter what Rachel had done, Hiram and I were still family to them and they would go for our sakes if not for hers.

With that handled, we could concentrate on getting ourselves to New York. As I drove us out of Lima Hiram booked us on the first available. I’d been heading out to Dayton, only to find that the only flights out that night left from Columbus. We managed to just make the flight. When we arrived at JFK, I was amazed to find that Hudson had arranged us a car service to take us to the hospital. On the flight Hiram had looked into the hospital. Finding that it was a level one trauma center had only increased our fears. Our arrival at the hospital was far more frightening than it needed to be. The front of the building was positively swarming with press. I was fairly sure that I knew why they were there. I tried to ignore it, ignore them. But several of them were shouting loudly over each other, not at us, none of them seemed to recognize that we were associated with the kids. No they were all shouting at the poor, beleaguered spokesperson who had been sent out to try and get them to disperse.

“Despite what you may have heard, no member of the music group KAMA is registered at this hospital. They may well be here visiting someone, but no they were not rushed into the ER. Ms. Jones has not suffered a miscarriage. Mr. Evans has not suffered a psychiatric break. Mr. Puckerman has not been admitted to have anything removed from any orifice. PLEASE LEAVE or the police will be called.”

Hiram and I shook our heads. Those people were ridiculous. Despite the late hour, there was someone manning the information desk, but even better, Blaine Anderson was waiting on us in the lobby. “Benton told us what was going on and when the driver called to say you were here, Hudson was going to come down, but I needed to do something," he said as he directed us to a hidden set of automatic doors.

Hiram cursed. “We forgot the luggage.” He started to turn.

Blaine stopped him quickly. “Don’t worry. The driver is going to take it to Bubbie’s brownstone. She said that if you ever left the hospital, you guys would appreciate the king bed in her guest room more than the full in the guestrooms at our place.”

“Thank you all. I know that Rachel…”

Blaine cut Hiram off. “No matter what Rachel has done she didn’t deserve to be beaten and just left like a piece of trash on a subway train. Even more than that…you guys are part of this big, crazy, complicated network…we’re here to take care of you because we all take care of our own.”

Mercedes, Noah and Sam along with Kurt, Hudson and one of the Rangemen were seated in the trauma unit’s waiting room. After hugging us, Noah broke the news. “The doctors wouldn’t tell us much. She is still in surgery. We know that there was some sort of traumatic brain injury. Her forehead had what he called a ‘spiderweb’ fracture. There was something about her nose and bone fracture repair surgery. We filled out the forms they put in our hands, but there was a lot of stuff we didn’t know, so they may bring them back.”

“Oh, I have to call that detective back.” Mercedes said suddenly. “She wanted to speak with you when you got here.” Her hands were shaking as she dug out her phone and a business card. Hudson took the card from her shaking hand and made the call. “Mr. Antwan, I just…I mean you know there have been plenty of times over the years I’ve wanted to take Rachel to the carpet, and that one time I actually did. But this beating wasn’t…it just don’t make no sense. From what I overheard one of the nurses say…this was just brutal. Why on earth would anybody do this to her?”

I could only pull her into a hug I needed as much as she did. “I don’t know Mercedes. I just don’t know.”

We all tried to draw comfort from each other for a long moment, then Hiram and I went out to the desk to finish the forms. By the time we completed the forms, it really did take both of us, as Hiram never did memorize our daughter’s social. I tried to block out anything bad that ever happened to her, so he remembered her medical history better than I did. Thank God she was still on our insurance. As we were handing the forms back to the charge nurse, a doctor came over. “Mr. and Mr. Berry?”

“Yes, are you Rachel’s doctor? Is she out of surgery? Is she okay?” We bombarded him with questions.

He held up his hands. “Your daughter is still in surgery. Unfortunately, her injuries caused internal bleeding in addition to some of the other wounds that have necessitated surgical remedy. I am her admitting doctor. If we can speak for a moment, I can tell you what we know.” He looked down at a file. “She was admitted with clear evidence of a severe beating. The damage to her face and body is not inconsiderable. However, at no point did she stop breathing.” He tried to soften what he said next. “She did have several broken ribs, one of which punctured the left lung. She had two compound fractures of other ribs…meaning they came through her skin not the other lung. Her clothing was ripped and her underwear was not present, so we did a rape kit, but there is no evidence that she was raped.”

“Thank Yeshiva for small mercies,” Hiram breathed.

“Yes, well, it was the only mercy her attackers gave to her.” A suited woman introduced herself as Detective Amanda Rollins. “From the evidence at the scene, one of them hit her head against the support pole," she said more to the doctor than us.

“That would explain the frontal bone and nasal bone fractures.” He made a note on the file. “Misters Berry, we are having to wire her jaw shut and there are several loose or missing teeth. There was also damage to her spinal column. Thankfully it seems like the vertebrae were well, shifted out of alignment. We won’t know if there was any damage to the spine itself until she awakens, but her autonomic responses make us believe that there is little to no effect of the nervous system. In addition to that, she suffered a broken left clavicle, right humerus…probably one of her attackers was trying to force her to remain standing. That is consistent with the shoulder dislocation of the same side.”

“Stop, for the love of God, stop. That is my child you are talking about. Just tell me she is going to live and what we need to do to make sure that it happens.” I finally shouted.

“Sir, I cannot imagine how frightening this must be. I do have children and the thought of this happening to any of them is just not something I can even fathom. I can tell you that though the beating she sustained was very, very bad…she doesn’t have any injuries that in and of themselves are truly life threatening. Some could have been if this attack had happened during another time of day when she wouldn’t have been found for more time…but she was found and we are doing our best to make sure that she will be fine eventually. If you can let me finish, it will help you to understand what kind of recovery timeline you are looking at for your daughter.” Dr. Cuddy said gently. Hiram waved him on. “Her pelvis was broken, but it was a type A iliac wing fracture, which is better than it could have been. She has a broken femur in her left leg and her ankle on her right leg is broken. Those were all the fractures and well, bone related injuries. For the most part, those are the most, well…those are the easiest of her injuries. Once they are all set and casted where appropriate…the recovery time for them is six to eight weeks. The most worrying of those injuries in is definitely the spiderweb fracture of her frontal bone. Those types of fractures have been known to cause traumatic epilepsy.”

“Ms. Berry, of course, had large amounts of contusions, bruising…mostly to her face and sides. So far the surgeons have noted that there was some, rather extensive grade two bruising and a grade three laceration to her right kidney, but its ability to function doesn’t seem to be greatly compromised. She will have some blood in her urine but it shouldn’t last beyond a day or two. We won’t know more until she is out of surgery and we find out the totality of her internal injuries.” He finally finished cataloging all the injuries that he knew of himself.

“Umm…you said she had a head injury…is she having to have neurological surgery?”

“Possibly, but the fracture only caused epidural bleeding, and her surgical team is optimistic that in repairing the fracture, they will be able to avoid having to go into the skull any further.” Doctor Cuddy said reassuringly. He turned to Detective Rollins. “We’ll have a copy of the full report for law enforcement when it’s ready. Are you the point of contact?”

“Yeah, my card is in her chart.” She answered him. He left the three of us alone and the blonde detective had our full attention.

“Misters Berry, I am sorry that we had to meet under these circumstances. We are working hard to find out everything we can about who did this to your daughter. She is a student at TISCH, taking classes at NYU as well. Do you happen to know anyone who she was having issues with on campus?” she asked us.

I decided to be completely honest. “Our daughter was diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder her senior year of high school. Chances are good she was having issues with a lot of people. None of the people I knew of her having conflicts with would have attacked her in a crowded subway car and shoved her under the seat.”

I was surprised when a voice came from behind me. “He’s right. If you talk to anyone who knows us, I’d be your first suspect…but I’m not a cowardly bitch. If I was finally pushed to the point that I decided to take out the annoying Hobbit bitch, everyone would have seen it happen. I might have sold tickets.”

Hiram shocked Detective Rollins by hugging then introducing her to Santana Lopez. “I’m surprised that you’re here then," the detective said to the fiery Latina.

“Fuck that noise. I didn’t hurt her tonight. The one time I did punch her we were still both juveniles, in another jurisdiction and I’m pretty sure any statute of limitations has passed. Besides…I may want to shave their eldest daughter’s head on a regular basis, but Hiram and Antwan Berry are seriously some of the best gays I fucking know. They have my loyalty. I would never do this to them. As often as she makes me want to inflict pain on her…this shit that went down tonight wasn’t right. Once upon a time she was one of my people…at least peripherally. I came because Rachet and I have had classes together and it’s known around campus that if you have a gripe against her, I have a sympathetic ear and a wealth of prank ideas. I’m hoping that I can save you some time. The faster you find this pendejo the better.” She turned to me. “Brittany is here. If Artie is remembering correctly…Man Hands is AB positive too. She’s down to donate if you need her.”

“So, you hate her, but you’re here to help us catch whoever beat her, and you brought your friend,”

“Girlfriend," Santana interrupted.

“You brought your girlfriend because your other friend,”

“Our boyfriend.” Santana interrupted again to clarify…and to be a pain in the police officer’s ass.

Detective Rollins tried to look unfazed, she didn’t manage it. “You brought your girlfriend to donate blood because your shared boyfriend remembered the victim’s blood type?”

Santana looked at the blonde woman as if she were slow. “Yeah. Because we care about what happens to her because her dads are awesome people and they spend their free time helping young gays in our hometown come to terms with their sexuality…including me and Britts and our friend Unique.”

“And what about the three in the waiting room? Why are they here? The victim’s social media is littered with anti-KAMA sentiments. She even has a second set of accounts just dedicated to blackballing the group, but they beat me here…the nurse even said that they offered their black card to ensure payment until her fathers could get here with their insurance information.” She seemed honestly confused but also a little suspicious.

Hiram chuckled darkly. “We love our daughter, Detective Rollins…but if this had happened to Mercedes the very first thing Antwan and I would have done would have been to check her credit cards and bank accounts to make sure that she hadn’t managed to hire someone to do it. But when we got this call, their parents, Mercedes’ parents didn’t hesitate to watch our three babies, they’re only five months old. We couldn’t bring them. Sam’s parents and Mercedes’ parents reminded us that their kids were here and could come in case Rachel woke up before we could get here. Our daughter has done more to hurt those kids than you can guess. But they didn’t hesitate to come and be here and apparently, try and guarantee that she got the best care they could by making sure the staff knew that the bill would be paid…though hopefully that wouldn’t have made any difference. Antwan is one of their lawyers. They called Rachel their friend for years. Antwan and I are completely sure that the people in that waiting room have nothing to do with this. Maybe not because they wouldn’t hurt a fly…if they ever get their hands on the man that is stalking Mercedes…I can promise you that his injuries will make what’s been done to our daughter look like child’s play. But they would never hurt us like this.”

Detective Rollins head came up. “Stalker…there isn’t anything in the news about KAMA having a stalker. Hell, everyone at the station was surprised to find out that the victim was cyber stalking them.”

I fielded that one. “Mercedes, Sam and Noah don’t want Rachel to get in trouble for something they consider harmless. Whenever she gets too ridiculous, their friends Artie and Lauren hack her email account and mess up her spam filter so she gets a lot of adult spam. Getting that all stopped usually distracts her from bothering them for a while. At least that’s how they were handling it. But don’t tell them I know, please. They don’t want Hiram and I to know about Rachel’s bad behavior. As for the stalker…we’ve been trying to keep it out the news. The man is rich and powerful. If he decides to disappear, we would never be able to find him and that would make him more dangerous, not less.”

She nodded understanding what I meant. “If they need some discreet help with building an airtight case…” she whipped out a card and handed it to me. “I’ve seen how bad stalker cases can go.”

“Thanks, Rangeman Security is handling that side of things as part of their bodyguard services. We thought we’d be able to deal a few months back, but weren’t able to satisfy a California judge as to the need for an arrest warrant.” I ran my hands over my head. “I need a fucking vacation from my life.” I grumbled.

She did look apologetic as she replied, “sorry, but from what the doc just said it’s gonna be a while before that can happen.”

“Longer than that. Even, best case scenario, we can get Rachel home and rehabbed…there will still be three very young Berrys who are too little to take on vacation with us and too little to leave behind.” Hiram pointed out.

We returned to the waiting room where, Hiram and I told the kids to go home because they had classes the next day. But they all insisted on waiting with us until the doctors told us Rachel was out of surgery. Detective Rollins took the time to speak with Brittany and Artie. It may have been a little bit rude, but I found the shell-shocked look the police officer wore after trying to understand Britt-speak, as Mercedes called it, to be simply hilarious. Artie’s interview was easier on her. He was succinct, logical and he had no problem explaining to her all the different ways this could not have been any of the crew. Granted he did admit to being capable of, and actually having done, some things that were less than legal, though Detective Rollins seemed to ignore them as they were all part of what I’d already explained to her as their measures to keep Rachel from doing anything that might force them to get her into trouble. The look of shock returned after the conversation she had with Kurt…probably she didn’t get the fashion metaphors that he used as his preferred communication device. When Santana pulled her to the side, I couldn’t resist getting close enough to hear what she had to say that she didn’t want us to know.

“Look, I don’t know if the Parents Berry know, but Rachel has some kind of STD, she didn’t say what…but she named names as to who gave it to her. He’s some big shot rugby player. There were a lot of people on campus who didn’t believe her at first, basically because she’s a bitch who will lie on anyone if it serves her purposes. But she produced a doctor’s letter stating that she was still virginal as well as a copy of the med report of her only other semi-sexual partner and he is clean. I even got brought into it because she needed someone to vouch for her high school boyfriend.”

“How could you vouch for his status?” Rollins asked.

Santana smirked. “Because, Finn has only been with two girls in his life. I popped his cherry…he’s only been with Lauren since me because Rachel doesn’t need orgasms…just adulation.” Rollins looked skeptical. “You don’t have to believe me, ask anyone here. We’d all know if Finnie boy had something because Lauren would have broken his neck for cheating on her.” Again, there was a look. “I get it, it’s hard to understand…but look at it like this, you’ve gotta have some group of people that you’d take a bullet for, the people that you are so tight with, you’d shoot a mutha-fucker dead between the eyes to protect. Most folks don’t believe that we’re that tight with people from high school…but we’re just as tight with them as you probably are with your brothers and sisters in blue. If Finn had gotten something, I’d sure as hell know. Anyway, since Rachel dimed his ass out, Old Boy has had chicks coming out the wood work to say he gave them something too. None of them will say what, but it’s gotta be something bad, or not even Rachel would be that pissed off about it. Everyone knows so, I’m pretty sure that dude isn’t getting laid again for a hell of a long time. Since he considers himself something of a player…”

Rollins connected the dots. “He could be looking for some revenge. And a rugby player would be big enough to cause this kind of damage. Any clue who he is?”

“Just google Dickheads push cripple down NYU stairs. The video comes up even if that wasn’t what Ratchet named it,” she told the officer. “He was the head dickhead. The NYU cops made a report.”

Rollins made notes of everything Santana told her. “Thanks…I hope your…well, friend isn’t the right word. I hope she makes it okay. I’ll be in touch.” She stopped and said good bye to me and Hiram and left to go do her job.

We waited. As time crept by so slowly it seemed as if the clock was moving backwards, Hudson arranged for the delivery of some drinkable coffee, not just for us, but for the doctors, nurses and orderlies too. It was a little before one in the morning, three hours after we’d gotten to the city that never sleeps, when Doctor Cuddy came in with a doctor who was clearly just coming out of surgery, though the tall, curvaceous, light skinned, or possibly biracial, woman had made an effort to clean up. “Misters Berry, this is Dr. Parker…she was your daughter’s surgeon.”

Hiram and I grabbed each other’s hands for strength. “How is she, Doctor?”

The doctor, who honestly didn’t look a day over thirty, which worried me a bit, gave us a measured look. “Your daughter’s injuries were extensive. There were three compound fractures that had to be surgically repaired. Unfortunately, given that two of those were ribs, we’ve had to take slightly extreme measures, to surgically realign the bones so that they can heal on their own. Fortunately, the puncture was not as severe as we first believed. The lung was inflated without undue problems. It should heal well, though we will be watching her closely. Her ribs will take at least two to three months to fully heal. The internal bleeding was caused by an abrasion to her liver and a small tear of the pedicle that stabilizes the organ in the abdomen. I repaired the tear and the abrasion should heal without decreasing the function of the liver. Dr. Cuddy said that he already told you about the injuries to her kidneys. I can say definitively now that they are in decent condition and there shouldn’t be any long-term impairment. We did have to remove her appendix. It wasn’t inflamed, but one of the blows had caused it to rupture. The orthopedic surgeon had to put a rod in her thigh. That surgery went very well. The neurologist was able to repair the epidural hematoma without having to go into the skull any further and as able to rectify the slight depression at the center of the break without consequence. She’s in recovery, but her ankle and humerus are being casted. She is also receiving a modified, fiberglass, unilateral hip spica cast. Depending on how long she’s here, we may move her to a pre-fabricated brace that will encompass her entire left leg. She’ll be in a sling for a while, but there will be some rehab to ensure that there is no calcification of the joint. We’re keeping her in ICU overnight as a precaution. Tomorrow, if all goes well, she will be moved to a regular room.”

I looked at the doctors. “How long will she be hospitalized?”

They both shook their heads, “There is honestly no way to answer that until after she comes around. We haven’t even been able to assess the effects of her spinal misalignment.” Dr. Parker said honestly.

“She still needs to be watched carefully because she has a fairly severe concussion…the earliest we’ll be able to give you even possibilities as to the duration of her hospitalization would be forty-eight hours from now.” Dr. Cuddy added. “It might be best if one of you stay tonight and the other go on to your hotel. The ICU waiting room has two comfortable sofas and you’ll be allowed in with your daughter for twenty minutes every hour. Taking turns being here will help you to, well to be honest, I often think that being the one sitting with a loved one in ICU is more difficult than being the one in the bed. Switching out really helps with avoiding getting burned out.”

Hiram looked at me. “That sounds like a good idea. You stay tonight. I think it will do her good to see you when she wakes up. You heard her call for you tonight. I didn’t even feel that anything was wrong. You should be here when she wakes up.”

I hugged him. “I know that you know better than to think for even a moment that what happens tonight means anything more than maybe my great-grandmother really was a psychic. Rachel loves you. I love you. But I am going to take first watch. In the morning, check on Reba, Channing and Terrance then catch a cab and you can come and sit with our eldest while I go and shower and get some real rest.” I knew that wouldn’t happen. Chances were good that if I managed to sleep at all it would be for an hour or so tops. Then I’d probably head to Chelsea and work with Ethan or something to keep my mind off everything until I could come back to the hospital without making Hiram feel like I was doubting his ability to care for our daughter or something.

We were able to see her together before Hiram left with all of the kids that had been better to our daughter than Rachel probably deserved. It was a difficult sight. Rachel’s leg was in traction because of the repair needed to fix her broken femur. That night was harder than any other I’d ever experienced. I wasn’t able to sleep in the waiting room for the nightmares of how much worse things could have been. Yet when I was in the room with Rachel, the steady beeps of the heart monitor lulled me to sleep and I felt like I was wasting the time I had in there with her. I would fall asleep talking to her, her bruised hand held carefully in mine. The morning nursing shift actually just let me sleep through their checks since my chair was not in their way. One of them told me that the night shift charge nurse had advised it, since it was the only way both me and the elderly gentleman whose wife was in a different ICU room would both get any rest. He was a nice older man. He and I had prayed together for the women we loved who each had a long road of recovery ahead of them.

That was how Hiram found Rachel and I when he got there at nine. He hadn’t been able to wait any longer. I couldn’t blame him. I doubt I would have either. We talked to our daughter together, telling her all the news from home. Assuring her that she was going to be okay and of our love for her. I left at ten, went to Ruth’s, who had made sure that we had a key and her security code, showered, shaved and went to work with Ethan on the three cases on our plate. Hiram was telecommuting using a landline internet connection in the waiting room whenever he wasn’t with Rachel. I knew others might not understand the fact that we continued to work as we waited but for us it was vital. It felt better than dying by inches from worry. The next week followed the same pattern. It was very, very taxing on our souls. By Thursday, Rachel had still not awoken. After tests, which flew above my head, I went to law school not med school for a very good reason…they said that she had a Glasgow Coma Scale score of nine. The proclamation didn’t worry her care staff as much as it did her fathers. She was moved to a private room that afternoon. Thankfully, the traction cage was no longer a part of her treatment program. That made things far less worrying, but we were still worried out of our minds. I didn’t think the hospital normally did private rooms. But I didn’t have the cognitive ability to ask about it at that point. Friday afternoon, not long after Darcy, Hudson and Brantley left the office with all the musical equipment and the band members, to meet up with Mercedes, Sam, Noah and the rest to head to Indio California to perform Saturday night at Coachella, Benton, Danica and Jake arrived at the KAMA offices with the three most beautiful five month old babies ever known to man. Ooohh, I had to curb that tendency before we ended up with three more Narcissists.

Having the babies there with us that weekend made a world of difference. Ruth encouraged us to turn one of her spare bedrooms into a playroom slash nursery. We got playpens for all three of the babies where they could sleep and other things we needed to care for them while Danica sat with Rachel. Even the nurses told us to spend a few hours away from that room. It was nice to spend time with Hiram and the triplets. We were even able to make love while the twins were napping with Benton and Jake was putting together their new digs. We’d tried to help and got shooed away very quickly. When we got back, Danica had helped the nurses with cleaning Rachel up. She’d even thought to bring in some hospital grade lotion and used it to moisturize Rachel’s available skin. “Don’t tell the nurses, but I added arnica ointment…help those bruises heal faster.”

“Danica…there are no words. I cannot even tell you how much this means to us. I…” Suddenly, there were tears. Lots and lots and lots of tears. Hiram and I just broke down. We sank to our knees at the foot of the bed of our daughter and wept.

And Danica, she just came over and hugged us, letting us rid ourselves of all the emotions we’d been fighting to keep from overwhelming us for almost an entire week. “It’s about damn time you two finally let this sink in," she whispered. 

It took a while, but we finally pulled ourselves together. Danica headed down to the waiting area to call the car service Benton, Sam and Noah insisted she use instead of the subway. Hiram would be going back with her to the brownstones but it would take a while before the car arrived. We took seats on either side of Rachel’s bed and held her hands. Talking to her, just talking to her and each other. I almost missed it entirely when her eyes opened for the first time since we’d arrived. As we spoke to her, repeating over and over that she was going to be okay and that we were there, her eyes moved back and forth between us slowly. Danica came back and ran to get the nurse and doctors. She was only ‘awake’ for a few minutes, but the doctors told us that it was a great sign. Hiram and I clung to that news for the next few hours, as we learned more and more about what our lives would be like for the next several months. Still, the Lord had answered our prayers…even if there were miles to go before the worry was fully gone.

Good Things Happen (Dierks Bentley)  
Hudson PoV

I didn’t believe myself to be a bad person. But I was glad that Rachel Berry was beaten into the hospital. I knew that it was probably the fact that I finally knew what it felt like to have a family. I knew that it was probably just the tendency for people to protect those closest to them, especially when those closest to them were the cause of every good thing in their world. But even knowing all of that, I couldn’t stop myself from feeling sheer relief that Rachel Berry would be unable to cause harm to Sam, Mercedes and Puck for quite some time. I felt no shame in the feeling, not really. Possibly because it was supported by Darcy and Haja…Brantley too when he managed to come out of the Yasmine induced haze he was living in. If only he would go ahead and ask her out. Darcy’s theory was that they were both gun shy about jumping in too quickly and then things not lasting. Still, since so many of us felt the same sense of relief about the Rachel situation, I decided that I wasn’t a bad person after all. That allowed me to focus back on the more important matters I was dealing with.

And it was quite an important matter. In addition to managing the day to day scheduling and business of my three bosses, I was the point person for planning their second record release party. We had everything well in hand, including the surprise that Mr. Cohen had for KAMA and the world. While KAMA’s first CD had passed the platinum mark over the summer, what they didn’t know, and what Mr. Cohen and his team had kept pretty hush, hush was that Necessity 4 Existence had been certified diamond the day after Rachel Berry was found beaten under the seat of a subway car in Queens. It had taken a little over a year, and several of their singles had hit the mark before the release anniversary…but going diamond on your debut album so quickly was something incredibly special. Given their schedules it was no shock that they’d never had any of the usual hoopla around their previous certifications. All their gold and platinum plaques were still at Warner. However, that wouldn’t be true for too much longer. The plaques were all going to be displayed at the release party and before KAMA leaves the stage for the intermission, Mr. Cohen and Ms. Jergens will present the new diamond certification plaque. At the end of the night all the plaques would go home with KAMA.

It was taking a lot of coordination to make the event happen the way it needed to, but I was certain that it was completely manageable. I was working with the venue’s event planner to make sure that everything would be in readiness. The event space would hold up to a thousand people. We were inviting two-hundred and fifty VIPs, giving out a hundred and fifty tickets to New York radio stations for their DJs and their listeners, and the rest would be sold to fans via the KAMA website. Darcy’s tickets were gorgeous and they would be almost impossible to forge. She was very proud of that. I had utilized Mercedes’ idea from the year before to create wedding invite-type invitations for the VIPs. It was a nice touch and from what I had learned from the celebrity invitees, the celebs had loved them. And it was different enough that they all wanted to be a part of it. Everything had been planned down to the very last detail. I’d made a few alterations to the way things had been done the year before. Mercedes had invited a hundred or so celebrities and their plus ones. I’d bumped the number up and didn’t let her know. If I had, she’d have chickened out of inviting several people that I knew it was time to put into her path.

The venue’s party planner was giving us a great deal mainly for the fact that they were going to make a hell of a lot of money off the fact that they’d hosted a KAMA drop party. We were only having to come out of pocket with a hundred and fifteen dollars a head for the entire night. That included passed hor d'oeurves and an open bar for the VIPs and a cash bar for the regular ticket holders. The night would begin with an eight pm red carpet. A cocktail reception until nine thirty, then the opening act Todrick Hall, would take the stage. The Broadway up and comer would also be opening all the KAMA Southwest and Mountain regional tour dates over the summer. KAMA would take the stage at eleven…the concert would wrap up before one am. The post reception would go until around two thirty and the after party would start at three thirty. It was scheduled to end at seven…but that was completely flexible. We’d worked out a similar deal with the venue for the after party. Though, there would be no food, and the bar was a cash bar just because we were fairly certain that few people would take advantage of it that late. Still, we’d managed to keep the costs for the entire evening to under two-hundred thousand including the expected gratuities. It wasn’t a concern of Mercedes or Puck…but Sam was still quite reticent about over spending. Yet as I said, planning the event was well under control.

It was the rest of their lives that had me wondering if maybe they weren’t crazy when they asked me if I wanted or needed an assistant for myself. The trio had received an invite from the fashion house Oscar De La Renta to attend the Met Gala. Thankfully, the event itself happened right before the study days at the end of the semester. But there were still all the boat load of back and forth and fittings and everything else that had to be done to ensure that Mercedes' red carpet darling status wasn’t compromised so early in her career. Sam and Puck too…but it wasn’t quite the same for them. Ultimately, Zhang Zhifeng was chosen to create her a dress. But given the time line, Mercedes just asked that he modify something from his spring line. He worked with Bubbie to present her four choices from the line which they presented to our Diva. Two days after getting the pictures and Mercedes still hadn’t made her decision. Puck and Sam had picked their designer, and their outfits in less than twenty minutes. They were teasing her hard about how long it was taking her to reach a verdict.

So, Ms. Jones did what always worked for her when faced with a fashion conundrum…she called a cabal of her girls and Kurt. It was done by Skype with Kurt, Santana and Brittany in the study with her. Mercedes invited me because she considered me a sister. I actually went so that I could make sure they helped her reach a decision and to keep track of which one that ultimately was.

Each woman had their favorites, breaking into teams based on which they preferred. There was the black team, the green team, team purple and team red. The way they dissected the options was rather funny. Though team red was the first disbanded when Tina left the screen for a few minutes and came back in. “We’ve gots to drop the red one. It is the most gorgeous of all of them and oh my god I don’t know if I want to see Cedes in it or wear it more, but Mike just gave me some info that is totally going to knock it out the running.”

“Really, Girl Asian…what could Anime Boy say to knock that amazing piece of silk out of contention.” Santana grumbled.

Tina pouted, but didn’t address the ridiculousness of Santana’s nicknames. “Mike just told me that, basically, in Chinese tradition, the red would be considered more of a wedding gown than something you’d just wear for a party…even the Met Gala.”

I saw the look Mercedes and Kurt exchanged, so it was no surprise that as soon as the decision was reached and the call broken up, Mercedes turned to Kurt. He immediately stopped her, “I know what you’re about to say.”

Brittany started hopping in her seat. Santana rolled her eyes and sat back waiting for it to be stated. “I’m about to say that I want you to get Mr. Zhifeng Tina’s measurements. I’m going to buy her that dress that she loved so much and when she and Mike get married, she’s gonna be walking down the aisle in it.”

“That’s a rather expensive dress.” I interject, acting as the voice of reason. “What will you do if they break up?”

Mercedes couldn’t answer. Santana, Brittany and Kurt were no help either. It wasn’t that they didn’t know what to say. The four of them were just laughing so hard that they couldn’t draw breath with which to speak. I let that close the subject and sent off an email to Mr. Zhifeng outlining Mercedes chosen gown and letting him know that she would be purchasing the red and gold dress for a friend to wear when she got married and her measurements would be forth coming. With that off my plate, I connected with Daniel and got the promotional schedule for KAMA drop week. I sent it off first to Ruth and Kurt to ensure that they would have the time to plan out looks and to Adam, Rainbow and Dave to allow them to prep their parts of the crew for the three performances scheduled for the promos.

I double checked all the confirmations for the Coachella trip and sent everyone their itinerary for the weekend. Well, technically, I made sure that all of our camp had a copy of the itinerary, including the Jones, Evans, Altman, Lopez, Abrams and Pierce parents and Rangeman Trenton and New York offices. I made sure to remind Haja, Sam, Mercedes and Noah to bring at least one business casual outfit for our meeting with Jeff at E and W Truck and Equipment Company. The semi-trucks and trailers were ready. Brock Michaels and Van Pomers, two of the truck drivers who had driven KAMA’s buses the summer before, would be meeting us in Palm Springs and they would take charge of driving the trucks down to LA and picking up the stage pieces from Mr. Wielder and Mr. Finklestein’s warehouse. Thankfully, I didn’t have to arrange their travel at all.

I was so busy that before I knew it, it was Thursday night and I was rushing around packing, something I really hated doing…the rushing not the packing. Darcy wasn’t any better. Her week had been very busy promoting the release of the ‘Believe’ video that next day. Poor Mercedes, Sam and Noah had lost every single one of their breaks that day doing radio call in interviews. A truth that repeated itself on Friday as well. The video would hit YouTube at midnight and debut on the music channels that still actually showed music videos at three. Haja and I would be watching the numbers closely. It was something that KAMA wouldn’t pay attention to…they judged the success of their videos by how many people at Columbia, Juilliard and NYU stopped them or one of the clique to tell them how they felt about it. Of course, they took the compliments from the radio persons with a grain of salt. Darcy watched the comments sections and took her numbers from the different media sites it was trending on. We all had our metrics to deal with.

Late Friday afternoon, it took less time than one would have assumed to corral the five members of KAMA’s band and their instruments, the four background singers, the six background dancers, the four Rangemen, Brantley, Darcy, Haja and I plus KAMA themselves, all the carry-ons they were each responsible for as well as the six checked bags that contained the costumes for the performance into the SUVs that Rangeman was kind enough to provide to transport us from the office to the airport. The per diem cards had gone active at midnight with the hundred and sixty-five bucks to get us all through a weekend’s worth of meals and incidentals. Granted that wouldn’t include breakfasts, because those were a part of the hotel room package. I still considered myself to be very shy, but I really did enjoy negotiating with hotels for the best deals for our crew. Airline tickets, not so much. Still, it was all done and our flight boarding was smooth. We’d done things a bit differently on this trip. Since the stalker was back stateside and we were heading into his comfort zone, Woody flew in first class with Sam, Mercedes and Noah. Palm Springs International Airport was a lot quieter than LAX, at least it was at midnight their time.

There was no trouble getting all the instruments and checked luggage from baggage claim and into the rented vans. Thankfully, our entourage was big enough that there were always enough licensed drivers since we had to rent four vans and a SUV for the weekend. The Rangemen took charge of the vans and Xena drove the SUV to the hotel. We had a block of rooms at the Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa, though with the short amount of time we were there, there would be no spa visits that trip. While the hotel grounds were expansive, they’d built bigger, not taller. Almost all of our rooms were all together overlooking the pool. However, the suites for the triads were separated. They were far enough away, though close to each other, that it necessitated another change to our usual arrangements. The luxury suites had the options of a connecting second bedroom with two queen beds. This trip we took that option and Binkie and Caesar had the room off KAMA’s for added protection.

Check-in was quick but annoying. It wasn’t unreasonable that they preferred to know who would be in each room, but the room assignments I sent them before we left New York hadn’t changed. I found it tedious to have to go over it yet again. Keys were distributed and I reminded everyone about the time line for the next day. “Okay, Haja, Sam, Mercedes, Puck and I have to be back up, dressed and out the door by eight thirty. The rest of you need to be ready to head to the venue when we return…we should be back by three. There will be a tent for you all to get changed and warm up. I’ve emailed you each your entrance materials. If you want to go early and check out the festival, feel free. Just please text me and let me know. Everyone needs to meet at the tent by four at the absolute latest. Breakfast comes with your rooms, but you have to order it by ten-thirty. Any questions?”

No one had any…they were old hats at this. We went up and I barely noticed how nice the rooms were before I was showering and climbing into the big comfortable bed. I couldn’t even tell you what Darcy did with herself. Seven came very fast when you didn’t make it to sleep until two. But a quick cup of coffee helped immensely with that. After calling and making sure that Mercedes and the guys were up, I dressed carefully in the business semi-casual outfit I’d brought with me. I made a mental note to thank Darcy profusely for unpacking for me. After freshening up and performing my morning rituals, I put on the ivory bra that matched the ivory panties I’d worn to bed. Braiding my hair was a chore that I undertook before I, finally, donned the emerald green, dupioni silk, slim cut, ankle pants with the jade, turquoise, emerald and aquamarine embellished silk, bateau neck top, a tinted moisturizer with SPF thirty, moss green eyeliner, brown mascara and some neutral pink lip gloss were all I bothered with as far as makeup went. But Ruth Mayzer had trained me well. I did accessorize. Teal wooden beaded bangles and turquoise and gold earrings were enough and complimented my look. I hated heels, but put on the green satin day pumps that went with the look. I moved everything I needed for the day into the white shopper tote that Bubbie had insisted was perfect for the spring time look. Double checking it all, I grabbed my off-white blazer and headed to the suite containing my bosses.

As I traversed the distance, I checked the numbers on the video’s debut day. A smile crossed my face when I saw that the video had been viewed over thirty-nine million times and had been liked by at least an seventh of the viewers. Junior came out of his and Woody’s room and joined me on the walk. I showed him the article about the achievement. Usually the only videos that got that many views overnight were the freshly released movie trailers. ‘Believe’ had actually out performed Psy’s second offering’s first night. The Korean musician’s video had held the record as far as music video debuts for two years. But not any longer. “It’s a damn good video. My dad even liked it. He was prepared to hate it because he’s a HUGE Elton John fan…but he loved it. The Sir Elton cameo was just the icing on the cake.” Junior smiled softly. Junior was probably my favorite of all the Rangemen that cared for KAMA…with Manny as a close second. Binkie would have been third, because I could tell he cared about Sam, Mercedes and Noah too…but he was really hard to get to know.

We reached the door to KAMA’s suite, talking amicably about his family. Junior had a younger brother who was in college in South Carolina. “I think Von’s about like you. He doesn’t notice girls, he doesn’t notice guys. Dad was worried about it, until I told him I knew someone like that and it was perfectly normal and everything. I hope it was okay. I didn’t tell him your name or anything.”

“It’s fine Junior. If my experiences, me being who I am, can benefit someone else who is going through the same travails that I’ve already dealt with…I’m happy.” I told him honestly. “Are you driving us?” I asked suddenly. I reached into my bag and pulled out the information I’d need to call down to have to car brought around.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be me and Caesar with you and Commune,” the Rangemen who went about with us most often knew that KAMA was the trio’s stage name…among their friends, their family, when referring to the three of them as one being, they answered to the nickname given to them, as I understood it, by Mercedes’ old cheerleading coach. He knocked on the suite door for me.

The door was opened quickly by Caesar rather than Commune. Walking into the room, I was glad to see that they were eating breakfast, but otherwise dressed and ready to go. Mercedes looked lovely, but appropriate, in a natural colored cotton, knee length, day sheath dress with shoulder tip sleeves. The dress was belted at her waist with a slim gold belt. The gold was mirrored in small gold hoops at her ears and a modest watch on her wrist. She had a black and beige hand bag and wore shiny black heels that looked like a mix between old fashion black oxfords and stilettos. They were really, really cute. Her makeup was as sparse as mine, probably because she would have to get all made up later, and she did like to let her skin breathe when she could. It was a little surprising to see that she had her hair in a top knot, but it was a cute look on her. I called the valet and had them pull the SUV around and called Haja to make sure that he would be meeting us in the lobby before eight-thirty. I quickly scarfed down the breakfast they ordered me, knowing that I wouldn’t have bothered eating before I left my own room. I checked Sam out. He was in khaki slacks, a simple oatmeal Henley and a charcoal gray blazer. Puck was not quite as business as he was casual. He’d put on some navy slacks and those and a relaxed cut matching blazer were the business part. He was rocking a distressed blue, vintage Metallica concert tee and his black Docs with the suit.

I walked over and twirled his earrings. I’d put an app on his phone to remind him to spin them so they would heal properly. But Sam, Cedes and I still twisted and turned them whenever we thought of it. Mercedes was helping him with the cleaning regimen every evening too. Mercedes grabbed her pretty black matte, cut-a-way blazer with shiny black lapels and Sam and Noah made sure they had their wallets, cell phones and hotel room keys. Binkie rolled the room service cart out as we headed down. I checked my watch and was happy to see that it was eight-fifteen. We should be able to leave the hotel a little early. Haja was awaiting us in the lobby, talking with Brock and Van who were both dressed comfortably. The KAMA manager was totally not dressed comfortable. Mr. Johnston was rocking a pair of skinny tan slacks…far too formal to call them khakis. With the pants, he’d donned a tailored, dark blue, button down shirt and a slim lapelled, denim blue, slim cut…Italian, if Bubbie’s lessons are sinking in…blazer. His brown, leather drivers matched his messenger bag precisely. He’d pulled his locs back at the front and he looked like the perfect ideal of a black, urban, professional of a certain age.

It was a two-hour drive to the trucking company. Much of it was spent napping by Mercedes and Noah while Sam talked about the competition Tessa was having that weekend with the Cheerios and his mixed feelings about the whole Rachel-beating thing. We arrived fifteen minutes early for our eleven o’clock meeting. Jeff greeted us happily, it was no wonder. Each of the twenty-fifteen Volvo VNX diesel, conventional, sleeper, semi-trucks cost a little over a hundred and fifty-three thousand dollars each and we had ordered two. The trucks had originally been about thirty thousand dollars cheaper, but Mercedes had seen several things in the ‘options’ brochure that she was sure would make the trucker’s lives easier. Then Puck had decided that black with metallic KAMA purple accents wasn’t cool enough and it needed to be chromed out. So yeah. The dry-van trailers were black and chrome and, at roughly thirty grand each, they were only cheap when compared to the trucks themselves. Thankfully, Warner had paid their part as the deposit to have the trucks ordered. When we arrived we only had to pay a third of the total costs. Jeff was a smart business man. He knew who he was dealing with and how they behaved when it came to their business. He smiled and offered, “We can bill you for this,” he looked down at the paperwork. “Hundred and twenty thousand, seven hundred and eighty dollars and forty-three cents.”

“No, we’ll be paying now…” Sam said in the quietly intense way that he always sunk into when talking about, or even thinking about, incurring unnecessary debt.

Jeff looked a little like he was fighting a smile. “Are you sure? Usually this would just be either billed of financed.”

Sam shook his head. “Oh, I’m absolutely positive. I don’t like to have anything like this hanging over our head," he reiterated. Haja handed him the envelope containing the two cashier’s checks we’d brought with us for the purchase. Sam and Mercedes signed them and turned them over to Jeff. For major purchases, at least two of Commune had to sign the cashier check. If it had been over five hundred thousand in total all three of them had to sign. It was a safety measure that Saul and Gwen both agreed was necessary. But it was also something that only the inner most circle knew.

“Well, I’m not gonna turn down good money.” Jeff laughed. “That sure as hell ain’t a bad business practice Mr. Evans. I will need to see that you have licensed drivers and insurance for both vehicles.” I handed him copies of the insurance we’d taken out for the trucks that would all bear KAMA’s name. We’d taken out the insurance for the full year because that gave us a twenty percent discount on the premium and because it gave Brantley a lot of freedom in booking other gigs. Brock and Van showed him their CDL licenses and barely half an hour later every I had been dotted and every T had been crossed. Jeff handed Sam the keys and he, Van and Brock went out and the truckers claimed their trucks. Once they were on the road, with copies of the necessary paperwork, we had the originals so that I could get the trucks properly registered on Monday.

The ride back to Palm Springs went just as quickly as the ride up. We did stop for lunch at a Chick-Fil-A in Riverside. But it didn’t take as much time as it would have if Caesar and Junior weren’t as good as they were. They took orders in the car and ran in and got the food meaning that no one knew that KAMA was just a few feet away. We stopped by the hotel and there was a serious quick change, as we’d been driving to San Diego, I’d received a multitude of texts from our company, every one of them had gone to the festival, so they had taken the costumes and instruments with them. Bubbie and I had arranged a little surprise for Commune, and I got a text to let me know that all was in readiness as we drove over to the festival. When a very dressed down Mercedes got out the car, her squeal of happiness told me that she’d seen at least one of the people who comprised the surprise.

Tina and Mike had flown down that morning and picked up the rental car I’d arranged. The couple had utilized the e-tickets that I’d gotten for them and enjoyed the festival until three thirty then they had followed the directions Bubbie sent them to get to the tent. When Commune arrived, Tina was waiting outside in her curlers and makeup talking with a similarly attired Brittany and Santana. Cedes ran over and hugged her babbling a million questions as to how she came to be there at poor Tina, who just pointed at me. When the attention was focused my way, I just shrugged. “She and Mike are a part of the tour now," I pointed out.

I got hugged. I was getting used to getting hugged. I found that I rather liked it. “Thank you, Huds, you are so awesome," the female member of my three bosses said happily.

We headed into the tent and things inside were a total flurry of activity and sound as everyone got warmed up and changed and Brantley and Haja took charge of making sure that the instruments got to where they needed to be after the warmups. By eight all was in readiness. But we, meaning KAMA, weren't due to the stage until a quarter to nine. So, Sam led everyone in a nondenominational…with secular undertones…prayer before turning to Darcy and asking what was going on as far as the comments on the video.

"Well, on the Tube, there are roughly ten-ten and a half million comments. About sixty-five percent are wonderful and supportive of the message of the video. About fifteen percent are the dickhead morons who swear that their interpretation of their preferred religious text is the only possible one that matters and should be listened to and therefore the three of you are going to burn in hell for supporting gay marriage, or interracial marriage, or polyamory or all three of the above," she tossed out with a smirk. “The last twenty percent are various varieties of ‘Mercedes’ voice is awesome’, ‘Puck is so sexy’, ‘Sam is so hot’…that kind of thing. Now the breakdown of the wonderful and supportive comments is interesting. They love the over message of ‘All Love is Beautiful’…but even more, they love the fact that the video showed that the three of you are together the way you are because it is the way that is meant to be. That your love is just as valuable and right as the more traditional views of relationships. Weird thing, I almost miss the grammatically incorrect and totally annoying rants of your buddy’s alias. Oh, and BTWs, you know that it made the local news. Well, now the Insider got the info on wanna-be-Barbara’s beating and you guys supporting her dads no matter how you felt about her. The reactions to that were toats positive and Bill Maher wants the three of you on his show now, because he wants to do a panel with Christians, Jews and Muslims…Sam and Cedes would, of course, be the Christians. Puck, you’d be one of the Jews.”

“Darcy, please let Daniel know that is something we really want to do,” Cedes jumped in.

I made a note and Darcy did too before she continued. “Yeah, so ‘Believe’ is the number one trending vid on YouTube…hashtag ‘All Love Is Beautiful’ is the number one trending hashtag on Twitter. The video has been liberally shared among every social media platform…Sir Elton John, P!nk, Montgomery Gentry and Slash have all received bumps in their views too. Bumps doesn’t begin to describe the way the numbers of the other KAMA videos have gone up. I’d have to say that roughly half of every person who watched the new video watched at least three of the other real videos you have out and at least four of the lyric vids. All in all, it’s been a damn good weekend for KAMA.”

“Awesome.” Noah said giving his loves fist bumps. There was chatter for the next little while then it was time for them to head to the stage.

The performance was about ninety minutes long…straight, no intermission. But they made every single minute amazing. Behind them there were screens that played the performance in real time, large enough for even those at the back of the massive crowds would feel included. At the bottom, #AllLOVEisBeautiful flashed at the beginning of each of the twenty-four songs they played. The crew had decided to only perform ‘Believe’ and the three bonus tracks from the new album, using a video of Idris Elba in the studio for his part of the ‘Rescue Me’ remix. The response to every song was overwhelmingly positive. There were very few butts in their seats for the concert, and most of those who stayed seated didn’t have a choice in the matter. Darcy was watching the social media feeds and there was serious KAMA love going on online.

The entire crew looked amazing on the stage. Mercedes was dressed in a sparkly, multicolor sequined, high necked romper and a pair of seriously high, seriously colorful Louboutin sandals. Her makeup was a little over done as it usually was for stage performances. It communicated to the cameras perfectly, but she said it felt like a mask. I was certainly willing to believe her on the point. Her hair was huge. A perfect mass of inky black curls treaded through, artistically, with mahogany highlights. I made a mental note to check in with Ms. Veronica and make sure she had everything she needed to make the wigs for the tour. I knew she was wearing special stockings, they were slightly thicker than usual and the chocolate nylon had a slightly metallic sheen to it. According to Cedes, they were a must when on stage in shorts or skirts. We’d ordered them for Cedes, Tana, Tina and Xena for the summer tour. The three female background singers’ hair was almost as big, but it was arranged in the massive faux-hawk Mercedes had worn in the ‘Believe’ video for the PuckCedes’ wedding scenes. Their own rompers were v-necked black sequined numbers, with flesh colored inserts to hide the fact that Tina and Xena could not go braless and Santana didn’t like to do so in front of that big an audience. The black, high heeled, lace up sandals they were rocking were really kind of cute. I loved that Xena was wearing the same height heels as Tana and Tina. It was unusual for her to wear heels that high on the stage. Her choice, not Ruth’s or Commune’s. The change was probably because she was beginning to understand that neither Adam nor Damien cared that she was taller than them in the shoes. Hell, she was always taller than Adam. Adam and Damien were rocking black jeans and shiny satin button down shirts. I noticed that they were both in black Timberland boots that did give them some added height, so maybe Xena wasn’t as alone in caring about the height difference as I had thought.

Like Tana, Tina and Xena, BaeBe, Jaja, Britts and Rainbow were similarly attired in black sequined apparel. Though in the dancer’s cases it was high waisted, satin and sequins shorts and a long-sleeved crop top and sequin covered dance shoes. Their midriffs were bare, giving them a different look from the singers. Their hair was another difference, the dancers were rocking high, curly, ponytails. Brittany had had Darcy take a picture of the four of their heads from behind while Mike held a sign saying ‘Kick Ass Cheerios’. Which she promptly put up on her Instagram…and Mercedes reposted it…it was going viral as every former Cheerio liked and shared it. Mike, Simeon and Jackson were pretty shiny themselves. They wore metallic black, skin tight, dancer tees and wide legged black pants.

The band, Sam and Puck were pretty unshiny. Erika and Cass both wore cute black rompers, but not sequined at all. They’d worn the same black wedges from the South by Southwest performance and it looked great. Dave was shirtless, in black wrist cuffs, black cargo shorts and black Converse low tops. He got really hot when drumming under all the lights. I smiled when I looked over at Artie rocking out in black Air Maxes, dark skinny jeans and black lycra tee. His upper body was way more built than one would usually think of a nerdy, wheelchair bound guy having. Though it did make a certain amount of sense. He lived his life from the waist up. Justin was starting to get pretty toned and cut himself…mainly because Sam and Noah had infected Dave with their exercise improves stamina idea, so Dave and Justin were exercising more and more, often with the Dam Bros, Cassidy, Erika and Xena. It kind of stunk that their class schedules meant that Tana and Artie missed out on the extra bonding time. But the older band members completely understood.

The KAMA portion of the evening wrapped up at shortly before eleven, but they were called back out by the entire crowd demanding an encore. “Alright then, let’s leave you with something sexy…” Mercedes told the enraptured crowd. “Now this one isn’t one of ours, so if you see Mr. Ginuwine, let him know we are very appreciative of one of the sexiest songs that it has been our pleasure to perform.” They then gave the audience a performance so sexy even I could say, yes, that was sexy. Sam and Noah actually took the sung vocals and Mercedes rapped the female rapper’s part. The thing that really made the song so sexy was the way they moved around each other on the stage and how their voices blended on the chorus. Pretty sure that that performance encouraged more than one couple to get down then and there, no matter what the festival rules were.

Of course that was a double edged sword considering that there was only the one tent. Santana, however, had planned for that very eventuality. She looked at Tina and Mike. “What are you two driving?”

“A Camry, why?” Mike answered.

Tana just jostled her way to the front. “You, Cheech and Chong.” She grabbed Caesar and Junior… “Muscle these two through the crowd to go get their car. Binks, Cowboy, Warrior Princess and I can make sure that no one sketchy comes within a foot of Retha. I’m not standing outside that tent while they bone their asses off.” Santana sicced Britts on the rest of the crew and flighty as the blonde may have come off, she seriously got everyone into the tent to get their stuff, the instruments packed up and everyone and everything into the vans in the time it took for Mike, Tina and the Rangemen to join us. In the meantime, Binkie and Woody, along with Tana and Xena, had taken point on making sure that the crowd didn’t get too much to handle while Mercedes, Sam and Noah were distracted from their post-show sexing time with a million autographs to sign. By the time, they got to us, all they had to do was climb into the SUV and we all headed back to the hotel. I shooed everyone else upstairs while I took care of Mike and Tina’s room. It was actually the connecting two bed room on Santana, Artie and Brittany’s suite. It was best that they didn’t know that.

The next morning, everyone was up, dressed, checked out and in the six different cars by nine thirty, which had us arriving at the airport shortly after ten. I had to hide my laughter, every time Binkie or Caesar yawned. Those two looked like they’d gotten no sleep at all while Commune looked relaxed and well rested. It was hard for the friends to send Tina and Mike back off in a different direction, but they did so knowing that it wouldn’t be very long before they saw them again. The flight back was much the same as the flight out. However, with the time difference, we were home at eleven east coast time. Still we took the time to take the instruments back to the storage unit in the office and I collected the costume suitcases. I took the costumes to the cleaners the next day while Commune was in classes and Ruth was at work. Since Friday was Noah’s birthday and Sam and Mercedes had a big to do planned, I made sure that all was in readiness for that.

I, also, made sure to confirm everything about the prom event the day after. Aberdeen High School in Aberdeen, Maryland had won the competition and their prom would be more than a little special for them. As a favor to Bubbie, I also, handled all of her travel prep for the Daytime Emmys. Since it was the day after the drop party, she had asked Grant to act as her escort. It would allow Puck to focus on his promotional work for the album, and Grant didn’t mind being in the background. He was a very handsome young man, just quiet and shy. Of course, she’d styled him from head to toe. For both the drop party and the red carpet. She just loved that he never said no. Over the course of the week, I worked on making sure that everything would be perfect for the drop party. There would be a red carpet and it would be televised on E!, MTV, VH1, BET and live streamed on a few other websites in addition to those. The iCarly crew would be back and Dominique would be doing her show for the week from the carpet too. I touched bases with Danica and made sure that she was good on the Jones family contingent. But she had everything well in hand.

I handled the letters that everyone would receive the Monday after the album hit stores. Everyone associated with KAMA was getting a five percent merit raise and a two and half percent cost of living raise. Currently, Ben, Gwen, Saul and I were the only ones in the know…other than Commune themselves. It would be a lovely surprise for everyone. Especially, since, included in the letter was the offer of last minute tax help for anyone who’d not yet done their taxes. A category which included myself and my roommate. That evening, after making sure that all of the letters were ready to go in the mail, I sent Gwen my tax information for her assistants to prepare and send in. I was more than grateful for the help. Given the huge bonuses my bosses liked to give, I was really just hoping that I had saved enough money to keep Uncle Sam from biting me on the tuchas.

I also helped Rainbow, Dave, Xena and the Dam Bros in getting the meetings scheduled for Commune to meet with their final choices for the dancers and background singer for the summer tour. The meetings would happen at the studio, the week before Puck’s birthday party. It would allow the dancers and the male singers to be viewed for their skills and for their interactions with the rest of the crew. Though, honestly the applicants had already been culled down to those with the best skills, so mainly it was about how well they played with others and how willing they were to do the hard work. Being with KAMA was a lot of work. Maybe it really was time to allow them to talk me into an assistant. I’d think about that…maybe one that I could share with Darcy. It was definitely something to think about.

The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get (Morrissey)  
Stalker (Corbin) PoV

The media was the single most useful tool in the arsenal of any individual obsessed with a celebrity. Not just E! or Entertainment Tonight or The Insider…no, the regular nightly news was just as informative as the showbiz ‘news’ shows. And thanks to satellite television and the internet, I could see the news from Manhattan, no matter where I was in the world. I found out from the nightly, local, New York news that my operative was quite successful in the distraction of my quarry. “NYU Student Rachel Berry was found beaten in a subway car on the Green-Five line to Flatbush Monday evening. Ms. Berry is a former classmate and choirmate of the music super group KAMA. The group has been rather out spoken as to their estrangement from their former friend. However, according to personnel at New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, all three members of the group arrived shortly after police were able to contact Ms. Berry’s family in Ohio.”

A shadowed outline of a woman was shown. “They came in asking for information right after we got a fax stating that they were allowed in to see the patient when she came out of surgery and they would be acting in her parent’s stead until they could get here. They completed the admission forms as much as they could. It was weird. I’ve seen how she talks about them online, but they handed over their black card and said they wanted to make sure that we knew the Berry girl wasn’t an indigent care case until her fathers could get there with her insurance information. None of us could understand it. She treated them like dirt, at least that’s what it seemed like…why would they care?”

Then it was back to the anchors in the studio. “It should be noted that Ms. Berry is the daughter of one of KAMA’s lawyers, a longtime friend of Ms. Jones’ parents," the woman anchor pointed out.

The male anchor had a less cynical point of view. “Perhaps, they simply practice what they preach. According to all around the group, despite their different religions and denominations, they are very religious. It could well be that they were simply caring for a fellow human being. One they know well and care about no matter how bad her behavior towards them happens to be.”

“Well, whatever the case, Ms. Berry is listed in critical condition at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family.” The woman closed out and moved on. 

I almost chortled in glee. That had worked better than I could have hoped. When I was contacted by the ‘gentleman’ who’d taken my bounty on Ms. Berry, I had no problem releasing the second half of the bitcoin. In fact, I was so happy with his work, I gave him a small bonus. In fact, in the days following the successful distraction of my prey, I received even more good news. One of the young men who had been a roadie when I was a part of the small label Warner had long since absorbed, whom had been a wonderful connection to several more illicit drug dealers, contacted his brother, an individual employed by my company, to let him know that he’d just gotten word that he was working the KAMA tour over the summer. Why he felt the need to email his brother at work, I’d never know…but I was very happy that he did so since my bots were able to pick up the reference to KAMA and send me a copy of the email. With that bit of information, I could start to ready plans. The little trafficking prick owed me for keeping him out of jail a time or three. As things stacked up in my favor, it was seeming more and more mean to be…Mercedes Jones would be mine…it was only a matter of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.  
> Do good anyway. (Mother Teresa)  
> Do some good today...leave me a comment.  
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	39. Morning Train (Sheena Easton), 22 (Lily Allen), Here’s to the Night (Eve 6) & I’ve Gotta Feeling (Black Eyed Peas)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prom Week

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONGRATULATIONS AMBER RILEY on her OLIVIER AWARD Best Actress in a Musical WIN!!!!
> 
> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Waking Up - Remix by katiedidarchive & phoenix_173 (MCU Fic)
> 
>  
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!! Total Shout Out included in this chapter. Isis Aurora Tomoe for the WIN!!!

Morning Train (Sheena Easton)  
Sam PoV

Coachella was fun, I kind of wish we’d gotten to see more of it. At least we got to hear Milky Chance and Hozier. They sounded awesome. We had a damn good set too. It was awesome to have the crowd know the words to our songs so well that were singing along with us. And God, whenever we were on that stage, Damn, Mercedes just shined. Bubbie was trying to get her comfortable with the whole shiny costumes…and shorter than usual for Mercy too. So, she was in a cute little shiny, colorful romper thing and some high ass heels. Fuck, she was so damn beautiful. One of the dance moves had her doing the panty dropper and hopping twice, swing her thighs wide then closed each time before she came back to her feet. It took more will power than I thought I had to not lay her down on that stage and give them people a whole different kind of show. God, that was an awesome show. I wasn’t the only one that thought so either, people all over the internet were telling everybody and their grandmamma how awesome our stage show was. That was gratifying. I just loved seeing people giving Mercy and Puck their due.

And, while I knew I was included in those accolades, it just wasn’t as important to me as it was to them. My professional love affair was turning out to be with our real estate business. Just in trying to give Dev and Kev and their better halves great Christmas-slash-graduation gifts, we’d actually made almost a million dollars. For just a couple of months’ work. And that was after we paid off the contractors and subcontractors and all the costs of buying and rehabbing the duplexes. To me that was freaking awesome. Amor Verissima’s business was growing by leaps and bounds. By the end of the year, we were scheduled to have four new properties in the Midwest and the Pacific Northwest. We’d be purchasing the floor above the KAMA offices to house our property management-slash-real estate business. I was already working with the blue prints from our KAMA offices, playing with them and tweaking them to get them perfect for the office. Best of all, I’d worked it out so that one of our managed properties would be an office suite next door to our property office suite. We’d be making back quite a bit of what we spent on the floor. I wasn’t looking forward to hiring people…not really.

But, that being said, I looked forward to staffing the property management group more than I was the rest of the dancers. I’d talked with some of Blaine’s business professors and with my own architecture profs and found out as much as I could about the kind of people we’d need to put into the positions. We were going to start with a Chief Operating Officer and their assistant, two regional property managers, two regional accountants and an office manager. As we got more properties, we’d expand the staff as needed. However, the office would be ready to be staffed fully from the word jump. Still that was quite a bit off. The space wouldn’t even be ours until July so it wasn’t as if it was a pressing issue that week. Like staffing the four dancers and one singer we’d need for the tour.

Rainbow had narrowed the dancers down to an even dozen, nine women and three men. We were looking for three new female dancers and one new male. All twelve people came in and we talked to each of them. As usual, we lost a couple of people who didn’t understand that legally married or not, Mercy, Puck and I were totally committed and we not looking to either include someone else in our relationship, nor go outside our relationship…or switch out any of the principal partners of said relationship. One chick was rude to Hudson…and talked to Brittany like she was short bus special. It really was a miracle that she got out of that studio alive. Never cross both Mercedes Jones and Santana Lopez in the same ten-minute time period…EVER! I was honestly a little afraid for the girl…more afraid that we’d get sued, but scared for her too. Still, Puck and I distracted Mercy and Arts and Britts got Santana before she could lay hands on the other chick.

Once the room calmed back down after that, I had a great conversation with one of the female dancer candidates. She was a white girl with long curly brown hair. With a smile she told me that her name was Kelli Rogers and she was from Independence Missouri, just like Ginger. After we chatted for a little while, she finally asked the main thing she’d wanted to know. “So, I don’t want to be like racist or anything, but I’ve always kind of wondered…I mean, I know why I like black guys a little bit better. But I wonder, and I don’t really know any white guys who date black girls that I could ask. Why do you prefer black women?”

I chuckled. I didn’t mind the question. I was surprised that no one else had posed it to us before, though Puck didn’t really have a preference when he was single. He loved all women if they would let him. “I have dated exactly seven women in my life. Of them one was white and two were Latinas. The most emotionally debilitating relationship I’ve ever had, the one that almost ruined me was the one with the white girl. But, okay, she was in a really fucked up place mentally, so it wasn’t like right to even count that. The second worse one was with that Latina over there.” I pointed to Santana. “She’s an amazing friend but she was hell on me in that relationship. Again, part of that was her having some serious personal issues at the time. Part of it was the fact that I was already hurt and hadn’t given myself the time to heal. You know, it felt like hell at the time…but Tana actually did me a favor. She got my back all up and really made me realize that I should never change who I was for anyone. Being with her gave me the balls to remember who I’d really been interested in since I got to McKinley.” I kind of expected the girl, Kelli, to get impatient with my rambling, but she just nodded.

“So yeah, I like the confidence of black women…women of color period. Like Mercy, she has some confidence issues, but she never really let them be seen. When she walks into a room, she completely owns it. While she might still have a few moments when she looks in a mirror and doesn’t really love what she sees, she loves who she is every second of every day. That confidence is mesmerizing. She is so beautiful. I love her curves. I love her confidence. I love her dignity. I love her integrity. I love her intensity. I love her empathy. Most of those things I’ve found a few in the other women of color I dated. Some had more of those characteristics than other…But in Mercy, they are all present and accounted for. They are there and they happen to be there in an abundance I’ve never experienced before. Plus, Mercy is…she is intense. She is driven. She is amazing…but she goes out of her way to make me feel amazing too. She gave me a way to find my drive too.” I smiled looking over at the beauty who I was blessed to love and be loved by in return. “So yeah, plus too…how do you not fall in love with someone who shows you that they have the same values you do and treasures family and the important things in this life just the way you do?”

“Wow, that is deep and meaningful and I am almost embarrassed to follow that by wondering if you guys have rules about in band fraternization or if I can ask that cute little background singer out.” She blushed cutely.

I shrugged. It didn’t bother me at all and I told her so. “We don’t have any real rules. We only ask that you guys treat each other with respect. If you’re going to date or whatever, try and make sure that you’re on the same page before one of you gets in deeper than the other. I mean, yeah sometimes that is unavoidable, but ya know…if you can avoid it by communicating, it would be best to try. We just don’t want relationship drama to wreck things, ya know?”

She nodded. “That makes a lot of sense. It would suck to have a Yoko Ono situation or a big old relationship blow out during the middle of a tour.”

“Exactly.” I agreed. “Now as for the Dam Bros, ask them as to their status…because I have less than no clue. So, I told you mine…what about you? Why do you say you prefer black men?”

Kelli gave me a big smile. “It’s that ‘don’t give a shit’ attitude. I love it. I know that a part of it is also pissing off my racist asshole daddy…he said I would be better as a lesbian than an n-word lover.”

“Oooh, how pissed would he be if you were both?” I laughed.

“I know, right?” she returned. “But, while I can appreciate other women aesthetically, lesbianism just isn’t my cup of tea.”

I just shrugged. “To thine own self be true.” Puck was gesturing to me that he liked the guy he was talking to. I returned the gesture. I was pretty sure that Hudson was keeping track of who we bonded with and who we didn’t. I happened to talk with the British guy that Puck had spoken with and I really liked him. Joseph was classically trained, but loved all forms of dance. He had come to the US after training at the Royal Ballet School to learn other forms of dance. He already had his work Visa so that was good. I mean, there would be some paperwork for Gwen and Ben, but not as much as it would have been to move him from a student visa to a work one. Rainbow loved his flexibility, like seriously he made Mike look stiff and Mike was like Gumby the real Asian guy version. Suffice it to say, he totally made the cut. So too did Kelli. Blaine actually found out more about the next girl to make the cut. She was a cute little Filipino woman, I almost thought girl, but she was two years older than me. Joaquina and Blaine spent the whole time going back and forth in a Filipino-English mix. They found out that their mothers were actually like second cousins. So before we’d even decided that Jo had made the final cut, Mrs. Analyn has been reconnected to her cousin Ms. Rosamie and Blaine was the hero son of the day. The connection wasn’t why we picked him, but it didn’t hurt either.

The last female was a black lady named Marceau, from Louisiana who was as bendy as Joseph. Like seriously, Mercy was flexible, but that chick was something out of the world. She was wicked smart too. Like she went to Tulane and graduated in three years with a degree in molecular, cell and developmental biology. She’d actually hoped to get the job primarily because she needed to be ready for medical school in the fall. “I’m hoping that I can make enough to pay for my living expenses in Atlanta next year. I have a scholarship at Emory med school that will cover my tuition, but not my living expenses.” She had the job on the spot. I mean, yeah, we loved dancers who danced for the sake of dance, but the chance to get an amazing dancer who wanted to ultimately be a pediatric oncologist and try and cure childhood cancer. Hell, I wanted to just give her the money even if she’d danced like Sugar used to sing. Thankfully, Marceau Josephine Baker danced like her namesake sang…so she’d earn her money making us look good.

The next night we’d originally planned on more culling of dancers. But we’d worked that out the night before. I think we had expected more of the ones who had made it all the way through the talent trials. The problem was that a lot of the chicks who were amazing dancers looked down on Mercedes for not being a tiny little bit of nothing. That shit didn’t work for us. Then it turned out that two of the guys were gay, which wasn’t a problem. But they were like seriously, aggressively so. Damien started his usual light flirting with one of them and Kurt just talked to the other and both ended up feeling like each of the dudes was ‘kinda rapey’ was Damien’s term for the Brian guy, while Kurt just bluntly admitted. “We cannot hire Ross…he scares me…a lot.” There was there problem, so, there they went. The third guy was great. Gervais was a great dancer. He was even good people. Since none of us didn’t like him or anything, we went back to talent and, honestly, Joseph was just that little bit better.

We even managed to get the new guys picked and were home by ten. Thank God. As we were officially a month out from the end of the semester…we were handed all of our final assignments that were not exams that week. I had three damn papers. Three. Thankfully fall semester would be the last time I had to take core classes. And even then, it was only two. I was more than ready to get to all architecture all the time. I knew that if I was going to change my major, it was that time, but honestly other than going fully into art, I just didn’t find the other options near as interesting. I had to be honest though…I never thought I would like college as much as I did. The level of pride I felt when I got a good grade…it was epic. There were no words. I kind of wanted to thank the TA or whoever worked in Dean’s Office and had leaked the three of our GPAs after spring break. I was on track for a nice A that semester. Knowing that helped me not stress so much that the words danced on the screen or paper when I was working.

Tuesday, Mr. Antwan had dinner with us before he headed to the hospital to trade off with Mr. Hiram. It was good when he could do so. We all wanted to know how Rachel was doing even if none of us wanted to ask how she was doing. He gave us the reports without us having to say a word. “You know that Rachel is in a vegetative state. Since her coma was totally the fault of her head injury, not induced by the doctors, she won’t just wakeup. The doctors are pretty happy with the fact that she went from completely nonresponsive to a vegetative state relatively quickly. But Hiram looked into it and he feels that we shouldn’t get excited until she comes out of the vegetative state and moves into at least a minimally conscious state. That would be when we could understand if there is any brain damage. Plus too, he has been doing a lot of reading about the medical side of the case of a woman in Florida…Schiavo…who was in a persistent vegetative state for over fifteen years. When I’m being honest with myself, I can see his point, but I’ve always been the more optimistic of the two of us. So, I told him he can prepare for the worst while I hoped for the best.” Man, it had been these reports that really showed all of us how big an impact he’d had on his eldest daughter’s formation. She talked just like him.

“The good news is that her sutures are healing pretty well. They already took out the ones from her forehead. The ones from her sides and stomach won’t come out until next week at the earliest.” He continued After a few encouraging words from Mercy. “I went to her apartment today. Just to clean it and start to pack her things, you know? I found some…I think that once we get her back together physically, we may have to take her back to the treatment center in Columbus. I cannot.” He voice caught in his throat. “I cannot even begin to apologize.”

“Nope.” Puck interjected. “Not doing that shit. We’ve told you a million times that you cannot apologize for actions not your own.”

“Have they mentioned rehab again?” I asked him gently. Unlike the hospital in Columbus, the NYPBMH system sent coma patients on to rehab once they were completely stable.

He nodded. “Hiram and I discussed it. We’ve found a company that will take her from New York to Lima. Lost Creek says that they can accept her the first of May…so if you all and don’t mind the continued company for a few more weeks.”

“No, that’s perfect. That will allow you two to be here for the drop party. I’ll get with Mom and let her know that when they come for that, they’ll be bringing the triplets back. Lauren will be so happy.” Mercy chuckled. Lauren’s contribution to helping the Berrys while Rachel was laid up was to go and play with the babies every weekend. Finn was looking into adoption already. He was sure that the only way his future wife would be totally happy was if they had a biracial baby or two of their own. I loved how he thought of that all on his own. Sometime, I knew that I was doing Finn wrong. He had good grades now. He had fought back and kept up with his work after being in the hospital so long. Still, it was so easy to pick on him because he was never bothered by it. It was still wrong though. So, I needed to stop doing it. He was my friend…it wasn’t right. I’d enjoyed not being the brunt of all the dumb jokes in out peer group, but it had gone on long enough.

I came back to the conversation as Antwan continued, “True, and if there is any kind of bright side to all that has happened, Ethan and I are more than ready for the civil trial next month and we’ve made some great strides in forcing your suit against the tabloids forward.” The subject changed again and after dinner he returned to his portion of the vigil he and his husband were holding at their eldest’s bedside.

After our Columbia classes, we had to swing through the office and go over the contracts for the summer employees. The contracts for Mike and Tina were manageable…but the ones for the rest of them were kind of ridiculous. “Man Frome, why are the others so much thicker than Tina and Mike’s?”

Ethan smirked at Puck for the new nickname. “Mischief please, we all know that your friends Tina and Mike already could have made themselves rich telling tales out of school. Those two packets are about three pounds lighter because Cohen-Chang and Chang don’t have all the non-disclosure agreements. They haven’t because they wouldn’t betray you. No reason to bother them with all that stuff.” That made a lot of sense. We’d lucked out with the loyalty of our friends. Or maybe it was as simple as the fact that they all knew we had their backs, so they tried to have ours. “Anyway, the contracts for all the dancers are complete and ready for signatures. Once you’ve picked out your new background singer, text me the name. I’ve set aside time on Thursday afternoon for all of them to come in and we go through their paperwork, get their benefits packages and such all settled.”

“Full medical, dental and vision for the duration of their contract?” I asked to make sure I had it right in my mind.

“Yes, plus Aflac, workers comp and accidental life insurance.” Ethan nodded.

Mercedes smiled. We were building a rep as some of the best employers in the industry. That was how we liked it. Those contracts would certainly continue to help us show the world that not every employer had to be C. Montgomery Burns to make money. “Just make sure to have them fill out direct deposit information. You know how much Mr. Ben and Gwen hate having to do paper checks.”

“I don’t blame them. Seems like dealing with those would be even harder when you guys are running around the country on your tour.” Her uncle laughed. “You three better get on out of here…you’ve got classes in like ten minutes.”

He was right, so we dipped out and headed to Juilliard for our afternoon classes. When classes were done for the day, we headed home to the brownstone and had dinner with most of the family. Me and Mercy managed to get a few minutes alone to talk. “Alright, the flying lessons are good for a year. We can add more if he decides that he likes them and wants to learn to fly fully. Plus, the guy said that he can just come on Saturday mornings so that is golden.” I started.

“Yeah, and if we do an album next year, we’ll record on Sundays and go to Temple with Puck on Saturdays. He’s given us two years basically putting our Sabbath above his.” Mercy said gently.

I couldn’t not agree. “Yeah, he deserves to be able to go to Temple too. We could always start a little later on Sunday morning and still make an early service. He doesn’t really have that option.”

“Okay, back to birthday things. Dinner in the private room at Gramercy Tavern, complete with a cake from them and cupcakes from that place he loves…A dozen Dulce de Leche just for him. Then we’ll hit that club he’s been dying to go to…” She paused trying to think of the name.

“Le Bain at the Standard.” I reminded helpfully.

Mercedes nodded. “Yeah, they have hot tubs in the dance floor…maybe I should bring or wear my swimsuit or something.”

I shrugged. I was kind of hoping that she’d forget to worry about that. No way in hell she wouldn’t win if they had some kind of wet clothes contest. “If you want to, but considering the dress you have, I’d love it if all you wore under it was a lacy bra…I’d say go without anything, but I know how much that would end up hurting you by the end of the night.”

“And embarrassing me all night long.” She shot back swatting my chest. “I’ll see about the lingerie, but even if we don’t have to wear swimsuits in the hot tub there, I will be in at least both a bra and panties.” Damn, I loved it when Mercy got sassy. “Your freaky ass is not about to have me wind up on some magazine cover flashing the world my vajayjay.”

I shook my head and pitched my voice deeper and let my accent out. “No Ma’am. Your sexy little pussy is just for me and Noah to see. But that won’t stop us from peeling those lacy bits of nothing away and licking and sucking and fingering you or fucking you until you can’t stop yourself from screaming no matter where we are.”

Mercy has a lot of tells that shows her arousal without her saying a word. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Her breath quickened. She shivered despite the warmth of the room and her place in my arms. Her back arched just a little, pressing her glorious curves against me. And as well trained as one of Pavlov’s dogs, my dick responded immediately. “Sam…you are so wrong for doing this to me knowing we have to be in Brooklyn in barely enough time to get over there.” She moaned.

As if summoned, there was a knock on the study door. “Come on you two. We need to head up, like now.” I knew that God really did love me because the voice belonged to Artie and not Tana.

We bustled over to the studio and listened to the seven finalists sing with the Dam Bros, Tana and Xena. We talked to them and found out more about who they were and where they were from. We mostly tried to figure out where their heads were at. One guy didn’t have a snow ball’s chance in hell. Mercedes might have forgotten him. But neither me nor Noah had. It was that same big gay asshole that thought he was so funny talking about her weight when we were having lunch with Jade West-Oliver after our first nationals win. Me and Puck rolled up on him with wrath and vengeance in our eyes. “I almost admire the fucking testicular fortitude it took for you to even audition for this job considering that you basically called our beautiful lady fat.”

I looked him up and down. “Looks like you haven’t experienced any of the starving part of being an artist either. Did your momma ever find her plum switch?”

“Gentlemen, I’m sure am sorry for my behavior that day. I really think that I learned a valuable lesson about how to treat others.” He stammered out quickly. It sounded more than a little rehearsed to me. “I like to think I have matured a lot in the last few years.”

I rolled my eyes. “Guess you can mature some more by the next time we see you in…what’s good for you, Puck, three…four years?”

“Shit, Sammy-Boy…I’m good with never seeing his ass again.” Puck shot back.

Kurt came over and looked the guy up and down. “You look familiar. Do you go to NYADA? How did you get permission to do the tour?”

“I don’t go to NYADA, I’m at AMDA. We have to get permission for things during the year, but our summers are our own.” He said after a moment.

Kurt looked at him again. “Puck, I know he isn’t the guy you wanted me to slap at the reception after the New York Nationals.” Noah was quick to assure Kurt that this was, in fact, that same dildo. “I don’t know if even auditioning for this role makes you brave or stupid.”

“Nah, Kurt, that ain’t brave. He’s just dumber than bag of hammers and nuttier than squirrel shit.” I said looking him dead in the eye. God knows I was hoping he would test me.

Kurt read it in every line of my body. “Yeah, I’d suggest you leave now. You are southern, I’m remembering that correctly. So even if I think Sam’s reactions are a little extreme, shouldn’t you understand? You insulted his woman and then had the nerve to come here and try to act as if nothing had happened while asking to work for, and be around him and his wife every day. You aren’t getting the job. So leave now, before Sam decides that kicking your ass is totally worth whatever you sue him for later.”

Thank God the guy listened, because I was about to the point where I was up to believing anything less than a million was totally worth it. The rest of the people were normal. Some were cool even. One guy though, he was amazeballs when he sang with the Dam Bros and he and Justin got along really well really quickly. Justin was already planning to learn the tanpura and the shehnai from Arjun, who wanted to learn the clarinet and sax from Justin. I could not keep track of all the instruments Justin picked up in his spare time. The dude really was a musical prodigy. Still, seeing the two of them talking, we knew we had our guy. Arjun Koothrappali was actually the first cousin of Artie’s cousin in California’s best friend. Which we only found out because when Artie heard his name, the first words out of his mouth were, “Dude…is Koothrappali like Jones or Smith in India, or whatever? Because my cousin Howard’s best friend’s last name is Koothrappali.”

The guy cocked his head to the side. “My uncle’s rather strange son lives in Pasadena. He is an astrophysicist.”

That bothered me a little bit. “Why do you call him strange?”

Arjun shrugged. “I guess it is…well, like…he needs to make up his mind. If he is gay…then he should be gay. If he is straight then he needs to be straight. Right now, it is like he is confused and it confuses all the rest of us.” he looked thoughtful for a long minute. “I guess, I just hear it spoken that way so often, I didn’t even realize that what I said was kind of mean and offensive until you asked me why I’d said it. In fact, now that I think about it…he’s not so bad. Just very Americanized…and like don’t get me wrong. I love Sci-Fi…a lot. But if you’re a guy who wants to do cos-play…and you aren’t gay or trans…shouldn’t you stay to the male characters?”

I shrugged. “I guess, I’ve always believed that you dressed as the character you identified with the most. That’s why some people do the whole gender-bent costumes, or just wear the drag. Why who does your cousin dress as?”

“Dude, I never really thought about that. He dresses as Lieutenant Uhura from the original Star Trek. That’s the only female as far as the family knows about.” Arjun answered.

“Well then, if it isn’t something simple like he’s just non-binary or something…I hope his parents aren’t too pressed on him marrying an Indian woman. I mean, he identifies with the person of color in TV’s first interracial kiss. Dude isn’t checking for anyone he shares a complexion with.” I postulated.

The Indian guy laughed. “So, he is like my father, just more extreme. Father didn’t like the idea of marrying a woman from Bangaladesh. He went to college in London and wouldn’t date any woman whose accent was too much like his own. My mother was born and raised in Sri Lanka. She is Hindi and Indian so she was acceptable to our grandparents…and just her being born elsewhere made her acceptable to Father.”

“So, are you going to have to find some nice Indian girl that your parents find acceptable?” Mercy teased joining the conversation.

Arjun shrugged. “Not really, my best friend is Indian, she is from the same caste and she’s a lesbian. So, she and I are planning to marry and have children via insemination.”

“Wow…but what about you? Can you handle a marriage to a person who will never want to…ya know?” Puck asked trying to be somewhat sensitive.

“Oh, I probably should have prefaced that by telling you that I don’t actually enjoy sex. Like at all. I’ve tried guys, I’ve tried girls…it just doesn’t do anything for me. I mean, technically, I achieve a mechanical sort of orgasm. But I don’t get the same enjoyment from the exercise as well, it seems like the entire rest of the world does.” Arjun said matter of factly.

Mercy was smiling…something was up her sleeve. I didn’t figure out what for longer than I really wanted to admit though. “Okay, so you’re ace…I think that something like one percent of the human race is. It’s perfectly normal. Do you like to cuddle and stuff or are you aromantic as well?”

A startled Arjun answered her without thinking. “I love touching and holding hands and cuddling and even kissing. I’ve had several girlfriends through my teens and even in college. That was why I’d assumed that I was normal.”

“Interesting.” I heard Mercy mutter. She gave him a reassuring smile. “Well, it isn’t any of our business really. I was just curious. You were the best vocally when paired with Adam and Damien. You sounded great with both Santana and Xena and when we all sang together…you didn’t try and sing over Sam, Puck and me. So, the job is yours if you want it.”

“I so want it,” Arjun laughed. “You guys in the last fifteen minutes have made me feel normal about something that I’d long ago convinced myself made me a freak of nature…and you’ve probably helped to improve a familial relationship that I’d never realized could be better. And on top of that. I literally have two months left to make money as a singer or I have to use my bio-chemistry degree-slash-or-maybe-even-worse-go back for an advanced degree in bio-chemistry.”

I’m sure that the horror in his face at that thought shouldn’t have been as funny as it was. But it totally was hilarious. We did our part and got his information for Mrs. Gwen and Mr. Ben and Uncle Ethan then we thanked the few guys who were still there and sent them all on their way. Puck let Arjun know that he needed to be at the KAMA offices on Thursday afternoon to sign all his paperwork and everything. They would all need to attend the practices the following week and were welcome to attend the drop party the following weekend.

The rest of the week flew by. We were able to talk to our professors, the ones who were giving actual exams and explain the situation with Finn and Lauren’s trial and how we really needed to be there for that and they allowed us to schedule our exams or performances for the first two or three days of the exam period which meant we’d be back in Ohio before the first day of the civil trial. When I asked one of them why they were always so cool with helping us with our scheduling conflicts, Dr. Pender replied with a laugh, “Son, you come in here, every time, acting like you are asking for a huge favor, like you are asking for special treatment based solely on who you are. But at least, if that was what you were counting on to get what you want, at least you’re relying on your own achievements and accomplishments not who your parents are or how much money they’ve given to the school. When you ask, it is either something you need to do for your day jobs, or something that any educator worth their salt would consider enriching. You keep your grades at B-plus or above levels. You were in classes the Tuesday after winning the Grammys. You’ve never come and asked to miss classes because you want to go to Vail or because you were too hung over or whatever new ‘not an excuse’ these kids come in here with. I’m sure that the rest of your professors would agree with me when I say that we are all proud of you, Mercedes and Noah for continuing to work towards your education despite your successful recording careers.”

I could feel myself blushing. I was used to physicality based compliments. But nothing inside me knew how to deal with those compliments that pertained to my intellect or intelligence. Though I was finally, really beginning to believe that I actually had both. I thank him for the kind words and the scheduling help. I was floating like a cloud for the rest of the week. By the time we were getting ready for Puck’s birthday dinner…I couldn’t even believe how quickly the week had flown by.

22 (Lily Allen)  
Puck PoV

Just waking up on my twenty-second birthday was fucking awesome. Sexy Mama and Sammy-Boy decided to wake me up with a double blow job. Those would never not be the best way to start a day. Then my birthday was mentioned on no less than three of the major morning shows. It was so dope…Gayle King and Charlie Rose wished me Happy Birthday…that was some awesome shit. Bautista made me some of her amazing banana-pecan pancakes for breakfast, which I got to eat with Nikki, because she had slept in her room in our brownstone the night before. I was a happy dad with having her there with us that morning. Classes were cool. With under a month left, we hadn’t exactly entered review mode yet, but things weren’t as intense as they had been right after spring break. Everywhere I turned there were people wishing me ‘happy birthday’…most of whom I had never even seen before. That was cool, I guess. But I preferred it when it was someone I knew. Like when Riley sought me out to tell me happy birthday, he laughed at me for asking him, yet again if he was coming to chill with us at the club after dinner. I’d have been even happier if he had been able to join us all night, but he had to work while we would be eating dinner. “Puck, you’ve asked me like ten times. I haven’t forgotten. If I’m too tired after work, or have to work late, I will text you.”

“Cool.” I laughed. “Hell, yeah I remind you. When the three of us had our first drop party, we got the advice to keep good people around us to keep us grounded. You want me and Sam to end up acting like Bieber or something. Come on Riley, only you can prevent douchbaggery.”

After we finished our day at Columbia, we swung by the office on the way to our afternoon classes and had lunch with Team KAMA and the office staff. It was cool. Most of the team was coming to dinner, but the cake Yazz and Brigid got me was really, really good. They all chipped in twenty bucks each and got me an awesome hard-shell case for my Fender. I was quite happy with it. Then they gave Sam a more traditional looking case, and Cede a super duper, hoity-toity travel makeup brush set. The staff hadn’t been able to see them on their birthdays so they decided to do a little something for all of us together. It was really nice of them. I decided to get with Gwen and make sure that they all got a G on a gift card to some place good for each of their birthdays. We didn’t want them thinking that we thought they weren’t important and shit.

Man, at the end of the day, I was more than ready to get my grub on and then party like serious rock stars. Sexy Mama had planned my outfit out for me, but she kept it completely me…just acceptable for the club we were going to after dinner. The Gramercy Tavern had agreed to relax their usual dress code since we were renting a private room, not eating in the main dining room, so they weren’t even a consideration. Technically, jeans weren’t club appropriate, but any Manhattan club bouncer would bend that rule if the name was BRAND enough. Balmain, distressed, biker jeans met that criteria. I didn’t want to think about how much they had to have cost. The same thing went for the Armani, heather gray Henley, and the black, Moschino combat boots. Sam’s outfit was a little more in line with what you’d expect…though still jeans, just jet black. They were name brand too, Stefano Ricci. His simple white, smedium shirt was Valentino. His black and white tennis shoes bore the same name as his jeans. Of course, Our Woman, didn’t even have to worry. She looked so good in anything they would probably let her into the club in a burlap sack.

Not that that was what she was planning to wear. No after her shower, Cede put her sexy ass in a black and fuchsia lace bustier and matching garter panties. She’d found some back seamed, thigh high, sheer, silk stockings that left her cute little toes uncovered and she wore those that night. Then she put on the dress. Now there will never be a time I didn’t want that sexy ass woman naked as the day she was born, but damn that dress. It was totally Mercedes Jones, crimson red, with a deep V-neckline, that whole cold shoulder thing that Kurt swore was huge and going to be even more so for a while. The ruched skirt ended barely half-way down her sexy brown thighs. It was a visual smorgasbord of beautiful brown skin. I wanted to bone her so hard…but I knew that considering she was almost done dressing, she’d have killed me before I could get us both off. Her makeup was fucking awesome and just looking at her eyes I was sure it was ridiculously complicated. Her hair looked food in big bouncing curls down around her shoulders, playing peek-a-boo with her big ass white gold and black diamond hoop earrings. Her neck was decorated with three retro-looking, platinum, wide, white gold, herringbone chains of varying lengths and thicknesses. She looked hot…like ridiculously so. Usually for a night at the club the most Mercedes would carry would be a tiny clutch, but since she was carrying all three of our swimsuits for us, she’d gone with her black Louboutin Paloma tote. I was pretty sure she’d put a pair of flip flops in there for herself too, because she had her little issues. 

Issues or not, I loved that woman. She was just such a good person. Mercedes hadn’t just taken the time to lay out me and Sam’s clothes before she took her shower that evening. She’d laid out Nikki’s too. So, when we headed down fully dressed and ready for our night out, Nik-Nak was all dressed and ready to go too. She was so adorable in a pretty sky blue skater dress that Cede had paired with navy blue sweater, Mary Janes, and little purse. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she had put on some of her little girl lip gloss. That stuff was made for daddies more than their daughters. It gave the girls the idea that they were wearing something so grown up, but it didn’t last for shit. By the time we all plied into the stretch Hummer, it was already mostly gone, basically just a more expensive version of chap stick. I was good with that. The restaurant was in the Flatiron District and so it was a decent little ride over. We laughed and talked. Nikki mentioned Neil’s mother, wondering if she was going to try and pinch her cheeks off again, and for the first time I wondered who all I should expect to see at the ‘family’ birthday party.

Apparently, I should have expected to see every Mayzer, Harris or KAMA family member in the tristate area. Even all of our Rangemen and Lester were there. Yeah, it wasn’t that they had rented the private dining room at the Gramercy Tavern…Sam and Cedes had rented out the entire restaurant. Seriously, everyone there was there for me. Heck Lyor even stopped by and introduce the three of us to his girlfriend, or maybe fiancé, Xin Li, an art advisor for some major museum in China. We’d be seeing them again at the Met Gala the following month. The restaurant was playing some serious rock and roll…it was an awesome evening. We were served family style, four courses…including a pretty cake that was really good, but not as good as the cupcakes that my boos got me. After everyone sang me Happy Birthday, come to find out there were gifts. I loved that shit. I got everything from small stuff for school or a whole bunch of guitar picks to donations to great charities in my name. I was good with all of them. Nikki had gotten me this cool travel roll thing for neck ties with a novelty tie that had all these principals of flight in white on a navy-blue silk background. I loved them both. Though the tie seemed a little bit more like something her Papa would like than me…but it came from my amazing little girl so it was perfect.

After Nikki’s gift, I started to notice a theme. Bubbie got me a wicked cool pair of Aviator sunglasses. Saul and Mills got me a black leather bomber jacket. Bartana got me an olive green flight jacket. Neil and Francesca gave me a book called ‘Inside the Cockpit’ from the Smithsonian. Aunt Geneve, Neil’s mom…she gave me an antique nautical sextant. I started getting suspicious. But before I could put my foot in my mouth, I opened my gift from Sam and Cede. “Holy shit…I’m gonna learn to fucking fly?” I blurted out.

“Well, we know how much you love speed…can’t go faster than flying.” Sexy Mama chuckled.

Sam just smirked. “Personally, I just figured if you got plane flying lessons this year, then I could have helicopter flying lessons next year.”

“Lord have His mercy. Why on earth do you guys love flying so much?” Cede full on laughed drawing the attention of several of my Mayzer family members. They were not used to the way she laughed with all of herself yet. They were learning. It didn’t even faze Neil anymore. Then again, he and Aunt Geneve spent more time with Bubbie than most of the rest of the Mayzers…maybe that prepared them better.

I smirked and drew her into my arms. Leaning in real close, I whispered, “It’s the closest we can come to the feeling we get when you’re putting it on our asses real good…at least with our clothes on and in public.” She swatted me, but giggled and smiled. Then she kissed me so good I damn near got a boner sitting a few feet away from Aunt Geneve…not something that had ever happened before in my life. But she then put me back to work opening the gifts that our family and friends had been kind enough to get for me.

Darcy was on the job all night. Our Instagram and Snapchat feeds were jumping all night. When she posted a picture of Sexy Mama, herself, Brittany, Xena, Santana, Baebe, JaJa looking like a seriously sexy rainbow, Instagram couldn’t handle the traffic. Roy G. Biv had never looked so damn good. Made the late night news cycle and everything. I had a blast. Before I knew it though, it was M&M’s mom was there to take Nikki over to their house for the weekend. I figured it was good that they did the whole sleep over thing with all three of them together now, because once puberty hit, that shit wasn’t happening no more. As long as they remained friends, Michelle and Marcus would always be welcome but once they hit twelve, only Michelle could spend the night. Still, they were only nine so they had plenty of time before gender rules came into play. Besides, if Marcus or Nikki turned out to be gay, there didn’t need to be any changes made at all. Still, we didn’t have to worry about that for a few years. That night we made sure to send Nikki and the twins’ mom home with enough cake that the three nine-year-olds might never sleep again. Once Niks was gone, the party started breaking up pretty quickly. Hudson had settled up with the guys who had been helping us all night and soon thereafter, it was time to go for all of us who were going to the club.

The ten-minute drive between Gramercy and The Standard High Line took us right by Klienfield’s…our fans still coo online whenever Moms’ episode is on. I was just so happy that she was happier than I could ever remember her being when I was little. George was a good man. He took care of her and Sarah and Jake and Tessa so well. Mom was even getting ready to go back to school and get her MD. She was going to become a doctor. She was making her dream come true. I had finally made her proud and now she was making herself proud. Sam saw the goofy smile on my face and leaned over. “You enjoying your birthday?”

“Hell yeah. You think we got enough cred to get this many people in that club?” I asked him with a grin.

Cede leaned over and smiled. “I guess we’re about to see.”

Le Bain at The Standard was a ridiculously exclusive club at the top of The Standard High Street. The club itself was the top two floors of the hotel. The first level was the main part of the club. An indoor hot tub graced the middle of the dance floor. The upper deck was an astro turf covered roof top with seriously comfie couches and a crepe stand. With Cede, Sammy-Bot and me wanting entry with like twenty members of our entourage, I was a little bit shocked that they let us all in. Then again, we were all looking fly as shit. The club was really awesome. Jamal Lyon and Cookie met us there. They didn’t need our cache to get in. The name Lyon opened any doors in New York. I bought everyone there with us or for us a shot to get the night started right. After a little libation, we got our dance on for a while. It was all hunky-dory until the DJ called out birthday wishes to me. That was when shit got lit. There were a shit ton of famous people there. Victor Cruz, Skye Summers a couple of models and a few other music folks. All of them decided that they had to buy the birthday boy a drink. I let Sam have half of them so I wouldn’t end up completely shit faced.

Yeah, I still ended up way too fucking tipsy. I was so fucked up that when Hudson appeared at my elbow and handed me my red PPS logo swim trunks, whoever came up with that idea was a freaking genius, I totally didn’t comprehend what I was supposed to do with them. Instead I stood there looking at her for a long minute with what was probably a goofy ass smile on my face. Finally, understanding swum through the pool of Ciroc that was clouding my reason. I took them and Sam’s from her outstretched hand, grabbed Sammy-boy and went to change. But as we were making our way to the bathrooms, I had a boss idea. I handed him both of our trunks and sent him ahead while I slipped the ladies’ room attendant a bill and slipped in to find my Sexy Mama.

“Puck, are you so drunk that you don’t realize that you’re in the ladies’ room?” Satan asked even though I could tell she knew exactly why I was there. Because Happy Birthday to me.

“Shut it, Girl-Me…where is my woman?” I commanded.

Satan shook her head. “Puck, I’m gonna do you a favor and not tell Cedes that with that asshat Macardo not even getting his ass raped by a big mofo doing a life sentence for ripping out some whack job’s spine yet, you came in here trying to get it in in a public place.”

I gave her a charming smile. “Then come and play look out. Make sure that nobody is trying to fucking tape us or whatever.” I said bluntly. My dick was hard and I was closer to drunk than I was tipsy. My perceptions of wisdom and right and wrong were skewed as hell. Fortunately for me, even sober, Tana’s ideas of right versus wrong were completely fucked up. She just shrugged and took me to the enclosure where Sexy Mama was changing into her bright turquoise swimsuit. 

Mercedes had already gotten rid of her dress. “Noah, what…” she started, only to be cut off by my lips taking hers. She tasted amazing, like birthday cake and Cede and strawberry daquiri.

“Oh fuck…” I moaned into the kiss. I pressed my erection into the naked flesh of her belly between the bottom of her bustier and the top of her panties. When the kiss finally broke for lack of oxygen I was completely drunk off my ass and it had barely anything to do with the shots and shit.

Tana’s hissed whisper of “Hurry the hell up.” Almost ruined the moment. But then Sexy Mama giggled and I was back in my happy place.

She put her hot little hand against my chest. “I’m going into the pool, I cannot do that with a coch-cha full of Puckzilla swimmers.” She chided as if she’d read my mind.

I smiled lasciviously. “So, I guess that you’ll just have to suck my cock and swallow all those swimmers down.”

She didn’t giggle that time. Babygirl loved it when me or Sam talked dirty to her. Even Drunk-Silly dirty counted if she was tipsy herself. Her own lust saw her shiver and gracefully sink to her knees. She ran her hands down the hard-won muscles of my chest to my waist making short work of undoing the way too damn expensive belt and jeans. Cede deposited a feathery wet trail of kisses down my six pack, grazing her hands along my hips, teasing my skin. She licked and nibbled her way down to her target; my thick, hard cock. With desire hooded eyes, I watched her wrap her plush, mahogany hand around my throbbing white cock. She stared into my eyes with a boldness only Sam and I had ever seen from her. I hissed as she ran her hot tongue flat against the seam of hard swollen dick, giving it one long, wet lick, her tongue eagerly tasting the salty, sweet bead that seeped from the tip. Sexy Mama smiled at my reaction and continued her slow assault on the Zilla. She engulfed my cock with her hot mouth, pumping her fist slowly as she sucked my length in and out. I rocked my hips, feeding my hardness deep into her throat. She relaxed, letting me fill her mouth, we both listened as my breath grew ragged.

Fuck, I would have loved to have been able to say that I lasted past, like, five minutes. I would have loved to have been able to say I didn’t last very long because it had been a while since I’d felt anything that good. But no, I popped off in like fifteen long, deep, suckling strokes. Mercedes Antoinette Jones was a goddess of oral gratification. Cede swallowed every drop and licked me clean before tucking me back into my clothes. She stood and I leaned down kissing her deeply for as long as I could. The addition of the taste of my cum didn’t detract from the wonderful way her kiss made me feel. If anything, that almost intangible evidence of her love for me increased my perception of her taste as amazing. “What can I do for you?”

Her smile turned feral. “Oh, when we get home, I fully expect total and complete payback. For now, you can help me with my suit.”

She had ordered her swimsuits for the summer off a website of a plus sized designer. The one she’d picked to wear that night was brand new. It was a convertible suit that had a very tight body for the most part, but that stopped right under her boobs. The rest of the suit was comprised of two wide bands of the same fabric that could be twisted and tied in different configurations to create coverage for Sexy Mama’s massive tits. We played around with a couple until she finally decided to have them wrapped under her boobs once then go straight up over them, criss-crossed between her should blades and wrapped around her middle before I tied them in a bow behind her back. She moved her feet from her heels into the teal wedge flip flops she’d brought with her. “I’m gonna go and get changed. I know Sam is wondering where I disappeared to.” I said quickly. The orgasm had helped sober me a little. She pressed a quick kiss to my chin and shooed me on my way while she folded her dress and lingerie and put it into her tote bag with her heels.

Running to the men’s room, Sam was changed, but waiting on me. He gave me a knowing look and then kissed me hard. “Since it’s your birthday, I’ll forgive you for not taking me with you…this time.” He growled. I changed with the quickness so that me and Sam could get back to our Cede. When we got back into the club, we found the girls talking with Cookie and Jamal. Damn, Cede was sexy as hell. She had her hair pulled up into a top knot and a cute little black and turquoise sarong around her hips. I stopped checking my wife out and checked back into the conversation. Jamal had recently broken up with his boyfriend because Michael just couldn’t handle the industry lifestyle. I guess I could understand that. Unfortunately for him, his mom, Satan, Cede and a few of the other girls all thought that the best way to get over an old dude was to get him under a new one. Cookie had decided that Jax was perfect. “Look at him, Mal, he’s all Hispanic…just like Lil Chi-Chi, but he’s a dancer…you know that means he’s all bendy and shit.”

Santana had a different dancer in mind. “Yeah, but Simeon is bendy and look at the lips on that boi. I mean damn, just looking at him you know he can suck an elephant through a garden hose.”

Cookie looked over at the dancers appraisingly. “I hadn’t thought of that. But then again…why choose at all. Both of them are fine as hell. Mal could have an nice rebound night with both of the little dancer boys and be back writing non-depressing love songs.” She said teasingly.

Jamal was as red as I had ever seen a black guy in my life. I had a hard time not laughing. “Alright, well, if Jamal wants to hook up with Simmy, Jax or both…that’s on him. I’m ‘bout to get my happy ass into that hot tub.” I said snarkily. “And Cede and Sam have to come with me.”

I dragged them over and I helped Sexy Mama with the knot of her sarong before Sam helped her step down into the swirling hot waters. We actually did some networking in the hot tub. A couple of the models wanted information on how they could be in a future video. Skye talked with us and with Jamal about possible future collaborations. We decided that we were going to make a video, with the profits from the sale of it going to the Black Lives Matter movement and the ACLU of our ‘The Ballad of Tamir Rice’ single. Skye and Jamal jumped all over joining us in the video. So did most of the models present. There were a few from unpronounceable eastern European countries who did want to do the project, but that wasn’t a shocker. Cookie suggested a remix version of the song with all five of us singing that people would get when they bought the video. That was a bomb idea. Hudson said that she would work with Haja, Cookie and Skye’s Mom-ager Judith to get all the details hashed out. The five of us were hoping to get that done before the tour started in May. So we would need to move on that shit immediately. Thankfully, neither Mal nor Skye had any problems with late evening rehearsals and filming.

After about an hour in the hot tub, we got out, headed to the top level and had mojitos and crepes before making out on one of the couches. We finally left there around four, which was stupid, since that gave us just enough time to get home bone in the shower, get everything ready for our quick overnighter in Baltimore and catch a quick nap. We were performing at the prom for the contest winners. We made it into the offices, where everyone was meeting up, and where the four vans and our limo were meeting us. Haja had insisted on the limo for KAMA but it didn’t really matter to us…we weren’t paying for any of it anyway. That trip was all being handled out of Warner and I Heart Radio’s coffers, even if Darcy had handled the entries and the selection of the winner. Everyone was all in the vehicles and we pulled out of there exactly on time. We slept for the whole four hour drive. This was more like our tour stops would be like over the summer. Decent, but not super lavish hotels, get in get set up, get some sleep…rock the event…then get back to the hotel to sleep and head out the next morning.

We’d dragged Ben, Jon and Ryan with us to lug shit and help us set up. Artie and Cassidy worked with the AV people at the Cal Ripken Stadium where the Aberdeen High Prom was being held to get the audio all set up. Ryan, Ben and Jon just had to move things and wires and shit around to where Art-man and Cass wanted them to go. We were performing on a stage set up in right field of Leidos Field at the baseball training ground. Once we did the sound check, we headed to the hotel and got checked in. As we were getting dressed for the evening, I couldn’t help but wonder how things were going in Lima. It was too bad that McKinley’s prom was that same night. I hoped that Tessa and Jake were having a ton of fun.

Here’s to the Night (Eve 6)  
Joe PoV

I was very happy with the way the Lord was shaping my life. He had blessed me with a blood family that gave me a solid foundation and yet the room to grow and explore. He’d helped me to learn to be non-judgmental in my service of Him, which was really the only way to bring souls to Him. He had put it into my mother’s heart to send me to public school at the exact right time. That brought me the blessings of friends who were as close to my heart as my family. I’d learned more from my new friends in McKinley than I did from the teachers. Mama-Cedes taught me so much about perseverance and using the talents God had given you. She taught men about being humble and yet having confidence. Having a willingness and spirit of service yet being strong enough to say no when necessary. But it wasn’t just hers. Quinn taught me how Mary really could have dealt with being a teenage mom. I mean, yeah, their situations were different since Ms. Shelby was raising Beth, but Quinn didn’t take her feelings of guilt and remorse out on everyone else. Or at least she’d stopped doing so soon enough not to have destroyed her bonds with her friends and family. And between the two of them Lauren and Santana had taught me all I ever needed to defend myself.

Most people would have assumed that I’d have said I learned self-defense from Puck or Blaine or Sam. But Santana was a mistress of psychological warfare. And no one knew more about non-lethal means of compelling submission than Lauren. Puck and Blaine had been too focused on taking someone out rather than just subduing them. “Look the best way to make sure that your enemy can’t come back after you later is to put them down hard enough that they either can’t, in the most literal sense of the word, or that they are too scared of you to try you again.” Was how Puck felt about the subject. Blaine was better about the correct application of violence, but not by much. Sam’s Southern Baptist upbringing meant that he kind of understood…but, like most Southern Baptists, he was a firm believer that the best defense was a good offense.

Almost all of my New Direction siblings taught me important life lessons and I thanked God daily for bringing them into my life. But the most important thing the Lord used going to McKinley and joining the show choir to bring into my life was Tessa Altman. But as much as I loved Tessa it wasn’t just her presence in my life that was the blessing. Through my relationship with her, I’d found the way I would be able to serve God…the direction for my life. I’d gotten into several schools that would make it possible for my more concrete dream to be realized. There were naysayers in our world, but I’d learned to ignore those who thought they knew better about my path than me; better than the truths that the Lord had shown me. There were many people who claimed that I was too young to know for sure that I have been called to be a voice for God in this world.

Many said that Tessa and I were too young to have found our forever in each other. They liked to point out that Tessa and Aiden had thought they were forever too. But my parents had met at a church camp when they were not much older than we were. Tessa’s parents had met even younger…and they were a life lesson about letting others convince you to follow a path not meant for you. They also pointed out that sometimes relationships with others helped you grow and learn and they showed how right the forever relationship really was. Both Mr. George and Ms. Rebecah told us that if we were sure that we were meant to last, we should hold onto each other until the time came that we, the two of us and not anyone else, felt otherwise. Then they walked us through creating a list of things that we could both agree were immediate deal breakers. Tessa’s were simple; if I ever cheated on her, tried to hit her or tried to force her to do something that she had a deep or clear reason not to want to do it. I could try and convince her to try new things or give some other people a chance to show their intelligence or good nature…that kind of thing was allowed. But should I ever try and change something that made her fundamentally her that would be it. I understood her points. On the flipside of the coin, I was happy to undertake counseling for one instance of infidelity…but a second was certainly a no go for me. I felt the same way Tessa did about abuse and trying to change who I was or undermining my faith. I did have one more…we needed to communicate. It was vital to any relationship let alone one where we would be ‘growing together’. So, to me continued and repeated refusal to communicate that would including lying or hiding things other than surprises those kinds of refusals were certainly deal breakers for me. I’d be willing to try counseling once, maybe even twice…but a third strike would be the end. It was weird how having those things stated made us both more secure in the fact that we were good pursuing a life-long relationship with each other.

However, our parents were nor our only relationship cheerleaders. Mama-Cedes, Puck and Sam were just as interested in making sure that we had all the support we needed to have a long-lasting relationship. I guess that was why I wasn’t surprised when Puck pulled me to the side on Easter Sunday. I’d been expecting to hear a special pre=prom shovel speech though, not what actually took place. “Alright, Broseph…real talk…Prom’s a couple of weeks away, I know that you’ve got your tux game tight. Bubbie and Jake told me that that sh- the tux thing was handled.”

“Yeah, your grandmother talked to my mom and got my sizes and some money from my parents and sent me a tux so I wouldn’t have to rent one. Apparently, Jake talks a lot because he told her that I was just planning on renting one from that place in the mall.” I said with all honesty.

Puck shrugged. “Jake looks out for his people.” He unapologetically defended his, our, brother. “Cool story though. Someone from Ralph Lauren wanted me and Sam to wear two of their suits on a red carpet coming up, right? So, they went to Bubbie, because she runs me and Sam’s fashion lives, totally and completely. Well, her and Sexy Mama. Anyway. To get her to say yes, they tossed in brand new, fresh off their spring lines tuxes made to your and Jake’s measurements at cost. So, you two have new tuxes for about what it would have cost you to rent them. All thanks to Bubbie being great at the whole stylist game.”

“Wow, that is great.” I said happily. I wasn’t a skinflint, but even I could appreciate the idea of paying the same price to own something as I’d have had to pay to rent it.

“Yeah, so you’ve got the tux. You know you gotta wear shoes…real shoes, not your Jesus sandals.”

I rolled my eyes at his teasing. “Yes Noah.” I shot back. “I know that I have to wear my dress shoes…ya know I wear some every Sunday.” Though honestly, I only wore them on Sundays if I could help it. “I got a brand-new pair of shiny black dress shoes. And I’ve ordered Tee a special calla lily corsage.”

The next question Puck asked was probably the whole point of the conversation. “So, are you and Tessa riding in the limo with Jake and RJC too?”

I shook my head. Tessa was good with RJC and of course she loved her brother, but Jessica and Regina’s dates…not so much. “No, I was driving us in my dad’s car.” I didn’t want Tessa to have to drive that night and my father was letting me take the van that night.

Puck made a weird face then he shook his head emphatically. “Naw…not a good idea. I mean, kudos on borrowing the car rather than just taking Tee’s…jolly good show or whatever. But the fact is that Jake, Tessa’s little brother, is rolling in a limo. See, she’s the senior. And she is a top dog Cheerio who will have hopefully won the Cheerleading National Championships the week before. You run the God-Squad. Both of you are two of the senior leaders of the sectional and regional winning, and two-time national championship, bout to be three, New Directions. You both have clout at that school. I know you two don’t care about that kind of sh-stuff. But it is a BFD. Mainly because Sarah will be starting her freshman year next year and she is pretty determined to continue running sh-things. She plans to make sure that bullying stays dead at McKinley.”

I knew how proud Sarah was of having stomped down the mean girls in her middle school. She was amazingly inclusive in her friend group even if there were plenty of people who thought she shouldn’t hang out with ‘losers’ and ‘geeks’. Sarah had a ton of plans for making sure that peoplr like that Nelson idiot in Jake’s class didn’t think that just because more of the people who’d directly helped Mama-Cedes’ class end the bullying gone, he could return the school to the way things had been before I even joined the school. “I guess I understand that. Kind of. But we’re two weeks away from prom night. I think that this conversation may be happening a little too late.”

Of course, Puck laughed in my face. “Oh, young believer…how long have you known me? Do you really think that I started this conversation without having already made the arrangements for you guys to have luxury transportation that weekend?”

I sighed. He was right, I should have known better. Though honestly, I loved Momma Cedes and Sam, but sometimes, Noah made me want to smack him upside the back of his head. “What would you have done if I’d already gotten a limo or we’d planned to ride with Jake, Chase, Regina, Jessica and their dates?”

He shrugged unconcernedly. “Dude, I’d have canceled the reservation and gotten my money back, easy-peasy.”

Even remembering the conversation as I got dressed for the night two weeks later I couldn’t hold back a smile at the thought of Lima’s Badass saying ‘easy-peasy’. I had to admit though he was right…Ruth Mayzer was a goddess of the stylist game. The tuxedo she had sent me fit like a glove. Tessa had been against the patriarchal tradition of me having to wear a vest and tie the same color as her dress. She felt it signified ownership or possession. Instead I was wearing the skinny, notched lapel tux with a blinding white French cuff dress shirt, a long black wide-ish tie and a silvery white vest. I had received a pair of simple, round, sterling silver cufflinks from Mama-Cedes in the mail the day before. They had my initials engraved on the flat silver face of the cufflinks and even I recognized the bright blue box they came in. she sent me a note with the gift reminding me that living a right life had brought me so much to be grateful for…and that she considered me to be one of the blessings in her life. I had to admit that the card and gift made my prom experience that much better. But I didn’t know how to utilize the old-fashioned accessory so I finished dressing and took them down stairs to where my parents were waiting in the living room.

As soon as I stepped foot into the room my mother got all teary. “Oh, look at my baby…looking so grown up.”

Dad was a little bit better. “Wow…you are looking sharp, Joey.” He grabbed his camera and caught a couple of ‘candid’ shots. “No clue how to work the cufflinks?” he asked when he noticed the still undone cuffs. “Let’s see if I can remember how these bad boys work.” He passed Mom the camera, she took way too many pictures so it was rare for him to trust her with the piece of electronics. “Woo Doggie. These are not the Hart family fish cufflinks.” He laughed.

“They were a gift from Mama-Cedes.” I told him with a little grin. “Probably better that way…didn’t you have to Gorilla glue the Hart family fish cufflinks back together after your wedding?”

“No, it was after your Uncle Grant’s wedding.” He laughed. “Should have realized that it was a harbinger of things to come.”

Mom was, of course, taking a boat load of pictures. I was the first of us to go to public school, so all the social activities were new and wonderful to my mother. I received a text letting me know that the limo would be there in thirty minutes. I got my last-minute marching orders. Things like; make sure that I remember my manners and open all doors and pull out chairs properly and all of that, remember that I do not have a curfew that one night, but we are supposed to join them for church at the Jones church the next morning. Dad slipped me a fifty-dollar bill to use to tip the limo driver. I thanked him for the help. That was the only thing I didn’t have covered by having saved every allowance and what I earned selling vegetables and stuff since the school year had started. Mom reminded that she wanted me to send her pictures of me and Tessa as soon as I could. That kind of thing. When the limo did get there, they walked me out. My younger brothers and sisters leaned out of the upstairs hall window to tease me for the limo thing.

The driver’s name was Mark and he let me ride up front since it was just me as we drove over to Mr. George and Ms. Rebecah’s house to get Tessa. Mr. George let me in, “Wow, Ruth is awesome.” He said with a smile. “Joe, you’re looking very dapper.”

“Thanks, your mother-in-law does good work…and I washed my dreads.” It had taken me the better part of the day, but they were clean and dry. I’d styled them very formally. Half pulled back, clipped together lower at the back of my neck. Mr. George and I headed into the living room.

“Bex is upstairs helping Tessa.” He said calmly. “Tessa doesn’t have a curfew tonight. Did you make arrangements for a hotel room?” Ah, so that was what was meant by the term ‘a little too calmly’.

“I did not…but Tessa did mention a surprise. That could well be it.” I told him truthfully.

He laughed. “That sounds like my daughter. So, you guys ready for Nationals?”

I was more than happy to change the subject of the conversation. “Yeah, we’ve got an incredible set list and some great choreography. Mike and Brittany worked with Jake, Jessica and Sugar long distance to make sure that we’d be…just amazing.”

“Good, good.” Mr. George nodded. “Now Joe, I just… I want to make sure that you really are good with going to Iowa instead of Emory or Duke? I know that Tessa can be insidiously forceful in making you think that what she wants is actually what you want as well.”

I smiled, he wasn’t wrong. “She can, but I really do love the school from everything I’ve read and all the online tours. I’ll have to wear boots in the winter, but other than that it looks like the campus was designed for those of us who hate footwear.” I teased before he could. Both Puck and George really liked bothering me about my hatred of full coverage shoes.

“Alright, just to let you know, her brothers and your Mama-Cedes are up to something. I’m not sure what it is yet…but they definitely have something in the works for Tessa’s graduation gift.”

I just laughed and told him the story of how we came to have a limo for the night. “Puck is a spoiler…Sam is a spoiler…Mama-Cedes is a huge, whopping, hurtling spoiler. At this point, I almost wish my parents were far more ‘proud’ so I could turn down some of the things she’s started sending my way.”

“No, I’m glad that they aren’t. You have no idea how happy I am that she is sending you Puck’s hand-me-downs now. She sent me a few pair of jeans and I had no clue how much they cost, until I got on site and the crew started clowning me saying that they wanted raises since I could pay so much for my jeans.” He laughed.

“I try not to think about the costs of the clothing she sends me.”

He smiled. “Jake, Sander and I all feel the same way. Benton’s lucky, anything that would actually fit Sam or Noah is too small for him. Besides, he actually feels comfortable in stuff that costs a house or car payment.”

I don’t know if he would have said anything else or not, because at that moment Ms. Rebecah came in smiling in joy and pride. “Joe, you look very handsome. Tessa will be right down.”

She wasn’t kidding. Tessa appeared a moment later looking like a vision of beauty I certainly wasn’t good enough to deserve. Her dress was floor length and high necked, but sleeveless. The champagne color enlivened her pale ivory skin. The silvery beadwork on the bodice made her pretty silver eyes twinkle and sparkle. Her makeup was pretty, subtle, glowing, with a slightly dramatic eye of browns, rose and gold and dewy, soft, nude lips. Her flame red hair was pulled back into in an intricate bun at the name of her neck and covered with a silver and rose gold jeweled snood. Her earrings were simple. The loops threaded through her ears with wide flat, smooth surfaces bracketing her cheeks that caught the light. As she came towards me, I noticed that the skirt had a high slit that showed off her amazing legs, barely covered by dressy, champagne colored sandals with distractingly high heels and pretty pedicured toes. Tessa did a cute little spin, and I realized that the back of the dress didn’t start until her trim little waist. My mouth moistened with the desire to trace her spine with my tongue. I had to clear my throat before I could trust my voice enough to say, “You look…there are no words for how beautiful you look tonight Tessa. Oh, and your dress is really nice too.”

She giggled a little at the compliment. “You are looking quite handsome yourself, Mr. Hart. Shall we begin the time honored tradition of the presentation of floral arrangements?” she teased.

“But of course, Miss Altman.” I agreed. She was wearing a rose gold fitbit bracelet on her right hand, so I followed the proscribed tradition and put her calla lily corsage on the left wrist. The corsage was comprised of two large white calla lilies bracketed with three mini lilies on either side. The greenery was lily leaves and the entire floral arrangement bound with a sheer champagne ribbon with gold edging. That was all affixed to a bracelet that looked like four strands of diamonds. I thanked heaven that I’d ordered the corsage myself. I just knew if I hadn’t, Mama-Cedes would have and those crystals would have been very much real.

Then again, looking at the bracelet that graced her slender, right wrist did look quite real. The single row of square cut stones matched the crystals really well too. Mama-Cedes was almost scarily good at that kind of thing. Tessa agreed. “This was Cede, Noah and Sam’s way of saying ‘congratulations on the Cheerio’s Nationals win -slash- Yea Prom!” I could tell that she wasn’t very comfortable with it, but she knew that her siblings weren’t going to change who they were or how they rewarded those they loved for their major, and minor, life milestones. Ms. Rebecah handed her a smaller florist box from the same florist I’d gotten her corsage from. The new one across town. The boutonniere she pinned to my lapel was beautifully simple. A single white rose bud whose stem was wrapped in green floral tape. That was secured with an old fashioned ‘pearl’ topped pin.

We took a massive amount of pictures. Seriously…Mr. George had a camera and his cell phone and so did Ms. Rebecah. I’m pretty sure that they were taking pictures for the entire Jones-Altman-Evans clan plus Mom and Gammy Bee. It was cute. We went out to the limo, and I realized something… “Where was Sarah?” usually she’d have been asking me a million questions about our plans for the night and slipping me a condom. I didn’t ask where she got them from…I didn’t really want an answer to that. I was quite sure that she wasn’t yet doing anything to need them herself yet. But optimistic as I was, even I couldn’t fool myself into thinking that the time was approaching. She was seriously her grandmother’s baby. I just always reminded her that her body was a treasure and shouldn’t be shared with anyone who was undeserving of the honor.

“She and all the cheerleaders from the middle school are having a sleepover at one of the Ashleys’ houses. I’m pretty sure that the poor hostess only thinks it was her idea.” Tessa said with a laugh. “Joe, are you sure that…”

I knew exactly what she was going to ask. She’d been asking it since she had first asked our friends to join us in the limo. “Tessa, I’m glad that you asked Nique and Ryder to ride with us. Now I don’t feel so bad about having this big car all to ourselves.”

Mark was given the address for Unique’s aunt and uncle’s house. Ryder met us there. He was in a classic navy blue suit with a long navy tie. And Nique’s dress was a shade darker navy. It was elegant and had cap, shoulder shelves and sharp, pintuck pleats made up the entire bodice, where it crossed over her bosom and the long length that followed her ever more defined curves to about half way down her thighs where the dress started alternating thin bands of sheer material with wide bands of the navy-blue silk. She’d accessorized with silver heeled sandals and tasteful silver jewelry. Ryder and Unique were dating…in a concretely abstract sort of way. Ry looked nice in his dark navy blue tux with its bright white shirt and silver vest and tie. Of course, Nique’s Aunt Wyn and her husband made us leave the limo and come inside so they could see us too. We did end up taking some more pictures, but it wasn’t horrible. Unique’s family were good, God-loving people. I always had a nice time conversing with them.

Once we were finally underway for real, we headed to the restaurant where we were scheduled to meet Jake and Chase and their crew. The conversation in the car was really fun and lively. Ryder was like Jake, a junior, so he had another year of schooling. But Unique was graduating with us and off to college in the fall. Her original plan had been to go to college in either New York, LA or San Francisco in the fall, somewhere where a young trans woman could find a measure of acceptance. But her doctors wanted her to stay closer to home for her freshman year. It would give her more time to heal and them to monitor her recuperation. She was having her reassignment surgery that summer, after all. She had gotten into the schools she wanted to attend, but she was going to defer those admissions and attend OSU for a year and then move to one of the big coastal cities. Ryder was really happy because his plan was that he would graduate and get into the right schools to be able to go with her when she moved farther afield. We talked about how she felt about having to stay basically home for a year.

“I just worry that living in a girl’s dorm in a place like Columbus Ohio as a Transgender Female…is asking for trouble.” She finally admitted to the three of us.

Tessa smiled. She grabbed her purse and pulled out her phone. “Tessa Altman, what the hell are you calling me for on prom night? I know you aren’t bored. Hart is a kinky bastard…the uber-religious guys usually are, shouldn’t you be busy?” Lauren’s voice was barely muffled at all coming from Tessa’s phone.

“Lauren, you said that there was going to be a free bedroom in your apartment next year, right?” Tessa asked quickly…ignoring Lauren’s pointed commentary on our prom night.

“Yeah, we were thinking of using it as a guest room. Why?” Lauren asked confused.

Unique answered, guessing correctly that Tessa had Lauren on speaker phone and our friend wasn’t just that loud. “I have to stay close to home for the first year post surgery. But something tells me that more than one middle America princess would be offended by my living in the girls dorms and I’m not trying to fight through hell living in the male dorms…which you know they are probably still ignorant enough to demand.”

Lauren couldn’t argue with the logic. “Get in touch with your Moma-Mercy…the rent is two-fifty a month…we’ve already divvied up the utilities, so you’ll have to get an Amazon account so you can handle the toilet paper, cleaning products and paper towels and stuff. Ryder, if you have your ass in our apartment too often, I’m putting you on the chore list and you’ll have to put in on groceries.” She finished.

The smile that crossed Unique’s face was bright with relief happiness. “Lord have his Mercy…girl, L-Boogey, you have no idea the weight you’ve taken off this diva’s mind.”

Lauren laughed. “See, it’s nice that you think I’m helping you out just out of the kindness of my heart. But really, I’m just making sure that me, Finn and Vince don’t have to fuck up and catch a case when some cuck shouting bastard puts his hands on you or some pretty, pretty princess gets her father to try and legislate your body. Really, this is just a preemptive measure to ensure that I don’t end up being Berth in the real-life Orange is the New Black. Besides, now I can use the money I was gonna use for Amazon Prime on Hulu and Netflix. All our entertainment bases will be covered.”

“Lauren Zizes…girl, you are amazing. Thank you.” Unique said sincerely.

“Aw…just have fun tonight and help me keep these guys in line next year and we’ll call it even.” Lauren returned.

Ryder and Unique were floating on a cloud of joy after that. We arrived at the new restaurant in the shopping plaza that Tessa’s parents were involved with. It was pretty far out of our way, but we all agreed that Bonefish Grille was a much better idea than Breadstix or whatever. Jake and Chase had gotten there just before us. Thankfully, I’d called in a reservation for our group of ten. We were even on time for it and everything. If Tessa looked glamorous and Unique looked elegant, Regina, Jessica and Chase all defined trendy. Chase was wearing a two-piece ball gown with a black lace over nude, white girl nude, not her nude, silk beaded crop top and a black taffeta skirt that was higher in the front and had kind of a bubble skirt effect to it. Her black sandals were seriously high…maybe even higher than Tessa’s…they were literally just two straps of shiny black leather, one over the bottom of her toes and the other around her ankle. Jessica’s dress was much happier, but still very on trend. The dress was a very bright shade of fuchsia and the top made me think of a ballerina. It had thin straps and a V-neckline with an illusion insert making it much more modest. The dress went all the way to the floor so I couldn’t see her shoes. I knew if they were cute Tessa would tell me about them later. I had learned so much more about shoes than I’d ever have if not for the friends I had now. I tried to remember what everyone was wearing because My mother and sisters loved hearing all about it. Regina’s dress was well, it was a melding of the other two, at least to my way of thinking. It was a more muted shade of petal pink than Jessica’s fuchsia, but it was also a two-piece dress like Chase’s. Her top was very intricate and her skirt’s material was much more floaty so it didn’t give the impression of being too much like her best friend’s dress. It was a good look on her. I just wish she had a better date. Andre Rashad was on the football team and he wasn’t as offensive as some of the other guys Jake and Ryder and Spencer had to deal with on the daily, but he had a real need to try and out Christian me…it was annoying. Especially since I didn’t think it was a competition and Regina swore that he was just a lip service Christian anyway. Still he was better than Jessica’s ‘friend’ Boom Boom. Even his name was jerky. I tried to find the best in people. Like Andre knew his bible well even if he was a ‘lip service Christian’ most of the time and tried to compete with me a lot. But Bobby Surette was one of my classmates I could not wait to see the back of. He was loud and abrasive and he just…he made me so angry sometime. But it wasn’t just me, Unique, Jake, Ryder and Tessa all found him grossly objectionable too.

Still, I was made of sterner stuff than most people realized and we made it through dinner without incident. Maybe that was because I was greatly amused by his fuchsia bow tie and cummerbund. Or maybe it was because the food was just that great. From the Jumbo lump crab cakes with red remoulade sauce and the steamed edamame that was seasoned with green tea sea salt Tessa and I shared for our appetizer to the house salad, which had Hearts of palm, Kalamata olives, tomatoes and a citrus herb vinaigrette, we had with our Atlantic salmon and sea scallops and shrimp entrees…every single thing was awesome. And the plates were all so pretty Tessa and I took pictures of them and posted them to our Instagram accounts. The conversation at the table was pretty exclusionary for Andre and ‘Boom Boom’ though, Jessica and Regina tried to at least get them into the music aspect, but they claimed that it was boring and they just played some fantasy football type game with the salt and pepper shakers.

We decided not to do dessert, though they did have some lovely choices. After settling our five tabs, and leaving nice tips…we’d been well trained by our mentors…we freshened up and headed back to the limos. Prom itself was nice. Coach Sylvester had another year of idiots trying to spike her punch and getting kicked out. After prom, everyone went their separate ways. Apparently, Tessa and my separate way was to a beautiful room at the Wyndham. We dropped Unique and Ryder back at U’s house. They weren’t doing more than some mild kissing and over the clothes making out yet, which worked well for them. They were happy and as their friends we were happy for them. when we arrived at the hotel, I was surprised to find that Tessa already had our keys. As soon as we entered the room, I found out that she’d done more than checking in earlier. There was a silver bucket of ice that contained a bottle of champagne. Two crystal glasses were on a table next to the champagne stand. I noticed a cooler on the floor under the table and I was shocked to see my overnight bag on the room’s sofa next to one that I recognized from competition trips as belonging to the beautiful woman who meant more to me than words could say.

“I know that we’re waiting for marriage to cross that final threshold. I’d never try and push you to break your promises or to go against what you believe…But I would love to spend this whole night with you. To sleep in your arms and wake up next to you in the morning.” Tessa said shyly.

I pulled her close and kissed her forehead. “I would absolutely love that.” I assured her. My beautiful girlfriend had thought of everything. Tessa’s cooler contained ice cream for our late-night dessert. The room had a jacuzzi and she’d had my mother pack my swimsuit. We’d made the most of our evening. Still fully dressed, I backed Tessa against the wall of the hotel room and divested her of her white lace panties and licked, sucked and teased her pretty, flushed, little pussy with my mouth until she screamed out her joy to the heavens. The smell and taste of her was beautifully addicting. We took a soak in the jacuzzi. Tessa only donned the silver bottoms of her metallic bikini which allowed us to bring each other to very satisfying climaxes in the bubbling, hot water. We showered separately and, after completing my toilet, I pulled on a pair of pajama pants that I didn’t recognize, realizing that my mother must have gotten me a new pair for the occasion. The ‘Slytherin’ looking pajama pants were accompanied by a gray, ribbed tank tee.

I folded the covers back and settled comfortably into the apparently clean sheets. Waiting on Tessa to finish showering was an agony of seconds that felt like hours. That wasn’t her fault, no matter how I prayed for more patience when it came to my beloved girlfriend, God’s answer seemed to be no…I had to learn to fill the time waiting to see her all on my own. On that night, I filled it with VH1. They were showing a KAMA concert from earlier that very evening. Probably the only reason that Mama-Cedes, Sam and Puck hadn’t crashed our prom was because the winning contestant for their ‘have KAMA rock your Prom’ contest had been held their prom the same night. Of course, when Tessa came out the bathroom, freshly showered with her beautiful skin glowing with health and vitality, barely covered in a seafoam green nightie with the thinnest straps I’d even seen and gossamer sheer panels ‘hiding’ her breasts from my gaze, my only thought for KAMA and the prom they’d performed at was, ‘I hope that their night had gone as wonderfully as mine had’.

 

I’ve Gotta Feeling (Black Eyed Peas)  
Mercedes PoV

I’d never though that you could hold a prom at a baseball stadium. But I guess with the right set up and everything, you could do just about anything. The stage was big enough for our needs. Alongside either side of it were the tall metal scaffolds that held big vinyl signs. One sign was the KAMA vertical logo and the other held the school’s name and the night’s theme ‘A Hollywood Affair’. The two signs clashed pretty horribly since the school’s colors were blue and gold and ours were deep purple, black and silver. But something told me the kids wouldn’t actually care. Ben, Jon and Ryan, working with the stadium crew and Artie and Cassidy, had us all set up by half past two. We were able to do our sound check and so a quick run through of our set list. Then we headed to the hotel where we were, thankfully able to get a shower and a nap before dinner. It wasn’t even May yet, but the bay side city was hot as hell already. We went out for an early dinner at a place called Loafer’s Seafood Grille. The food was delicious. Their crab cakes were exactly what one wanted from a restaurant in Maryland…thick and way more crab meat than filler. Sam had the fried shrimp platter that came with broiled filet of flounder too. Puck went with the salmon and that was pretty damn awesome itself. Best of all the staff was courteous and prompt, until I said that we needed to leave soon, I never had an empty glass. Before we left we took pictures and signed autographs until we had to rush back to the hotel to get ready for our performance.

Given the heat and the fact that we were outside for the performance, we made a few adjustments to our wardrobe and hair. We’d brought two performance looks with us, thinking that we’d change during Cassidy’s intermission. But none of us believed for a minute that we’d have the energy. Instead we chose to stick out the night in the very much cooler ivory and denim outfits, rather than the heavy sequined jumpsuits and rompers we were to have changed into. Hell, it was so hot that we ended up deciding that Cheerio high ponies were the perfect hairstyles. We did go all in on the makeup and accessories. After all given their theme, we couldn’t not be glamorous. Puck made the decision that we should go ahead and bring the gear for the look change with us just in case. He reminded me of the time people thought that poor Fergie had had an accident when she’d just gotten unfortunately sweaty. “Yeah, good idea, Bae.” I laughed.

We arrived back at the stadium at seven, and were escorted to the visitor’s locker room where there was air conditioning and we could finish getting ready and change later if we wanted to. Thankfully KAMA was only doing an hour total. DJ Ca$S had half an hour so we rocked the prom for a total of an hour and a half. But considering that we’d probably give them a two or three song encore, that would take up almost half of their entertainment time. When we arrived the local radio station that we’d run the contest through, was already there spinning and hyping the early arrivals up. Sam, Puck and I made out for a little while before I had to finish getting all stage ready. They had it easy. They’d dressed at the hotel and other than doing the quick, little bit of stage makeup they needed, they were ready by a quarter after seven. We girls took turns doing each other’s makeup, making sure that each other’s hair was right and tight. For the first, and possibly only, look of the night, Britts, Baebe, Jaja, and Rainbow were in ivory colored, high necked rompers with asymmetrical overlay. They were rocking some gorgeous, rose gold stiletto, Steve Madden, strappy sandals and flawless makeup with dramatic gold and silver eye makeup and bold, reddish gold lips. Santana and Xena’s makeup was similar though their lips were done in a more deep, pink champagne kind of color. Each of our female background dancers were in gold, heeled Schutz ankle strap sandals. Dark wash, ankle length skinny jeans with gold side studs covered their legs. On one side those studs were shielded by the ivory Halston Heritage sleeveless high-neck tunic with an asymmetric hem of its own that each of the female back ground singers wore. I was in something similar, an Alice and Olivia, Lucia gold metallic plissé maxi tank dress with a high-slit, that had been altered to follow the same asymmetrical shape of Santana’s and Xena’s tops. I too, wore skinny jeans, but mine had a waterfall of sequins down the sides. My Pella Moda metallic ankle strap heeled sandals mimicked the shine of the sequins. There were jewels at all of our ears and rose gold at our wrists.

The guys were all dressed in various pairs of jeans and ivory to beige shirts of various styles, though most were basic button down shirts, Puck’s was a Henley and Dave’s was a tank top. We took the stage at ten after eight and opened with ‘Shakin’ My Head’. For the first set we had a pattern two fast songs followed by a slow number. Given the nature of the event, we left off the two protest songs in our repertoire, but other than that we just had fun. We actually went ten minutes over on the first set because we were having so much fun and the kid’s reactions were just awesome. The radio DJ took back over and we all went on back to the locker room and drained at least two bottle of Aquafina each. I dragged Sam and Puck into the shower section and we quickly brought each other to a swift but satisfying orgasms, before quickly cleaning up a little. Thankfully some wonderfully forethinking soul had left us hand towels and washcloths and even soap. So, we all took turns wiping down with cool, soapy cloths and then rinsing off. Of course, we didn’t want to put back on the same things nice we’d cleaned up. Puck got the MVP of the night award, because thanks to him, we had something to change into after our clean up.

For the second half of the night, I put on an antiqued ivory sequined, sleeveless, v-necked jumpsuit and returned the Pella Moda sandals to my pedicured feet. Santana and Xena wore a rose gold colored version of the same jumpsuit and the female dancers were in rompers that were cut almost identically. Which made sense since all of our outfits were from the same company, Dress the Population. We all wore the same shoes as we’d worn before we came off the stage before. Erica changed into a pair of ivory capris paired with a gold tank top. Though I didn’t see her after her quick change before she returned to the stage for her set, Cassidy was wearing ivory capri leggings and a pale blush gold, artistically shredded tank mini dress with an ivory crop top under it. The guys rocked linen colored linen pants and either ivory, pale gold or darker beige shirts.

The second time we took the stage, we started off with the announcement of the five finalist couples for Prom Queen and King. The prize for the high school wasn’t just KAMA performing for their prom. We had made the decision that in addition to our performance and the hour we were scheduled to sign autographs and take pictures after it, we wanted to do something nice for the kids. We had brought with us enough KAMA tees for every prom goer and chaperone, but we wanted to do something a little more special. The solution we’d come up with, since there was no way we could give each student something major, we decided to just focus the something special gifts on the prom court. We got each young lady who made the finals for prom queen a pretty white gold and dark amethyst pendant necklace. The gentlemen who were the finalists for prom king got a nice silver Nixon stainless steel watch. The ultimate winners would get those and a bonus gift. As Sam called their names, Noah handed the young lady the long stemmed white rose from the school and the bright red box containing their necklace from KAMA. I handed the guys the watch box from us. The school hadn’t bother getting the guys anything.

The first couple knocked out of the running were cute, Justine Richards and Jeffrey Smith. The little blonde girl make me think, so that is what Brittany would look like if she was my height. She wore a very traditional strawberry pink prom dress. Her date was only a few inches taller, though stocky, and he too was blond. Where she reminded me of Britts, he reminded me of a blond Karofsky. The next couple were coordinated in the way only a black couple ever would have dared. Quita Woodall and Gershawn Morris were in classic blue and silver. Both of them. They were sharp as a damn tack. Quita could have been somebody’s model. She was tall and thin and almost acerbicly beautiful. Gershawn…he was handsome. Like Tyson Beckford and Tyra Banks had had a love child. But you could tell that he spent too much time in the mirror. You could also tell that the couple had fully expected to win the titles. The look on their face when the realized that they had not even come close to winning…it was funny. I had to say though, their shock, horror and anger was quickly hidden behind pasted on smiles The next couple to go down were interesting. I was pretty sure that the guy looked exactly like what a child of Santana and Mike would have looked like. His name was even Michael Lopez. His date was a tiny, like smaller than Hudson probably was at the same age, girl named Juillenne Nichols. She looked like a female Tiger Woods…Cablasian. They were probably the least affected by the fact that they didn’t win. I did like her lavender dress, it was the perfect design for her petite frame.

At that point we were down to the final two. One girl, it may have been mean, but she was Quinn without the intervention of the courts and Sue Sylvester our senior year. The blonde’s dress look like it had cost more than a few of my red carpet looks. It was a shade of green between mint and emerald that had clearly been picked because she had green eyes and it was one of the Pantone fashion colors of the spring…but it didn’t actually look good on her. She’d have looked better in a richer shade of green. Her hair had been coifed harder than Kurt’s on a windy day. Everything about her screamed ‘trying too damn hard’. Though in honesty, her nude Louboutin Marchavekel Knot Sandals were completely fierce. Hillary Faith Archer, yeah, apparently she went by Hillary Faith, was accompanied by Dean Kilpatrick. One look at him and I knew that he was one of those ‘pray the gay away’ kind of guys. He would grow up, get married to a woman, probably even have children with her…but he would have a boyfriend, or several, on the side. I did have to admit it though…the shade of green that made his date look jaundiced, looked great on him.

The other remaining couple was personally my favorite. His name was Patrick Fortado. He was such a little hottie. He was certainly Hispanic, though I heard Erika, Jaja and Tana trying to decide between Puerto Rican and Cuban. They decided that he was some combination of the two. He was every bit as cut as Sam and Puck had been our senior year. He was nicely tall, right around six feet. His hair wasn’t long, but it was long enough to show its curly nature. His blacker than black suit with its crisp white dress shirt and periwinkle long tie set off his mocha latte skin to damn near perfection. He was definitely too cute. And his girlfriend, and you could easily see the close relationship between them, looked to be bi-racial herself. At least to me. Given her name was Marissa Montoya, I was pretty sure that she was black and Puerto Rican…possibly Dominican, I wasn’t the expert that the Hispanic women and men in our crew were. She was totally adorable. Like I wanted her to win and her and Patrick get married and have pretty kiddos together and everything. She was a couple of inches taller than me and a size ten or twelve to my sixteen-eighteen…but she was curv-a-licious. Not as much as I was, but definitely more than Hillary Faith. It took me a second of iggin’ to realize that Marissa reminded me of a more bodacious version of the more curvy of the Sister-Sister twin. Her hair was in a curly updo, and her makeup looked good, but age appropriate. Her dress was hot like fire. A backless, periwinkle, two piece number with an embellished, halter crop top and a floaty, flowy, floor length, A-line skirt with an embellished waist line. The dress was so cute, but the shoes put it over the top. The Menbur bow pumps in silver, were in my closet too. I was dying for a place to wear them. They weren’t super expensive. They weren’t super ‘branded’. But to me, they were the modern embodiment of the Cinderella shoes of the fairytale.

Hillary Faith just proved to me why she lost when she almost threw a temper tantrum when we read her name as the first runner up. She actually stomped her foot in self-righteous indignation. Puck looked at me and whispered, “Do I have to give her this necklace? Behavior like that should not be rewarded.”

I agreed in theory and told him as much. “But just give it to her. What are we gonna do with it?” So he gave her the box.

As I was giving Dean his watch he leaned in and whispered. “I am so sorry she just did that.”

“Kid, learn now…you can only change you. So you don’t need to apologize for her. Acknowledge her bad behavior, but only apologize for your own. Oh, and by the way, there are somethings that are fundamental to who we are and should ever be changed or hidden.” I could only hope that my words would help him accept himself.

I was happy to crown Marissa Montoya and Patrick Fortado Aberdeen High’s twenty-fifteen prom King and Queen. In addition to their necklace and watch, we also gave them two VIP ticket packs for the KAMA June fourth tour stop in Baltimore at the Royal Farms Arena. For their first dance, we performed ‘Believe’. Then we revived our two fast for every slow pattern. Over the course of the night, we hadn’t only sung KAMA songs either, we mixed in covers of all the most popular songs of the year. Like ‘Sugar’, we had to get Kurt up for the vocals on that one. Neither of my Boos could handle Adam Levine’s high notes. Of course we borrowed ‘Uptown Funk’, ‘All of Me’ and ‘Jealous’ too. When we went back out for the encore, we stuck with romantic crooners, ‘At Last’, ‘Thinking Out Loud’, at first. But then we finished up with ‘Party in the USA’ and let the dancers shine while Cassidy spun ‘Teach Me How to Dougie’. Then we headed down and took pictures with half the school. By the time we were finally able to leave the booth that was setup for pictures and autographs, Ben, Jon, Ryan and the crew had all our stuff broken down, packed up and loaded back into the van it had ridden down in.

We got the chance to really chat with both Patrick and Marissa. I found out that Santana and I had both been wrong because Marissa didn’t have any Hispanic in her at all. Well other than Patrick if they were getting down like that. Santana was vindicated though because she was right Patrick was both Puerto Rican and Cuban, though mostly Puerto Rican. Patrick was heading to Carnegie Mellon University in the fall to study medicine where he hoped to at least minor in computer programming. He and Puck were bonding over their shared motorcycle love. Marissa was sticking closer to home. She’d be attending Johns Hopkins University but hadn’t settled on a major yet. They both admitted that they were going to be working their ways through school even though they had gotten a lot of scholarships. “Mine were all academic so they cover a lot, but not everything.” Marissa said with a smile that told me she was picking on her honey.

“Hey, I have a baseball scholarship and it still doesn’t cover everything.” He pointed out.

Hell, I was as proud of them for getting into such major colleges as their parents probably were. But I also knew how hard working and going to school really was. I texted Ms. Gwen and Uncle Saul to see if we could give them each a small yearly scholarship or stipend to let them be able to concentrate on getting their degrees. I knew Uncle Saul would point out that we didn’t have to throw our money around so freely, but it felt like the right thing to do. That was the first prom I’d ever been to where pretty much everyone stayed until the end. We closed out our autograph booth at ten of eleven, and all we had to do when we got back into the locker room was make a quick change and throw our things into our bags. The Crew had cleaned the place up for us, even our stuff. I loved out people. We were able to back in our hotel room, washed and making love by midnight. It was an amazing night. I couldn’t wait for the following Saturday night. I prayed it would be even better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ummm did I mention...  
> CONGRATULATIONS AMBER RILEY on her OLIVIER AWARD Best Actress in a Musical WIN!!!!  
> SO HAPPY FOR HER!!!!  
> Sorry for the wait. I have to give Isis Aurora Tomoe all the props. I sent her this LONG A** chapter on Tuesday and she still managed to get it back to me on THURSDAY. So the delay is all my fault.  
> So in apology, please enjoy this little slice of our wonderful Amber's glory.   
> https://youtu.be/nrsSf1RpHOc  
> TTFN,  
> Anni  
> PS. I tried really hard not to laugh at the fact that Amber has an Olivier for her first musical, and Lea was on Broadway for years and was never even nominated for an individual Tony. (I may well be a Bad Person)


	40. Killer on the Loose (Thin Lizzy), Freedom (Allen Stone), Party Rock Anthem (LMFAO), AP Article & Sparks (Hilary Duff)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One week closer to the end of the year...one hell of a week!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> Two Wolves & a Lady by FreelySheRoams (Criminal Minds Fic)
> 
>  
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help in my time of need!!!!
> 
> CONGRATULATIONS AMBER RILEY on her OLIVIER AWARD Best Actress in a Musical WIN!!!!

Killer on the Loose (Thin Lizzy)  
Ambient PoV

Aaron Hotchner read the memo attached to the file he’d received from Assistant Director Pescia a second time. The file had come through his Section Chief, Mateo Cruz, but it was still so different from any case file the BAU had even been assigned, that even the unshakable Unit Chief was thrown. He looked up at a knock on his door.

“Yo Hotch, ya got a minute.” SSA Derek Morgan asked sticking his head into his boss and friend’s office.

Aaron signaled the slightly younger man inside. “Yes. I’m trying to make sense of this file that just came down from on high.”

Derek smirked. He held up the file in his hand. “If it is the file I was told to expect you to receive some time this week, mine came through Manny Ramos. He graduated Quantico with me, former prosecutor, served in the field for a while. We kept in touch even though I was here and he was out of the New York field office. He quit after a really, fucked up case where a white supremacist group was killing young men of color.”

“I remember that group…they took out fifteen or more African-American, Hispanic and Asian-American boys from twelve to what? Twenty?” Hotch said thoughtfully.

Morgan nodded. “Right, Manny swears they would have saved the last three victims if his Unit Chief had taken the case more seriously. They had all the evidence they needed but the Unsub kept slipping through their nets. According to Ramos, it was because the UC wouldn’t give them enough man power to get the job done. Eventually, it came to a head and Ramos punched his UC, turned in his badge and gun and walked out. After big talk of charges, the UC suddenly dropped the issue. Anyway, Ramos works for a security company now, Rangeman. He sent me the file. Remember the wedding I went to over Valentine’s weekend.”

Aaron nodded. “The one you took Garcia to with you?” Hotch allowed a small smile to grace his taciturn face. It was a well-known secret that the wedding had finally provided the turning point in the relationship of the long time best friends recently turned lovers. If only they had figured it out months before rather than when Morgan and his ex were on a break. Now the doctor was a full on ex, and pregnant with Derek’s child. “You knew the bride, right?”

Hotch smothered another smile. Garcia had returned glowing about the wedding, especially since the bride had been the one to facilitate the change in her and Morgan’s relationship in five seconds during the receiving line. ‘So, Derek, you finally manned up and told your goddess that you were in love with her? Penelope you are just as beautiful as Derek made you seem.’ Had sealed the deal in a way both Garcia and Morgan had been too chickenshit to do for the ten previous years.

Hotch looked thoughtful for a moment. Garcia had been happy about something else for the month after the wedding. “Mercedes Jones is the bride’s cousin. She sang at the wedding. Garcia plays the recording she made on her phone in her office at least two or three times a day.”

“Exactly. Jones is the center of the stalking listed in the file. But it’s more than just a simple celebrity stalker case…the AD wouldn’t have bothered us, except, Hannah, that’s the bride, her husband is also Ms. Jones cousin, on the singer’s father side. Hannah’s related through the mother. Any way Franklin Jones is…”

“Big lobbyist here in the beltway.” Hotch finished. The man would never be famous to anyone who wasn’t a DC insider, but Hotch had learned long ago to pay attention to the District’s heavy hitters.

“Yup, apparently, he was worried enough to call in help from both Fienstein and Boxer. But somehow, they couldn’t get the charges pressed in LA over the Grammy weekend.” Morgan brought Hotch up to speed. “Local Law Enforcement wouldn’t move on the evidence given that most of it was gathered by Rangeman.” Hotch looked skeptical. Law enforcement would usually accept legally obtained evidence from third parties. He said as much and smirked as Derek tapped his nose. An affectation, Hotch mentally noted, the African-American man had gotten from his girlfriend. “Yeah, I know. It gets even shadier when you take into account that the evidence was gathered by Rangeman and they have MP, FLETC and Quantico trained people running their evidence collection departments in all four of their major offices. Miami, Boston, ATL and Trenton police all credit Rangeman for making a lot of their cases air tight. Hell, so do and so does the DEA and the ATF.”

Aaron had not personally worked any cases with the head of Rangeman or any of his men, but he did know the reputation of the firm. The ATF, DEA and FBI all fought for the company to take on some of their more difficult cases. “I assume that there has been some investigation as to why the LAPD and LASO chose not to accept the evidence.”

Derek’s smile was chilling. “Rangeman has some of the best computer guys in the country. In fact according to Garcia’ list of Amercia’s Best Tech Gurus, numbers two, four, five and seven work for Ranger in his different offices. They did some digging with a forensic accountant and come to find out, the unsub has more than a few local decision makers in his back pocket.” Morgan explained and let Hotch draw the only possible conclusion.

“Which the two California Senators are taking as a personal affront.” Hotch theorized.

Derek nodded. “Ramos asked me to see if I could do a preliminary profile of the unsub. They are at a stand still waiting on him to make his next move and the hope is to get out in front of him before he can truly become a danger to anyone else, especially their clients.”

“Else?”

Derek flipped into the folder and pulled out a crime scene photo. “Last Summer, NYPD found a dead hooker, ME said cause of death was strangulation during sexual assault of her rectum. Word from the other women who worked the streets with her said that Lena Furham, that was the hooker’s name, she had a strict no anal sex rule, all her regulars and even her pimp didn’t make her go against it. Lena Furham was five foot three…she had not only a similar height and build to Mercedes Jones, she was almost the same complexion, and she was roughly the same age.” Morgan pulled out the dead woman’s state ID picture and a publicity still of Mercedes. The two young women could have easily been mistaken for relatives.

He replaced the picture in the file and pulled out a sheaf of papers. “And LAPD had a rash of Grammy night rapes. Four party girls at three different clubs were drugged, gang raped and experienced failure of their hormonal birth control method. All four of their blood tested positive for Ketamine and urine found on one victim’s clothing was hers and tested positive for rohypnol. They also found rifampin, a strong antibiotic and modafinil, a stimulate that’s sold on the street…people take to study on like Adderall or Ritalin…they were in all four victims. There were also large amounts of clomiphene. Not sure what that one is even for. One girl was raped by over twenty men, Hotch. She was partying yeah, to celebrate getting a one seventy-three on the LSAT. Her most recent tests came back, she has HIV now. Her parents…they had her committed for seventy-two hour suicide watch. Two of the others were super religious, refused Plan B… According to Rangeman the unsub’s purchase these particular drugs were why they were trying to get the LEOs to move on this guy before the Grammys. Ramos figures that when they stepped up security on his primary target, the unsub decided to run a test on his delivery methods instead.”

Aaron Hotchner couldn’t help but feel anger. The unsub was ending and ruining lives in his pursuit of his obsession. The SAC no longer felt as if the Assistant Director was wasting his and the BAU’s time. He called the team together and he and Morgan laid the case out for all of them. “Garcia…I need everything you can get me on Corbin Richardson, CEO of Patriotic Apparel. We need all the information you can find. The better the profile we have on this unsub, the more likely we are to correctly predict his next move.”

 

Freedom (Allen Stone)  
Becky PoV

Well, it finally worked. My mother was finally being a reasonable human being. She finally gave me permission to accompany Coach Sue and Mr. Coach Sue, and Sugar and Jeanie to New York. That was right…I was going to the KAMA drop party for their second album. She and Daddy told me the day after prom, I’d attended to help Coach maintain the integrity of her family’s super-secret punch recipe. To be honest, for some weird reason, it really made me miss Puckerman. “So Becky-bug,” Daddy started at dinner that Sunday evening. “Is it too late for your friends to get you a plane ticket for their big shindig next weekend?”

I looked at him, not even daring to look at my mother. “No, Mercedes told me to text them as soon as I knew if I could come and I’d have my flight information in an hour.”

“And you said that Rebecah Puckerman’s mother had picked you out a dress?” Mom chimed in.

“Yes. Puck-Noah had her send me a picture of it.” I found my phone in my pocket and showed her the pic I’d received shortly after Easter. The black lace, A-line, dress was pretty and tasteful and modest. So Mom loved it, which was exactly what Ruth Mayzer had probably been thinking when she picked it. I thought it was a little bit boring, but if it got me the permission to go, I’d wear a burlap sack. I didn’t mention that Cedes had gotten me a bunch of accessories that included a pair wedges from Louboutin’s line. Those I was looking forward to wearing. Just because, seriously, how many people in LIMA, OHIO would ever get to wear, let alone own a pair of Louboutins, real ones not knock offs? Mrs. Lopez had a few pairs. I think Dr. Mrs. Jones had a couple of pairs…that was it from what I had seen.

I was so excited. I texted Mercedes right there at the dinner table. She sent me back a video of her, Satan and Brittany jumping around happily in what looked like a restaurant. Within the hour, just as she had stated, I had all my flight information. My mother told me that I could get my hair professionally done and I made an appointment at the shop where Mercedes and Tessa got their hair done, for after school on Tuesday. I also made an appointment at Jewels for Wednesday evening. I loved Mercedes’ hair dresser friends Veronica and Lamar. Lamar gave me some platinum high lights and he and Veronica showed me how to recreate the curly hair with straight bangs style. They really believed that I could do it. Never mind that my mother refused to let me use a curling iron. They gave me some rod hair roller things and showed me how to use them. Then they introduced me to a girl I hadn’t seen in a couple of years. Sherry had been a C-Squad Cheerio my first year on the Cheerios, my second at McKinley. In talking with her as she showed me how to do a nice ‘face’ for a party, I found out what she had been up to in the years since she graduated. Sherry had gone to cosmetology school in Chicago and she’d even almost gotten onto FACE-Off…but then she’d gotten sick, like right before Obamacare and had to come home because she couldn’t afford to stay in Florida, where she was living at the time, anymore. She’d been stuck working at Sephora in the mall until Veronica had expanded. When I left there, I was so happy I really couldn’t barely contain my joy.

When Daddy picked me up, he spent a few minutes teasing me by asking me if I had seen his little girl. But then he took me to the mall, and I bought myself grown woman pajamas and underwear for the first time. The kind that came from a department store or Victoria’s Secret and not just the lady’s section of Sprawl-Mart. I got home and, before Mom got home from her Obsessive Parenting Group, Dad helped me wash everything I’d gotten. Then I just couldn’t rest until I’d packed for the weekend. At work Wednesday, I got all the information for our trip. Mercedes, or probably, Hudson had made sure I was on the same flight as Sugar, Jeanie, Coach and Mr. Coach…plus Ms. Pillsbury and her fiancé, Coach Bieste and Coach Fisher. Pretty much all the Jones and Altman-Puckermans and Evans were leaving earlier that day. We already had letters for Tessa, Jake and Unique, who was traveling with them, to leave Friday before noon. Mr. Motta was giving all the teachers, and me discounted rates on our rooms at his Chambers Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. The visit to Jewel’s wasn’t horrible, but I would never be a fan of getting waxed. I liked being hair free, though I wasn’t very hairy to begin with. Still, I counted the unpleasant sensations as being totally worth it.

Thursday dragged by so slowly, I thought that the clock was moving backwards a few times. Especially when Mom decided to lecture me for an hour after dinner about how I should ‘comport’ myself in New York. I was ready to find some miscellaneous wanna be hip hop star and give him my virginity just so I could come home pregnant with a mixed baby. I didn’t think Mom would actually care about the baby’s race, but she absolutely hated hip hop music and all those who made it. After a while, I kind of zoned out and started making a mental list of all the things I kept in my desk at the school that I would need to pack in my luggage the next day. I decided to only take two of the super expensive lipsticks my friends had sent me after the Grammys…I was pretty sure that I could talk them into getting me some more in Manhattan. Finally, she wrapped up her seriously ridiculous speech, Daddy gave me a pepper spray key chain and reminded me to stick close to Coach and Mr. Coach…or Mercedes, Sam and Puck and both groups had body guards. “Or that little Lopez girl. I once saw her pull a razor blade out of her hair when some football player touched her butt. She seems like she would know what to do if things go bad.” I didn’t laugh at my daddy because I loved him. But Santana would tell people that as scary as she could be…I was even worse.

When my concerned parents had finally hugged me enough to make themselves feel more secure in their decision, I went upstairs and showered. I tried to sleep, really, I did. I just couldn’t, I was just too excited. So, I double checked to make sure that I had all my best clothes with me. I double checked, meaning changed my mind a few more times about what I would wear to work, and thus on the plane the next day. It was bad how little sleep I got that night. I may have been a bit unbearable at work the next day. but that was okay, because eventually three o’clock struck and by four thirty we were in Columbus for our six fifteen flight to the Big Apple. When we arrived at Newark, there were cars waiting to take us from the airport to our hotel. I kind of wanted to ride in a taxi, but I knew that Mr. Coach didn’t roll like that. I was surprised by how easy it was to check in and get my room key, but I chalked it up to the fact that it was good to have friends in high places.

The lobby of the hotel was beautiful, I think the style would have been called modern or minimalist. The hallway to my room was alive with color. The walls were painted with berries and hummingbirds and flowers, or maybe that was wallpaper. But even the beauty of those spaces was incomparable to what I saw when I let myself into the room. As soon as I walked into my single queen room, I knew that it was exactly how I wanted my bedroom to look when I got my own place. And I was even more determined than ever to move out in the next two years. I took pictures of everything so I could, hopefully, recreate the luxury look for myself later. The room was pretty spacious. There was a closet across from the small bathroom with its sink, potty and stand up shower. The bed took up the better part of the room proper. I loved that bed. The fabrics were lovely. Beige microsuede duvet and ivory sheets with a purple blanket and beige and purple pillows. There was a chair near the doors to the small balcony that was aimed at the flat screen TV on the wall above the room’s desk. A small table looking modern open faced dresser thing was against the wall next to the desk. Once I tipped the bellhop; hope five bucks was enough, it wasn’t like I had more than the one carry-on bag that he had to deal with. Anyway, once he was gone, I ran over and plopped down on the bed. It was so fluffy!!!

Just as I was contemplating the idea of showcasing my strength and independence by going down and having dinner by myself at MaPeche or FuKu+, the hotel’s signature restaurants. My other option was to text around until I found out if any of the other Limans in residence at the hotel for the weekend wanted to join me in geeking out about having dinner in a real Manhattan restaurant. I had more than a few people to choose from. While Coach, Mr. Coach, Sugar and Jeanie were probably being forced to do something with his local family and the other four adults would probably be doing Big City date nights, Regina and Jessica had been in Manhattan for two days with their mothers. By the time, we got there. Jessica had auditioned at several of the major dance studios. Coach had had to sit the poor girl’s parents down and force them to realize that the dreams they had for their youngest daughter were never going to be realized. She had managed to convince them to at least let Jessica try and see where her talents could take her. It seemed like it was going to take her pretty far, since she had seven of the top fifteen dance academies in New York offering her auditions.

Regina was one step closer to making her dream of being a doctor a reality. She was the class of twenty-fifteen’s salutatorian, only a little more than point zero one percentage points behind Chase, the valedictorian. she was in New York that week to interview with the scholarship review committee at Columbia. Before I had reached a decision, my phone chirped with a group text that hit me, Sugar, Reggie, Jess and Chase, wherever she was, that asked us simply, “You Hangry?”

I didn’t even have to check the icon to know that came from Santana. Apparently Bartana, Klaine, Commune, Jake, Joe and Tessa were in the lobby and wanted us to come down and go have desert with them. They had already had dinner, Commune, Jake, Joe and Tessa had gone a little bit out of town to have dinner with the entire expanded Jones clan at their reunion. Though they were good with us getting real food while they got dessert. But one thing was very true…every single one of us they hit with that message responded, ‘hell yeah’. I freshened up and made sure I had my key in my purse and headed down. As soon as I hit the lobby, it was like we were on a Cheerio Nationals trip or something. We all just feel back into talking and laughing and listening to all the cool shit we’d been doing since the last time we’d seen each other face to face. Granted, Cedes, Evans and Puckerman had us all beat hands down, but they still cheered our successes just as hard as we did theirs. They were good friends.

“Alright now, Becky…when you get your town house, you had better let us know. I’ve got some great ideas about what to get you for your house warming gift.” Mercedes told me with a wicked grin.

I gave her a long look, “Long as that ‘gift’ isn’t you three trying to pay off my mortgage or something. I know you.” I gave her the universal, I’m watching you sign. “You’d do that in a heartbeat, but I…I need to do this. I need to show myself and everyone else that I’m just as capable as anybody.”

Sam nodded. “We got you. We’ll do things your way.” He promised solemnly. “But, Becky, you’re our friend, so if you need help, you need to promise that you will let us know.”

I was willing to make that promise. As soon as I had done so, Satan chimed in, “Besides Becky, we all know that you are capable of anything and everything. You wrecked shop on any misbehaving Cheerio for five years.” That did brighten the mood and the rest of our late dinner was filled with fun and laughter. As we were finishing our evening, Mercedes reminded all of us that she was taking all of us with them to the spa the next day. “We’re scheduled to be there at nine. It’s not far from here, do you all want a pick up? Or are you just going to meet us there?”

After a quick discussion, we decided to meet them there. It was a ten minute walk from our hotel according to Google. And Chambers was out of their way from Harlem. “Okay, cool.” Puck chuckled. “Now, Hudson rented two of the conference rooms here for hair and makeup and everything you chicks do to yourselves in the name of beauty most of you already possess. All of you guys and the moms and basically all our non-Jones fam, will be getting dressed here. There will be limos that take everyone who gets dressed here to the club for the party.”

Sam looked thoughtful. “I think your schedules are basically nine to noon, spa time. Noon to one or one thirty, Lunch…followed by a couple of hours where you can go and get anything you forgot to bring with you for the night or you know, just shop in New York. You have to be back here, showered and in hair and makeup by six at the absolute latest. Five would be better, but no later than six. Red carpet and the cocktail reception open at eight. Todrick goes on at nine thirty. I’m so f-ing serious about that time table y’all. If any of you are late…I will…I will…”

“I will tell Coach.” I interjected. “And we all know that she can and will have anyone who holds us up running wind sprints and stuff all summer long.”

“Thank you Becky. I was stuck, my usual go tos of Mercy and Santana over there just wouldn’t have worked so well.” He admitted.

By that point it was getting pretty late and we’d need to be up early so we all said our good nights. I, personally, went up to my hotel room had a LONG hot shower, my mother could be such a nazi about how long a shower should be. When I finally gave up on running the water cold, I put on the pretty purple nightgown I’d gotten just for the trip and climbed into bed. I put in for a seven-thirty wakeup call and then killed two hours watching a bunch of things my mother never allowed to be viewed in her house. Even Dad couldn’t get past her parental restriction code. As late as it was when I went to sleep, I was so excited that the phone barely rang once before I was up and out and back in the shower. I wasn’t sure what to expect from a big city spa, but I knew I’d be changing into a robe and spa flip-flops there, so I made sure that I was wearing one of my new lingerie sets and a cute sundress.

Making my way downstairs, I ran into Sugar and all the other Lima ladies who were staying at Chamber. Coach Sue and Coach Bieste were going with Puck and Sam’s grandmothers to the world famous Red Door Spa while Ms. Pillsbury and RJC’s moms were going with Puck’s Aunt Mills and her friends to someplace called Bliss Spa. And those of us under thirty were going Mercedes’ lucky spa, a place called Faina. I had a quick breakfast…mainly because my mother’s voice telling me that it was the most important meal of the day, just wouldn’t die. Jessica and Regina came in while I was devouring the best cantaloupe I’d ever tasted. By twenty to nine, we were all heading out. The older ladies headed left out the hotel front door while we went to the right. Those ladies who were in the middle, the concierge actually escorted them through the hotel and out a back door to cut down their travel time. Chamber and Bliss 57 shared a delivery alley.

The walk to Faina wasn’t bad at all. We got there in just over fifteen minutes. It would have been less, but we were in New York and we gawked at stuff and took selfies. When we got to the spa, Mercedes and the rest of our crew was there. Lauren and I talked for a minute, catching up. I didn’t know her as well as I knew the Cheerios, but she had proven to be a damn good friend to my friends and we had no problems between the two of us. Actually, considering how much we both loved wrestling, MMA and a few other things it was best my mother never found out I liked to watch, Lauren and I got a long great. She and Tina were my two favorite non-Cheerio females in their class. I met and got to know the KAMA crew and several of their staff. I liked the fact that Mercedes, Evans, and Puckerman seemed to have surrounded themselves with great people. The spa people treated all of us like rock stars. They had to divvy us into groups, but I was with Mercedes and Kurt so I was cool. We all had the same services. Most of which were brand new experiences. Our group started with the Dead Sea mud detoxifying body wrap, which got followed by a sea mineral body scrub, a fifty minute body massage…Coach and I were going to have to reinstitute the weekly Cheerio massages. When we were finished with the body treatments we were treated to a face enzyme peeling, followed by an aromatherapy facial and a seaweed mud-paraffin facial masque with vitamin C-serum. Then we had a collagen eye treatment, and a European mani-pedi complete with a Foot Massage so good I never wanted it to end. Best of all the entire time we were treated to some delicious champagne and chocolates.

The guys, all of them from Mercedes cousin Daniel all the way down Jake met us at a sushi place near the spa called Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar and Grill. It was kind of weird seeing Sam and Puck the way they were that afternoon. They were more touchy feely with each other and with Mercedes than I usually think of them being. It was sweet…but I guess I was still used to ‘sex-shark’ Puck and ‘clueless but restrained southern man’ Sam. Watching ‘relationship’ Puck and ‘yes, they are both mine, fuck you if you don’t like it’ Sam wigged me out a little bit. The waiter got himself into a bit of trouble. He spent much of his time at our table flirting with Sam’s man, right in front of his face instead of serving our dining needs. “Excuse me,” Sam finally said when he couldn’t take it anymore. “Davis, you are about to be the first server we ever leave no…not a small…but absolutely no damn tip to. Now, I get it. Puck is hot as hell. But he is also very much taken.”

The clearly gay waiter gave Sam what he probably thought was a charming smile. “I’m not sure what has you upset. The two of you seem very happy together.” He indicated Sam and Mercedes. “Which leaves this gentleman, as something of a free agent, if you will.”

Santana started grumbling under her breath in Spanglish. “I know this fool is not fucking with my OT3!” was all I really understood. I couldn’t help but give her a bit of a side eye. Santana Admira Lopez was NOT supposed to know fanfic terminology.

Sam held out a hand gesturing that he had his shit handled. He rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the waiter. “Look, I’m sure that you’re a nice guy. But the whole world knows that Puck is mine and Mercy’s. So please don’t try and play stupid because you think you can drive some kind of wedge between us…so you can get your fifteen. I’m gonna say this clear as a goddamn bell so you get it. He’s not flirting back with you because he loves us. You may be hot shit to some people, fine. But you ain’t got not a damn thing better than what he already has at home. And if…by some miracle you did manage to lure him into accepting the blow job you seem so fucking desperate to give him,” huh, guess Sam was paying more attention to the interchange between the dude and Puck than I thought. Though from the smirk on Puck’s face, he knew that Sam had heard every word. Probably made sure that he kept his responses squeaky clean to make sure only the waiter got his ass handed to him. Because something in his grin told me that he was loving every minute of the interchange. “I hope that you love the taste of my ass. Because you’d have to get through that to taste anything else. Ya dig?”

Kurt was blushing hard, but even he didn’t admonish Sam for the super possessive, super tactless claim. The waiter looked shocked and appalled. “There is no need for that kind of…”

Sam shook his head. “Oh you should be happy that I just settled for being verbally crass, because the reality is that I kind of want to knock your teeth down your throat for disrespecting me and mine.” Sam’s accent was thick and to be honest, he was coming across as seriously hot. I’d always considered him just a little too goody-goody…but ‘no fucks to give’ Sam was certainly making me think maybe Mercedes and Puck weren’t as stupid as I thought when it came to picking their third.

The waiter decided that he was going to try and break fly. He went and said some bullshit to the manager who came over, all stuffily. “Mr. Evans, social media postings and rumors from other restaurants had lead us to believe that KAMA behaved better than most other young, rich, entitled pop stars. But if you are going to berate our wait staff verbally and threaten them with physical violence…I will have to ask your party to leave and never return.”

“Wow.” thirteen different voices at our table breathed as one. But only one of those voices continued to make further arguments.

Puck cut the dude a side eye. “Look Guy, I get it…we’re rich and you have to put up with assholes for hours on end on a daily basis for what a lot of people in our position consider pocket change. So, you feel some kind of way about any one you categorize as ‘undeserving’ of the wealth they exhibit. But not only did you just insult my husband who is just about one of the best men you’re ever going to meet, you just completely dicked yourself in the game. Quinn, Ben, in Uncle Frome’s absence, you’re about as close as we’ve got to a lawyer here. Why don’t one of you explain to this prick how he just fucked up?”

“Well, first of all, he came over with a prejudiced assumption. Then, despite this being a customer service driven business, he didn’t ask what had happened from your point of view.” Quinn pointed out.

Ben took it from there. “I suppose one could say he worried that we would all lie, even though there are more than enough of us here that at least two or three people would have given, at least, an accidentally truthful account. Given the fame associated with the three of you, he could have checked to see if anyone nearby recorded the incident on their phones. Or, he could have remembered the old adage that the customer is always right.”

Sam gave the manager a long look. “Your waiter flirted past the point of decency with my husband. When he was called on it, he cast shade in some last ditched effort to make our wife and I look, like we were ignoring him or otherwise seem somehow less appealing to Puck than your flat assed little waiter boy.”

“Which, honestly, is fucking funny how just damn impossible that shit is. I’m not just faithful because it’s dangerous not to be, but because I love these two.” Puck chimed in.

Waiter and manager both got all huffy. “Well then, why didn’t you just tell me that instead of letting me make a fool of myself?” Davis said angrily, not even realizing that he was admitting that all that had happened was actually his fault.

Puck shrugged. “Sammy Boy is hot when he’s all possessive.” He returned simply. “Besides you were making a fool of yourself all on your own. I didn’t say anything that could even have been misinterpreted as encouraging you…you just wouldn’t leave well enough alone.”

The manager started to look very, very unhappy. He knew he really was fucked. I decided to put in my two cents. “Well, now that we’ve established that you have really, really messed up today…how are you going to rectify it? My suggestion is that every member of this party is comped their meal. In addition to that, Davis over there has to have at least a month of shifts under your close personal supervision. If he is unable to do his job without trying to squeeze his way into future customers’ relationships, which, I’m willing to bet money that this isn’t the first time he’s played you like a fiddle and it won’t be the last if you don’t train him not to cross you. So, if he can’t do his job with professionalism…might I suggest you kick him to the curb before your restaurant is sued or worse.” I said authoritatively and quite angrily. “Though honestly, it would probably be best if Sam, Mercedes and Noah speak to the owner and both of you lose your jobs right now. Because if Davis hasn’t been playing you then you’ve been complicit in his behavior, and all the direct supervision in the world isn’t going to help either of you. After all Stupid just teaches Stupid.”

Both of the men looked like they were going to say something to me. From the looks on their faces, it probably wouldn’t have been nice either. But for the first time since the whole thing started, Mercedes stood up and looked at both of the men. “Gentlemen, I am going to save you from yourself. Because if you’d just said anything mean, insensitive or cruel to Becky, there wouldn’t be a single thing I, nor anyone else, could be able to do or even would have tried to do to keep Sam, Noah and several of the other men and women in our party from beating your asses here and now or the lawsuit that would, most assuredly, be brought on her behalf. Please bring the owner to our table immediately.”

When the owner came…looking more than a little pissed off, we didn’t even bother with a verbal explanation. Like we’d guessed there were three people near enough to pick up the conversation who had filmed most of what had occurred on their phones. Two other members of the wait staff had also seen more than a few parts of what had gone on. Best of all both of them knew of at least two or three other times when Davis hadn’t been tipped for excessive flirting and one of them shared the fact that one of his regulars, who came in and always sat in his section for lunch…his biggest tipper…was actually coming in more for the blow jobs in the bathroom from his favorite waiter than for the sushi. Long story short…we left there that day with a written apology from the owner and all our lunches…all, like, thirty of them, were free. 

After that KAMA and the crew had to leave the rest of us to go shopping without them to go do their soundcheck. But Mrs. Mayzer and her group met us at Bloomingdales. It was really, really fun. We made it back to the hotel by four and I raced up to my room and showered and washed my hair, but I didn’t blow dry it or anything. I put on my black lace lingerie. I was so happy that I owned black lace lingerie. I felt so grown up. I threw on a slip and my robe and headed down to the conference room that Mrs. Mayzer had showed us when we came in. The next hour I was in heaven. My hair was done for me. I showed them the picture of what Ms. Veronica had done for me and they recreated it exactly. My makeup was a little more daring than the look that Sherry had created, but I still liked it and they gave me everything that they had used.

I was surprised when Bubbie, she insisted that I call her that as all of her Noah’s friends did, appeared like magic. Already dressed in a beautiful gold jumpsuit and Louboutin platform heels, she helped me put on my dress, which was so not boring face to face, and my new shoes and earrings and rings. When we were finished…I looked and felt like a fairytale princess…with a touch of badass. It was perfect. What followed will always be remembered as one of the very best nights of my entire life.

Party Rock Anthem (LMFAO)  
Ambient PoV

As Michael Yo was getting dressed for his evening, he could only think that KAMA had some of the best marketing minds in the business behind them. The group was doing something pretty unprecedented. In addition to those KAMAleons that were local to New York and could afford the hundred and fifteen bucks a head price of admissions to the group’s sophomore album’s release party, any KAMAleon with thirty-nine, ninety-nine could watch the entire event from red carpet to encore on the group’s website. They could get small bits and pieces of the night elsewhere, like E! online and from the web-show iCarly, but the only way to feel as if they were really part of the night, from the comfort of their own home, was to go through the group’s live stream.

Michael would be their guide through the entire evening. He arrived at the venue at seven thirty, dressed for a more casual red carpet. The exterior of Vandal looked like the club was ready to host an awards show. A silver backdrop showed Warner Music Group’s, KAMA’s and the club’s logos everywhere. The carpet was a shade of purple that had to have been specially made…darker than royal, yet lighter than eggplant. Michael spoke with the iCarly producer, Freddie Benson, not because he had any special affinity for the web-show, other than the knowledge of how much it took to run one, but simply because they were stationed next to each other in prime real estate near, but not too near, the beginning of the line. After several minutes of chit-chat, Michael broached a subject he knew was slightly rude to discuss, but he was a curious man.

“So, man, I’m just going to ask it. How did iCarly come to have such an in with KAMA?” he finally blurted out.

Freddie Benson gave a wry grin. “Good old fashion nepotism. My wife, Sam, is KAMA’s Sam’s cousin. The Puckett family is very tight in a nontraditional way. They aren’t the kind of family that talks every day, or even every week or month. They fight each other so much that it is kind of their favorite sport…but they do whatever they can to make sure that everyone has what they need. And if you try to fight one, you have no choice but to take on every single one of them. Sam and I, my wife…not her cousin…we have triplets under three. Right now, this show provides us with the money to take care of them. Doing special shows from the KAMA drop parties has been a huge boon for us. The first one spiked our viewership really, really high. So much so that we were even able to get sponsors for this trip.”

“That is awesome.” Michael said with a big smile. But that answer spawned another. “How do you two handle remotes like this with three babies? I’m thinking of proposing to my girlfriend, but I have to believe that my lifestyle…I’ve seen people I work with and the effects all the travel has on them.”

Freddie looked thoughtful. “Honestly, we don’t do a lot of remotes. These KAMA ones are the furthest from home we’ve gone since we’ve become parents. But it is easier than the others because we are coming to a place with family here. Boy Sam’s mother is my Sam’s older cousin, she and all her kids love seeing the triplets. In fact, Gabby and Stacey kidnapped Kat, Teddie and Eddie earlier today for like four hours. Then for tonight, Warner does this thing where they get in nannies for the night to babysit all the kids associated with the family…Boy Sam made sure that our three are among them. That allows me and Sam to just handle business without worrying about them because they are with the nannies, and with Puckett cousins and I guess Jones and Puckerman cousins too. My biggest worry is hoping that Mercedes’ dad doesn’t get mad at me because my boys, Teddie and Eddie, are seriously in love with his twin daughters. It’s really, really adorable. But I can think that because the only boy in the room about the same age as my daughter is her cousin.”

“Yeah, that’s whole different. I can see your worry. Dr. Jones is a BIG dude.” Michael agreed. “I was almost too scared of him to flirt with his wife or Mercedes on the red carpet when they brought their parents with them to the AMAs.”

He and Freddie shared a laugh but then they had to separate to finish up their set up. Samantha Puckett and Carly Shay arrived in time to get themselves micced. Neither young woman looked like they had been hosting one of the most successful web-shows in the country for almost eight years. But they had and it showed in their efficient professionalism in getting their mics on and their sound checked. Both young women had dressed up for the event. Knowing that Samantha would never wear a dress, Carly had decided to wear an ivory lace romper with sparkly evening sandals. It helped that the company that made the romper, Ali & Jay, was the company that had set the three of them up in the Gansevoort Meatpacking, NYC. Sam herself had literally worn what her cousin Gabrielle had sent her for the night. It was a convertible wide leg jersey jumpsuit in a shade of purple that Nordstrom and the Dessy Collection called ‘African violet’. Her black BP Madison lace up boots may not have exactly gone with the look, but they were brand new. They were comfortable as hell. And she had paid a hundred bucks for them…or would have if the company weren’t sponsoring all the other parts of their trip.

Freddie introduced them to Michael. Of course, where Michael had asked Freddie how iCarly had come to be in the sweet spot with him, Freddie had been too polite to return the question. His wife did not have that same problem. “So, how did you luck into this cool gig?” Sam questioned giving the embodiment of multi-culturalism a long look.

Michael shrugged. “I guess because I never believed that they had had anything to do with the sex tape that had leaked. I didn’t just think it, though. There were a lot of people in entertainment news who knew better. I was just brave enough to say that I didn’t believe it on air and whenever the subject came up. Mercedes Jones is no Kim Kardashian. She didn’t need that kind of fame. I’d talked to them on a couple of red carpets. So I knew that they wouldn’t have wanted it anyway.”

“Damn, straight they wouldn’t have.” Sam agreed giving him a pound for having good sense. There was little time for further conversation for a while as people started arriving. Despite the fact that the Jones Family Reunion was being held almost an hour outside the city at a nature and spa resort called Castle on the Hudson, Mercedes great aunts and uncles were among the first to arrive. Samantha and Carly moved into place and took care of more than half of the ‘family’ interviews. It had been amazingly easy to get the older Joneses to tell horribly embarrassing stories about young Mercedes or about the first time they had met Sam and Puck. That was exactly the kind of thing their viewers loved. Soon after the twelve or so of them all ran the gauntlet of ‘paps’, most of whom had been hired to give the event goers a more authentic red carpet experience, a few recognizable faces started to arrive. Several of them had attended the KAMA drop party the previous year. Every single one of them talked to both Michael and the iCarly crew. Reaching their fans was always good in the eyes of the wise. And the two different vehicles, four if you counted the fact that Yo’s contract with KAMA allowed him to allow… read, sell…a bit of the night’s footage to both Yahoo and The Insider, for a small percentage of the proceeds, of course. Besides, all of Hollywood knew and remembered what had happened to Adam Lambert the year before when he’d ignored the iCarly crew.

The night’s hosts-slash-guests of honor arrived at twenty minutes after eight. Many of their friends and family had had a blast as they were interviewed and asked who the where wearing and such. But none more so than Becky Johnson who’d been just a little in front of the music trio. As he watched the KAMA live stream, Becky’s father couldn’t doubt that his mother was happy as a clam in her afterlife seeing her grandbaby tell the world that she was wearing a dress by Nha Khanh, jewelry by Kenneth Jay Lane and Michael Kors and shoes by Louboutin. The blonde young woman’s smile was big and bright…her happiness visible for the whole world to see. She also told Michael Yo about the friendship that she shared with Commune and how she’d been invited the year before but hadn’t been able to come. She was eloquent and completely Becky. No one expected how much that one moment of friendship would increase the understanding that those with special needs were not all completely incapable of leading regular lives. It also increased the bottom line of her friends as they earned the endorsements of both the National Down Syndrome Society and the international Down Syndrome Foundation.

Michael had some fun teasing Mercedes before he finally asked who she was wearing. “Well, this week is our,” she gestured to encompass Puck and Sam, “third anniversary. So, since the traditional gift for third anniversaries is leather, I’m wearing an Alexander McQueen laser cut patent leather and lace dress. My jewelry is from a great designer, Chan Luu. And my shoes are Louboutins, just off his new spring line. Puck’s suit is Missani Le Collezioni lambskin leather, with a Rag & Bone Henley underneath. Oh and he’s in Prada boots.” She laid out the information on her own black and blush dress, rose gold and black diamond jewelry and blush leather heels in addition to Puck’s black, soft as butter leather suit and simple distressed red Henley and black leather moto boots. “Sam’s rocking Diesel, trendy low-slung leather pants, a black Versace dress shirt, gray Versace blazer and Ferragamo lace-up leather shoes. Oh, and both of them are wearing Graff watches.”

Sam came back from giving iCarly the same info, if a far less detailed version, and slung his arm over Puck’s shoulder while pressing a quick kiss to Mercedes’ cheek. “Yo, Yo…good evening.”

“S’sup Sam. Your fam is a trip. Did you and Puck really almost pass out when you got the shovel talk from her Uncles Bunny and Alec?”

Sam just smiled real big. “I was raised to respect my elders. Besides man, those men fought in ‘NAM. I might be pretty, but I ain’t dumb.” He answered with a wicked grin, then changed the subject. “So, Michael, who has already arrived?”

“Well, P!nk is here with her husband Corey. Skye Summers managed to sneak out without her mom-ager. Jamal Lyon and his mother, Cookie, are in there. Mercedes…Ms. Cookie is rocking Gucci like it is her job. Diddy and Mary J. Blige are in there. But you know Diddy probably won’t stay long. Idris Elba is here and I think he brought a full half of the rest of the MCU with him. Anthony Mackie, Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Chadwick Boseman, Emily VanCamp and Elizabeth Olsen… are all here already. But then again, I think this is a last hurrah for a lot of them before they start filming down in Georgia later this week.” Michael answered with a smile. “Other than that, it’s early yet.” He’d purposely left out a few names. Hudson had been very clear that Mercedes was not to have any forewarning of the attendance of certain very important people.

“Dude that’s cool.” Puck chuckled.

Mercedes, however, started freaking out. “Mary J. Blige…who…we invited her? I…I’m not ready. She is, oh my God…she is the queen of hip hop soul.”

Sam and Puck tried to comfort her, but it took a new arrival to quell her anxiety. “Darling girl, did you miss the memo? You are the new princess of Rock and Soul. You’ve created your own genre.” Missy Elliot said as she walked up to the trio. “Now don’t get me wrong, no matter how big you get, your idols are always going to have this effect on you, but just like one day soon you will run into some pop princess who tells you how much you inspired her, these ladies have met their idols too. They have been where you are and understand where you are coming from. So just smile, be polite. Talk to her like you would someone you really look up to, but don’t freak out.”

Mercedes gave the iconic female rapper a huge hug and thanked her for the wisdom. It had calmed her down considerably. Michael smirked, knowing that the KAMAleons would have loved that little bit of ‘real’ from one of their icons. He couldn’t wait to see how she reacted to some of the other people who were there to celebrate with them.

 

SOPHOMORE SLUMP? NOT FOR KAMA  
by: Roberto Hamme  
AP  
ALTERNATIVE PRESS

Saturday evening saw the second drop party for the music supergroup KAMA. The group, known for blending R&B, Rock, Country and Pop into a fusion that makes everyone stop and listen, released their sophomore offering Foolish Wisdom this week. The party celebrating the album drop was alive with celebrities and fans alike. This writer was able to bear witness to several of the greatest events of the night. When Mercedes met Aretha was a moment second to none. The younger songstress stopped breathing to the point where she almost passed out. The Queen of Soul was, as ever, gracious meeting the younger woman even compelling Ms. Jones to join her in singing ‘Amazing Grace’ with the icon. Anyone interested in seeing the amazing footage, the only places to see the video is on the KAMA and iCarly websites as those two vehicles were the only cameras allowed inside VANDAL, the club hosting the party.

The entire night was filled with music, good food, great wine and amazing moments of incredible meetings and revelations. Over the course of the night, those in attendance got to see Sam Evans meeting Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood was almost as jaw dropping as the Jones-Franklin meeting. After all, it was not often that one saw someone in leather pants worth almost a grand kneeling on the ground and proclaiming themselves unworthy to meet even the biggest selling country artist of all time. Puck Puckerman’s reactions to meeting Trent Reznor and Billie Joe Armstrong were almost understated in comparison. He simply thanked each of them for their music and for inspiring him to learn the guitar and create the music that he has.

The cocktail reception was not just a time for the rich and famous to mingle with KAMA’s entire support structure and the group’s fans; it also served as a time for the group to receive belated accolades for the sales of their first album. Lyor Cohen, CEO of Warner Music Group presented KAMA with ten gold and platinum records for several of their singles including ‘The Fighter’, ‘ColorBlind’, ‘Rub You the Right Way’ and ‘Rescue Me’. They received their Platinum plaques for Necessity 4 Existence and, then to their very visible shock, a Diamond plaque for the same album. All but the most elevated music industry heads in the room were surprised. The group joins a handful of artists who can claim to have reached Diamond status in under two years. Even fewer can claim to have done so with their debut album. With that announcement, the music group was assured their place in the annals of history. However, they also had to feel the added pressure of heightened expectations. A later announcement from KAMA’s Booking Agent, Brantley Clayton, that every single one of their shows for the coming Aesthetic Enjoyment North American Tour had sold out could only have exacerbated the group’s fears of being good enough.

Those fears were laid to rest as soon as they took the stage following a truly magnificent opening set from Broadway turned aspiring pop star, Todrick Hall. The first song they debuted from their second album was a remix of the most popular video on YouTube in twenty-fourteen, ‘Rescue Me’. The remix featured the song in its entirety with an added rapped verse from actor and rapper Idris Elba. Unlike many hip-hop interjections, Dris’ verse was not only a fine example of the art-form, but both topical and relevant. At intermission, the group had given us half the songs from their new album as well as having allowed seven preselected members of the audience to request covers, or in the case of P!nk, Mary J. Blige and Aretha, duets. The last song before we were released to find refreshment, in the form of water because no one under the age of thirty-five had left the dance floor since KAMA took the stage, was a request by a surprising attendee, Milo Yiannopoulos. The Brietbart contributor challenged, for there was no other way to take his tone, Mercedes Jones to sing a song that required her to present not only her usual strong vocals, and melismata riffs and runs…but it also showcased low, mid and upper range belts, long notes, high tessitura, falsetto and a startling command of head voice. ‘And I Am Telling You, I’m Not Going’.

Mr. Yiannopoulos looked smug and content in suggesting one of the most difficult songs for any singer. However, Mercedes smirk, probably should have warned the alt-right darling. A verbal warning came, instead, from one of KAMA’s background singers and longtime friend, Santana Lopez. It was not clear if Ms. Lopez meant to be heard or if she simply forgot she was micced as she looked at her fellow singer, “Cedes killed us all with this at fifteen. You know it’s gonna be fucking epic at twenty-two.” What followed knocked any smugness out of Yiannopoulos. The performance was completely ‘unrehearsed’ and yet totally and completely perfect. If ever Mercedes Jones decides to take on the role of Effie White, one may be assured that she would win every award on the planet for her rendition of that song alone.

The astounding performance was punctuated with a salute from the audience. “Stick that in your pipe and smoke it you misogynistic, hate speech spewing affront to intelligent discourse and boil on the back side of humanity.” Ms. Jones’ friend and Yale student L. Quinn Fabray shouted into the silence that followed the awe-inspiring vocal indulgence that we’d all just been treated to. The exclamation was followed by a riot of applause.

During the intermission, those present all enjoyed mingling and conversation…and those in attendance cleared out the extremely well stocked merch counter. In addition to the expected offerings of tee-shirts and CD’s, the KAMA marketing team offered two by three inch temporary tattoos of the group’s logo, lip balms complete with SPF fifteen on a clip, translucent lip balm looking sunscreen sticks, logo embroidered 6-pack coolers, logo embossed executive coaster sets, a more elaborate logo embossed coaster set in acrylic trays, and a less costly logo embossed square cork coaster set, small KAMA removable Euro bumper stickers, large KAMA removable euro bumper stickers, and logo embossed weekly pocket planners with pen. In fact, upon speaking with Darcy Lewis, the group’s talented and gorgeous Social Media Manager it was revealed that they had offered a total of forty-five different unique items, including four that were available only at KAMA drop parties. There was not a single thing left in the booth when the lights flickered signaling that it was time to return to our seats.

It should be noted that during the second half of the concert, Mr. Yiannopoulos was no longer in attendance. He was not missed. The second half of the concert was opened with far more people than expected on the stage. All members of the McKinley High New Directions in attendance, both alumni and current, made up a choir along with Xena Garrison, Adam Kress and Damien Forteneau, the group’s background singers. KAMA themselves were joined at the mics by both Jamal Lyons and Skye Summers. The assemblage of singers presented a rapt audience with ‘The Ballad of Tamir Rice’…a funereal ode not only to the youth slain by police in Cleveland the year before, but to all those who had lost their lives to the excessive use of force that seems to dominate police interactions with people of color. No one in the audience was unmoved. During the second verse of the song, the music group was joined on stage by an assemblage of the mothers of Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, Jordan Davis and the eldest daughter of Eric Gardner. It was a powerful reminder of the lives behind the names…the families left to mourn. The solemn song was followed not by anything trivial, but by the musical inspiration for their ode, a cover of Bob Dylan’s elegy to Emmitt Till. Only after a long moment of silence and a beautiful prayer for the lost souls and unity of those remaining led by Sam Evans, did the music group treat us to the remaining ten songs from the Foolish Wisdom album.

The concert led into a reception, where after a forty-five minute wait, KAMA showed up in their fourth look of the night to greet the crowds and sign autographs. The flushed and happy trio looked positively sated as they chatted and signed autographs for an hour before leaving Vandal for Space Ibiza NY where they partied for hours. Having purchased Foolish Wisdom at the merchandize kiosk this writer has listened to the nineteen main tracks, and the two bonus tracks innumerable times since Saturday evening. The genre shattering, record shattering music group were certainly not suffering from anything near a sophomore slump. In fact, someone could feel secure in placing a bet that KAMA’s second, official, offering would achieve diamond status even more quickly than their debut album.

Sparks (Hilary Duff)  
Ruth PoV

The KAMA record release party was a great success. Isabelle Wright asked for the information about Mercedes’ looks during the evening so that she could do a piece for Vogue on my Bubbela’s style. She also wanted to sit down with me and Kurt for an interview to give the piece more substance. I told her that we’d need to include Haja Johnston in on the meeting as well, since he often chipped in his expertise in fashion as well, especially when it had come to preparing the wardrobe for the coming tour. It was something I was looking forward to. However, not quite as much as I looked forward to the Daytime Emmys. It had been almost two decades since I’d been attended. Those of us behind the scenes didn’t bother undertaking the cost of attending if they weren’t nominated. That year, since…to my way of thinking…I wasn’t merely representing myself and Good Morning America, I was also representing KAMA, I hadn’t pulled any stops.

I had talked Daniel into letting me borrow his slightly reclusive, friend-slash-assistant for an escort. Then I had called an old friend and gotten a gown that he’d not intended to release until his fall line. Naeem Khan was an amazing designer. He had dressed first ladies and queens. He’d also allowed us to utilize his fashions for All My Children a time or twenty before he’d even had a line of his own, and Robin Roberts looked amazing in everything of his we ever put her in. My gown was a beautiful slinky, floor length, red, white and black number that made me feel delicious from the moment it touched my skin. In accessorizing the gown, I had gone all out. A pair of Tom Ford black patent leather ankle-wrap d'Orsay sandals with their darling four-and-a-half-inch high gold stilettos…I had been unable to resist. My next find had been a Stephanie Kantis hammered gold cuff bracelet and a pair of Jennifer Meyer hammered gold disc earrings. I finished off the evening look with a Pamela Love Kendrick cuff and matching gold Rauwolf emerald-cut minaudière clutch. All of that was already packed and waiting on me with my hair and makeup necessities when I headed to the kids drop party. It was considered an all hands-on deck event and I dressed with care for it as well.

The evening went off without a hitch and while most of the crew headed to the after party, Grant and I headed to our domiciles to get a little rest and make our four AM flight to LAX. Hudson had handled the arrangements, so I suppose I should have expected the first-class seats. I knew that I would love that child forever after that flight. We arrived in LA at half past ten east coast time…or seven thirty west coast. Thank Yeshiva our two bedroom suite at the Chateau Marmont was ready for us. Grant and I quickly checked in and, as soon as we’d rid ourselves of the evening before and flight, we slept until after noon.

It was said that physicians made the worst patients…something similar could be said of stylists. I was quite determined to do everything myself. It was with great surprise that I opened the door of our suite at two to find my friend Albert and one of his minions and hairstylist friend Cat there with all the tools of their trade. Apparently, my adopted granddaughter had cut my pride off at the pass. As they worked their magic, Albert pumped me for all the details of KAMA’s looks the night before. “Everyone seems to be talking about her performance looks, but no one has pictures.” Cat pouted endearingly.

Well, I could definitely help her with that. “Well, she started the night in Alexander McQueen. But for the first half of their concert, KAMA was in black and red. Cede wore a great little Qristyl Frazier two-tone, black leather, body con dress mini dress and red Louboutin sandals. Puck went with black leather pants and a red ribbed tank. I put Sam in the reverse. A black, sleeveless smedium shirt that showed the world those famous abs and red leather pants. The Dam Brothers were in simple red shirts and black jeans, but Santana and Xena each wore a Karina Grimaldi, red lace mini dress. That was just for the first half.” I screened through my phone to get to the post intermission pics. “The second half of the night started with some of the saddest message songs in history, so Haja, Kurt and I agreed that we needed the look for the second half of the concert to reflect the different tone. Everyone was in silver and white for three leads and ivory and gold for the rest of the crew.” I showed them the wide boat neck, body hugging, ruched sheath dress Mercedes had worn with silver four-inch-high stilettos and the simpler looking satin, off the shoulder floor length dresses I’d put on Tana and Xena with sandals whose only difference from Cede’s was the gold tone rather than her silver. Sam and Puck were both in simple white slacks, white dress shirts and even white boat shoes. Their silver only showed in watches and Puck’s earrings. The guys…well except Dave, of course, I’ve known a lot of drummers, more than a few biblically…all of them swore that they had the hottest, hardest job in the band. So, while the guys were mostly in khaki and ivory linen, Kurt just got Dave a pair of khaki cargo pants.” It would have been too much trouble to go into the various looks for the dancers, Cassidy and Erika…so I told them where they would be able to see some of the performances online.

Albert was, as always gleaning information for his daughter and wife. His little girl was all grown up and hosted a makeup competition show on Sci-Fi…but she didn’t have the same clout as a Ryan Seacrest, so she wasn’t in the same circles as KAMA. Though an introduction could see her elevated. “What about the after party? I know you and that young Hummel lad too well to believe that you let them wear what they’d arrived in.”

There was no getting offended by the truth. “For the post reception and the after party, I found a gorgeous little cap sleeve jacquard paisley mini dress from Monique Lhuillier in Bordeaux and black.” I showed him the picture of Mercedes, I’d taken just before I left for the night. His wolf whistle was definitely the right response. The dress had a V neckline that was both wide and deep. On a regular woman, it was pretty on Mercedes it was positively sinful. The dress had also shown off a lot of her strong, toned, chocolate brown legs. I was a firm believer that if one had it…they should definitely flaunt it. Mercedes just had it in spades. The boys had looked good too. Puck’s after outfit had been a pair of G Raw motorcycle trousers and a purple Henley. I’d been worried about the shirt I’d found for Sam to wear with his Diesel jeans. But the black, long sleeved tee that had New York spelled backwards hadn’t offended him, just made him laugh. Laughter was a great look on eldest of my blond grandsons.

With all the chatting and the show and tell, time flew by. Between the two of them Grant and I were perfectly coifed, dressed and out the door to a pre-arranged limo in time to be perfectly on time for the somewhat early red carpet. Technically, my category had been announced the night before in a small, untelevised ceremony that had been hosted by Alex Trebek and Florence Henderson. I learned of the results as Grant Villarreal escorted me into the venue.

“Ms. Mayzer…Ms. Mayzer, you look amazing! Congratulations on your second Daytime Emmy.” A young writer from Variety called out. “Your work as a stylist and costumer on Good Morning America is being heralded as second only to your work with music super group KAMA. To what do you credit your success?”

I gave her a beatific smile. “Thank you very much. I’m proud of my work on Good Morning America and with KAMA. The secret to my success is very simple. I love fashion and in both my ‘jobs’, I work with people that I enjoy making look their very best.”

Heading down the carpet, I encountered a few other well-wishers. I spoke about my ensemble and chimed in on how amazing Foolish Wisdom was. I may have passed a copy to my contact at The Wire. He was technically a freelance entertainment journalist, but his favorite mag to right for just happened to be the biggest independent music magazine in the world. I was a very happy woman that weekend. Over the course of the two nights I’d managed to get a selfie with both Aretha Franklin and Betty White. I had won a major award for my industry. I’d had the pleasure of watching three of my grandbabies launch their next venture, which according to most of the critic was even better than their DIAMOND selling debut album. It was one hell of a weekend. Life was damn good and seemed to be getting better all the time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, First of all...this did not have time to go to my Beta if it was to be posted even close to on time.
> 
> Therefore any and all mistakes you find are mine and mine alone.
> 
> That being said...please let me know what mistakes you find.
> 
> You can also feel free to let me know your overall feelings about the chapter.  
> Or what format you'd like the summer pull out story to take.  
> Or what made you laugh...what made you cry.
> 
> I'm trying to pull together a lookbook for the events in this chapter. If I can it will be posted at the Yahoo Group and at Hero Support Society.
> 
> Unfortunately, it may be May 4th before I am able to post again. I'm going to try and get something to Isis later this weekend, but I'm no longer a chapter or more ahead. I had to post my a head chapters without really writing much when work was CRAZY...so I apologize for the delay.
> 
> Thanks to all of those who still read and GOD BLESS all of you who take the time to review.
> 
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	41. Crazy (Kacey Musgraves cover of Gnarls Barkley), Dream Life, Life (Colbie Caillat) & With You (Marsha Ambrosius)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Details and forward movement.   
> PROMO WEEK!!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****  
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> In This World and the Next by Robst (Harry Potter Fic)
> 
>  
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help. You are an integral part of this world.

Crazy (Kacey Musgraves cover of Gnarls Barkley)  
Mercedes PoV

I loved my life. It was everything I had asked for, prayed for, worked for and even more. There were times I was just so tired that I had to remind myself of that fact. There were times I was so very tired that saying it in my head didn’t help. Those times I had to say it out loud. Of course, it seemed like Sam was always nearby when the moments when only verbalizing my mantra would help. Whenever he heard me my loving husband would give me his quirkiest grin and remind me, “That’s why the old folks always say, ‘be careful what you wish for”. I loved him…even when he was a smart ass.

The record release party had been a great success. Even more than I had dared to hope or dream. I had met Aretha Franklin. Like, SERIOUSLY, I had met Aretha Franklin. I not only met her, she knew who I was and she touched me and she talked to me. She’d looked absolutely beautiful in a light pink party dress and matching shawl. She had been wonderfully gracious and kind. She’d told me that she liked my voice. Then she laughingly said that now she understood how Etta James had felt about Christina Aguilera. “It’s nice to know, as I’m getting to a certain point in my life, that music is in good hands. I’d despaired of it, you know. Seems like today everyone is just a product. The ‘voices’ are being left to whither on the vine, while the pretty faces are exalted. There is better R&B and soul music coming out of England than America, it’s birthplace, now in days. But you, young lady, remind me of myself, and Mahalia and Billie and yes, even Etta…maybe more me and Etta than all the rest. You’ve got an amazing voice in you and a pretty face too. But you, rightly, value the first more than the second.” I almost passed out. I was not ashamed to admit it…which was good because that week, I was asked about it a lot.

Still the evening was great. In addition to meeting the single greatest vocal icon still walking the earth, I met Mary J. Blige, who was, honestly, only a few rungs down the ladder in my estimation. Plus, we’d brought in quite a lot of CDs and merch to sell. Everything, every single bit of it, sold out. Darcy told us that by the end of intermission she had had to put up a sign on the counter that directed everyone who was interested in purchasing KAMA Merch, including some website exclusives, should visit KAMA dot com backslash merch. We didn’t have time to actually go out there to see it ourselves. Though Todrick took a picture of it on his phone. The sign wasn’t hand written. It was large, reuseable and professional with silver letters on a KAMA purple background. We could easily tell that it was something our Social Media and Marketing-slash-PR gurus had had preprinted, just in case. “When I do my tour…I’m stealing that idea. Just letting you know…since we’re cool and all.” Todrick was probably our most interesting opening act. He wasn’t really looking to be a touring pop start. He was developing a touring musical and felt he needed to learn more about the touring side of things. He was hoping to learn tons from Brantley and Haja and even Daniel about planning and promotion. It was a great situation for him, in that even as he was learning, he was also making good money which was vitally important for what he had planned. But even more, I liked him. He was a really good person. He had an amazing voice. During our sound checks, he and I had played around vocally, and to be honest, we sounded really good together. But even more, he was amazingly creative. I knew that I would definitely be getting tickets to his show the minute they went on sale.

We spent our intermission in our dressing room taking care of our high from the first half of the concert and getting ready for the second half. Sam, Noah and I had debated whether to end the first half with the Tamir Rice and Emmitt Till songs or to start the second half with them. Ultimately the decision was made by fashion logistics. None of us felt that what we were wearing in the first portion of the night was appropriate for the very important and very sad songs. So, we went with a look completely different from our usual stage looks, it was bright white and almost ethereal…which fit the first two songs of the second set perfectly and didn’t go too badly with the rest. There were twenty-three songs total on the second album and we performed them all, plus some covers and requests from the audience. one of the best parts of the night was getting to sing with Aretha Franklin, twice. We’d sang ‘Amazing Grace’ in the reception and then she wanted to sing ‘Who’s Zooming Who’ with us during the first set. P!nk came up and sang ‘Me and Bobby McGee’ with me and the guys. Puck got to sing ‘American Idiot’ with Billie Joe Armstrong. And Sam got to sing ‘Standing Outside the Fire’ with Garth Brooks. The entire evening was an experience we would never forget.

The after party was almost even better than the drop party. Other than people like Cookie, who was a party herself, most of the older celebrities and non-family members had decided not to attend. But it wasn’t all happy-happy, joy-joy. My Lord, the worst mistake of my life was putting Cookie Lyon and my aunts Alexis, Ricki and Kylie in the same room. I don’t know who got it worse, Jamal or my cousin Daymya. Apparently, after seeing the two of them talking at the reception, the four similarly aged women all thought that the two of them could get together just enough to have some pretty babies who can sing and go back to their preferred gender or…actually I wasn’t even sure if the plan had them touching each other or just utilizing science. They kind of had a good point, the kid would be really, really adorable. Not very tall though. Of course, with that many of my family members at the after party, it was impossible for my childhood nickname not to get out.

“Chocolate Drop?” Jamal said loudly. “Oh, that is perfect.” He came rushing up to me where I was trying not to slap the shit out of the upwardly mobile Sony executive who was looking at my tits rather than my eyes as he tried to lay the groundwork of wooing KAMA over to his label. With a look learned at his daddy’s knee, Jamal sent the troglodyte running. “Did you really bully your brothers and cousins into not just buying and assembling you a backyard tea-house, but into playing with you in the pink ass thing?”

“Shut up Mal.” I grumbled. “It was a fair exchange…I played Wonder Woman for their Justice League stuff…so they had to have tea parties with me. I knew I should never have introduced you to my brothers. I bet you money I could find out all sorts of embarrassing stuff about you.”

He shook his head. “Nope. My mom’s stories stopped when I was still too little to be anything but adorable and you can’t stand talking to my daddy for more than ten minutes.”

I thought about it. He definitely had a point. And Hakeem worked my nerves as much as the douche canoe that Jamal had just inadvertently saved me from. “I’ll talk to Andre. He’s not as bitterly Machiavellian as your dad, he’s older than you, so he’ll have all the good stories and he’s in love with his wife so he always looks me in my face when he talks to me.”

“Oh, shut up, Chocolate Drop.” Jamal groused. “Anyway…don’t look now but we have a problem. My Becky and your Becky have bonded.”

I glanced over and the two Beckies had found them a good spot for people watching and I knew from the way they were laughing that they were dissecting every single soul in the room. “Yeah, that is either the beginning of a wonderful friendship, or the start of the end of mankind as we know it. And I’m leaning towards the second.”

Sam and Puck were finally able to get away from the conversations they’d been having to see why I was looking so scared. I didn’t say a word, just gestured to where the two very different young women were exchanging their contact information, having found out exactly how much they had in common. “Oh, that could be a very, very, very bad thing.” Sam whispered against my ear.

Puck disagreed. “Naw, it’s fine. If Johnson lived here, then yeah, those two would totally band together and take over the world in a matter of days, but I think we’re pretty safe.”

Jamal just sighed. “That’s hope talking man…that is just your hope talking.”

“Naw, my hope is saying Sexy Mama, Sammy Boy…let’s ditch this pop stand, go pick up our girl and finish off our night the right way.” Puck returned.

I smiled and leaned back into his arms, “I kind of like what your hope is talking about. But your hope must have forgotten that Nikki is supposed to go back with your Mom and George to stay the rest of the weekend with Sarah and Stacey and Beth…remember?”

Sam’s smile was positively filthy. “That makes it even better. It’s just before exams for all of us. Last chance to unwind before we have to knuckle down and get everything done…who wouldn’t make the best of that? Our friends aren’t going to stop partying until somebody makes them. We’ll have that whole big ass house to ourselves. Puck and me…we can make you scream as much and as loud as we want to.”

There was nothing to say to that but, “Jamal, tell your mom that she shouldn’t let my aunties corrupt her too much. Go have fun with Tina and Mike. We’ll catch you later.” I quickly found Hudson and made sure that there wasn’t anything else she needed from us. I also asked her to use her KAMA company card and take everyone to breakfast when the party was over. “If you can manage to keep the house empty until around eight…we should be good.”

“I’ll try my best.” She chuckled. “You just remember that you’re supposed to back up at the Castle on the Hudson by one for a final lunch with your family and then you all are supposed to have dinner with all the New Directions before they head back to their schools.”

“We won’t forget.” I assured her. Thirty minutes later we were saying good night to Binkie, who had seen us home. We locked up behind us, knowing that our roommates could get everyone back in when they got home. We raced up the stairs, Sam and Noah taking turns nipping at my ass if they caught up to me. I was in four inch stilettos so they kept catching up with me too. At the last landing before we reached our suite of rooms, Puck’s patience wore thin, so he scooped me up into his arms and carried me up the last eight steps, through his and Sam’s man cave and deposited me on our bed.

I knew that it may have been an example of my continued battle with body insecurity, but every time one of my men picked me up and carried me anywhere…I got so wet I almost felt a little ashamed. The situation in my panties was only made worse when my dark-haired lover smirked down at me. 

“Have I told you how much I fucking love you in that dress?” Noah growled. “It took every ounce of willpower I had not to shove my face between those big, sexy titties and just stay there for the whole fucking after party.”

Sam came up on his other side, smiling at me though his comments were directed to our husband. “I love how short it is. I kept imagining hooking her pretty little leg over my shoulder and licking and sucking at her pussy until she flooded my whole fucking face with her deliciousness.”

“That would have gone over well.” I fake chided. “The after party would have turned into a bacchanalian orgy.”

Noah and Sam exchanged dirty grins. “As long as no one tried to touch you…I’m good with that.” Sam laughed as he started to rid himself of the designer clothing he’d donned after we left the stage for the final time that night. I watched him and Noah as they stripped down to their matching black boxer briefs. Scrambling to my knees on our massive bed, I reached out to them. I loved the feel of the hard plains of their muscular pecs and abs under my hands. I ran my hot little hands over their different shades of pale skin until Noah captured one and drew it up to his lips. Sam leaned forward and threaded his hands into my hair to cup the back of my head and draw my lips to his.

The kiss was long and slow and deep. I could taste Sam and champagne and joy and want. As Sam and I lost ourselves in each other’s kiss, Noah, made short work of the zipper on my dress and the black basque bra I was wearing underneath it. Even before the dress had pooled around my waist, Noah’s mouth was closing on ‘his’ breast, the one on my left side. It was an indescribable feeling, the warmth, the slick heat and determined suction, the quick flicks of his tongue…it all combined to push me nearer and nearer to passion’s edge. While Noah sucked his breast, Sam teased and tormented his. Strong fingers rolled and pinched my sensitive nipple, darts of pleasure zinged through me…coalescing in the throbbing bundle of nerves between my shaking thighs. A strong, muscled forearm wrapped around my waist pulling me tighter to the two of their kissing and sucking mouths and playful hands. Without thought of how, I ended up standing between Sam and Puck at the foot of the bed we shared, my dress and bra dropping to the floor. Soon those two articles of clothing were joined by the tiny black lace thong that had been completely wrecked by the evidence of what their touch did to me.

Our kiss broke. Even in the midst of our lovemaking, when we would live only on each other if we could, we did recognize our need to breathe. But for Sam that caused another problem. His head dropped onto mine. “Fuck Mercy, I can smell you already. You smell good enough to fucking devour.”

Putting actions to his words, Sam had me back on the bed, on my back with my legs splayed as his mouth went to work, licking and sucking and stroking my pussy…but avoiding my clit for the moment. “Oh God.” I moaned one hand finding its way into his hair while the other reached out, searching for Noah. When I didn’t find him immediately, a whimper left my throat.

“Right here Babygirl.” He chuckled. “Just needed to grab some condoms.” He hadn’t just grabbed them, he was already wearing one. “Now, Sexy Mama…I’m gonna fuck Sammy Boy’s pretty little ass while he eats you out. Wanna bet on who’s gonna pop off first?”

I lost that game immediately. Sam’s tongue lapped at my clit at the exact moment my mind created the image of what Puck’s words would actually look like and I was keening as wave after orgasmic wave of every growing pleasure crashed over me. “Holy God.” I breathed when my body was somewhat under my control again.

I couldn’t begin to guess how long Sam had kept me orgasming on his finger and tongue. Or how long it had taken me to catch my breath. But I did know that when my brain finally started working again, Sam’s forehead was resting against my thigh as he panted out. “Fu-fuck…goddamn it Noah, get your dick in my ass and stop playing with me.”

The smirk the covered Noah’s face was as mischievous as his nickname-sake. “But I like playing with you. I like playing with you. I’ve been thinking about playing with your sexy ass since you got all swoll on that waiter at lunch.”

I couldn’t help but cosign that thought. “Possessive asshole Sam is one of the hottest Sam’s in Sam-ville.” I teased as I scratched lightly at his scalp. Sam’s answering love bite to my inner thigh was almost as hot as the sight of Noah over his shoulder getting him ready for the two of them to become one. As Noah finally started to move inside of Sam, that little bite, was soon well on its way to becoming a hickey as Sam latched on to keep from moaning and groaning out loud. “Sh—oh, Sam.” I moaned. If my free hand moved to play with my clit, who could blame me.

“Noah, fuck, so full…feels so good.” Sam babbled incoherently.

I tried to move. I wanted nothing more in that moment to get down on our floor and suck Sam’s cock while our husband fucked his hot ass. But my plans were totally thwarted by Sam’s strong hands holding me in place. Instead of me using my mouth to make him lose his mind, Sammy Boy turned his mouth back to me. “That’s it Sam. Suck her pussy…Make Cede scream for us.” Noah commanded. Never let it be said that Sam Evans doesn’t follow directions. It was slightly shameful how quickly he had me writhing under his lips, teeth and tongue. “Finger fuck that pretty pussy and give me a taste.”

Two long, thick, calloused fingers found their way inside me. My back arched so hard and fast that my neck would hurt later. “Ung…ple…Oh…fuck…” I was so totally theirs in that moment. I could barely speak as Sam’s mouth and fingers gave me so much pleasure, trying to mirror that which Puck’s cock was giving him. He played me like a fiddle, before I knew it I was screeching out to the heavens that I was coming again.

“Good girl. So, fucking pretty when you cum for us.” Noah’s voice was a hoarse growl as he fought to retain control.

Sam was losing the same battle, so much so that I was pretty sure he’d actually hickeyed my clit. It took more conscious thought than I believed myself capable of in that moment…but I managed to work his hand open and unlock his arm from around my thigh. It took me some doing to wriggle out from under him and get off the bed. I ended up laying on the floor and scooching in between Sam and the footboard of our bed. I was just in time. The second my mouth closed around his hard, hot cock that was already leaking pre-cum desperately, Sam erupted with a snarled “FUCK!!!”

As Sam rocked his hips, pumping his cock in and out of my happily sucking mouth, Noah released his hold on his own control. “Damn, fucking love fucking you.” he growled as his measured strokes lost all rhythm. By the time they finally finished flooding my mouth and the condom on Puck’s cock, we ended up collapsed in a mess on the floor. It took us a little while to get ourselves together enough to make our way to the bathroom. In the shower, it was my ass that got filled along with my pussy. Our Harlem shower wasn’t as made for shower sex as the one in our Chicago apartment…but that didn’t stop us. After our shower love making, where I’d been blessed to feel Sam in my ass while Noah’s freshly washed cock filled my pussy, we returned to our bed. Sam wasn’t sated, and honestly neither were Noah or I but, still, we blamed Sam for that third round where he fucked my pussy until I could barely concentrate on blowing Noah. There may well have been a mini-round a little later as Puck decided to test the idea to see how it felt for him and Sam to fuck my titties together while the biggest toy we had in that bedroom buzzed away in my pussy. But, I was almost positive, that one was actually my fault. It was my idea in the first place, the dual tit-fucking. I didn’t regret anything.

We finally fell asleep just as we were hearing to others coming home. The alarm going off at eleven was not a happy thing. But we managed to get dressed, mostly decently…if all I did was to throw on a quick maxi-dress, wedge sandals and a ponytail who could fault me. We drove my Mercedes up to the resort with Binkie, Junior and Hudson in an SUV behind us. All our parents, siblings, Nikki and Joe were already there when we got there. Manny and Caesar had driven with them earlier. We got there enough before the luncheon to have a chance to talk to the fam. Which gave all my cousins to make fun of the fact that we left our own after party early and I was walking and sitting ‘mighty pretty’. Of course, I had jokes of my own. “April, I guess you like the dirty talk, cause I saw your ass sneaking out with Jason Derulo. Yeah, don’t clown me when you got some bones to put on your closet shelf too, Miss Thang.” I just gave Daniel and Riker a look that clearly said, ‘I know what you don’t think I know’. Though to be honest, until Daniel blushed, I didn’t know for sure there was anything to be known.

The final lunch included the gifts to the graduates, so none of us missed it if humanly possible. We’d done a little something too. But Momma was the one who had actually handled our contributions so we were hopeful that people wouldn’t realize what we’d done at first. Our additions would be disbursed in waves. Over the years, there were certain traditions that never changed. The gift giving always started with a speech from Uncle Bunny, or one of the other elders, and a reminder that the family gifts didn’t mean the graduates or engaged couples shouldn’t receive a real gift at the appropriate time. The high school seniors got a thousand bucks rather than the usual five-hundred for their graduation gifts. The college graduates each got two grand.

Then it was time for the engaged couples. Two of my cousins, one third cousin and one second cousin, they were each having their weddings over the summer, they each got five grand instead of the twenty-five hundred the family usually scraped together to help with weddings. Some of the family members were starting to whisper, wondering about the changes from the year before. We started something that had been stopped years before as the family just got too big. Every child under three got a savings bond for five hundred dollars. They could be cashed in for double that right as they got ready to graduate college. Sam, Noah and I started getting long looks and side eyes as people started to suspect that we were behind the changes. The next set of gifts pretty much sealed the deal for everyone. For the first time ever, each of the family members over sixty-five got twenty-five hundred bucks on a universal use gift card. Yeah, we didn’t say anything, but at that point every single relative was sure that the difference in the usual gifts was all on us. Yeah, they figured that out with the quickness…and yet, surprisingly enough, no one thought to question how the family was able to get the more expensive resort at the same five hundred per household that they had always paid.

By the time lunch was over, Sam, Noah and I had heard a million variations on the theme, “Thank you Baby. But you should hold on to y’all’s money. We’re doing just fine.”

Of course, we had totally expected it. So, we had a standard response prepared. “I know Aunt…or Uncle…but the Lord put it in our heart to give you this gift. If you don’t like it…you’re gonna have to take that up with Him,” accompanied by a dramatic finger pointing upwards. There may have been some swats for being a smart ass. But they stopped trying to return the gift cards.

Well, that was my standard response. Sam tended to add that God gave us the money and if he wanted us to have more, he’d give us more. While Puck turned on the charm and reminded my relatives that they had accepted him and Sam and all their families as family and family shared what they had. More than a couple of the aunties…who were technically older cousins…ended up shedding a tear and pinching his cheek while telling him he was such a ‘good boy’.

He wasn’t wrong about how easily my family accepted every member of his that they met. By the end of her first Jones Family Gathering, Nikki was seriously in love with my family. The most amazing part was that Aunt MJ was her favorite person. Seriously, I loved all my aunts, great or otherwise but Aunt MJ can be a hard ass. Even more than Uncle Bunny because while he was the oldest boy, Aunt MJ was the very oldest of my Great-Grandparent’s progeny. Usually Essie or Aunt Bee were everyone’s favorites. Nikki loved them both too, but for some reason, she just loved her some Aunt MJ. I was a little worried that it may have hurt Essie’s feelings, Aunt Bee wouldn’t care at all, but Essie just laughed. “Let Mary Jane have the baby’s affection. That little girl has a lot of love to give and Mary could use being someone’s top aunt.” It was only later that I realized Aunt MJ was a retired teacher. She may well have reminded Nikki a little of Mabel.

The Gathering broke up around three as people started heading back to the city to make their flights. I had to give Felicia and Vincent their Angel and Sammy back. Then I got hold of Hawk and Hart and only got to keep them for a little while. I may have pouted. The boys were just so adorable. Mentally, I didn’t have to give Sloane, Maea and Mara back until I got home, so that wasn’t as hard. I lied. I had just as hard a time letting them go home as I had Licia’s babies and Franklin’s boys. But I managed it. God, as much as I loved Nikki exactly as she was, if she’d have been just, like, pre-k age when we got her, I wouldn’t have complained at all. She rode home with us from the airport, we were making sure that she made it to school the next morning, since Bubbie was in LA for the Daytime Emmys. As I thought of that, I checked to see if her category had been one of the ones that had been pulled the night before. I managed to keep my squeak of joy to myself when I realized that she’d won her second of the prestigious awards. I pulled up a site on my phone I’d been dying to look at since my birthday. I went with a classic camel tan Togo Birkin with gold hardware. It would be something that she could carry year-round and wear with almost anything. I put a rush on it so it would be delivered to her office on Wednesday. 

Our arrival back at the Harlem brownstone was exactly on time. Bautista had agreed to make us all her version of a Sunday family meal for all of us old head New Directions since she’d not worked on Friday. She outdid herself. There was a simple spinach and kale salad had been tossed with fresh bacon pieces, sliced mushrooms, grated swiss cheese, sliced grape tomatoes and a homemade ginger salad dressing. A standing rib roast with a merlot, au jus reduction and a creamy horseradish sauce was served alongside roasted fingerling potatoes and rainbow carrots. That was followed by an amazing, classic English Trifle. There was enough for everyone, even with Finn, Vince, Lauren and five Rangemen present. At one point, Tina looked at me and she just started laughing.

“What?”

She shook her head, but the smile ever left her face. “Last night you met and sang with Aretha Franklin…twice. I met P!nk. I met Hayley Williams. Puck’s Bubbie is at the Daytime Emmys…How is this our life?”

“Hell, if I know…but I’m sure as hell not going to complain.” I returned happily. No matter how tired I got over the course of the rest of the week, I reminded myself that I had what I’d asked for and I was not going to complain.

Dream Life, Life (Colbie Caillat)  
Santana PoV

Man, just working with and for Chaka, Trouty and Puckerman made me more and more sure that I was doing the right thing by waiting until after college to do the whole rock star thing. I was only doing one school life and being their backup singer and I was loving it…but I was tired. The week after the drop party, we did at least two promotional things a day. That was on top of classes and evening practices. Monday, we were all up at the ASS Crack of dawn and at the NBC studios to perform on the Today Show. Matt Lauer used to be so hot…don’t know what happened. But age was a muthafucker. It was a great performance. We looked hot as hell in an orangy-red, flowy, maxi dresses for the chicks, and a deep midnight blue slacks and shirts on the guys. Rainbow created several dance routines for the performances we had that week. That morning, Xena and I and the Dam Brothers were as much dancers as we were singers. I loved it. Cedes tended not to be a ‘park and bark’ singer…but she wasn’t as active as she could have been, mainly because there were three leads on their stage. I was gonna be S-Lo…I was gonna be the Hispanic Beyoncé…so for me that performance was one of my favorites.

We stayed in the back, after helping Cedes and the guys with their quick change, while they went out and did their segment. They showed a picture of Cedes’ swoon, and tried to hint that they might be making Nik-Nak and Beth big sisters. That allusion was shot down as she asked them, “Okay, let’s say that you’d gotten to meet Edgar R. Murrow and he told you that he thought you were a good journalist who understood that a journalist’s job was to bring people the facts and the truth no shade, no spin…how would you react?”

“I’d probably have swooned in joy.” Savannah Guthrie admitted with a smile.

Matt took it a bit further. “You should be proud of yourself for just swooning. I’m not a singer, and no one wants me to be…but the first time I got to interview Aretha Franklin…I pretty well passed out afterwards. She was just so nice. She was ARETHA FRANKLIN and she was nice to me when, if she’d been just plain polite I’d have still thought of it as one of the best moments of my career. So, I get it I do.”

Savannah took back over and switched to the shot of Sam, basically worshiping Garth Brooks. “Mercedes got to meet her idol. Sam, was this you meeting yours?”

He chuckled. “You see the extremes of my reaction to meeting Garth Brooks and Mercedes meeting Mrs. Franklin and Puck meeting Trent Reznor and Billie Joe Armstrong, but the truth is that we all met all four of them and it was a surreal experience all the way around. Mr. Garth Brooks was as awesome a guy as I could have hoped or dreamed. Mrs. Franklin was as kind as her voice is awe-inspiring. I’m pretty sure that no one in Tennessee, hell Middle America for the most part, would ever believe how awesome Trent Reznor was. Same with Billie Joe Armstrong. The experience was just…it was…just awesome.”

“We really have to thank our PA Hudson and our entire team…I don’t know that we’d have gotten up the nerve to send invites to the people we held on fu-really high pedestals. They kind of went behind our back to give us an amazing experience that we can never forget nor repay.” Puck told them giving everyone a charming smile.

There was a little more chatter then the questions turned a little more in depth. “So, this last year to eighteen months have been a whirlwind. You’ve released two albums, including your holiday album. The holiday album contained the single ‘Carol of the Bells’, which raised over two million dollars for Toys for Tots. Your debut album, Necessity 4 Existence, has been recently certified Diamond. Your sophomore album hits stores at midnight tonight. Foolish Wisdom is the name of the album…how did you come up with that?” Matt asked with a smile.

“Well, one of the etymological breakdowns of the word sophomore, is Sophos meaning wise or wisdom and moros meaning foolish.” Cedes responded. “We are sophomores and this is our sophomore album. It seemed unique and apt.”

Savannah nodded. “I can see how that title could be considered apropos. The first single from it is already certified platinum from streaming and YouTube views alone. The critics all agree that it is one of the best albums to come along in a very long time. But there are others who feel that with songs like your cover of Dylan’s ‘The Ballad of Emmitt Till’ and your subsequent ‘The Ballad of Tamir Rice’ you three are making the situation worse, you’ve been accused of race baiting and using the current climate to increase your album sales.”

“Why is it anyone tries to begin a conversation about race and how systemic racism plays into the culture of violence that allows a police officer to shoot a child playing in a park dead and not face any real consequences, they are either tarred with the race baiter brush or the just trying to get paid BS?” Sam wondered aloud. “Right now, America has a barely scabbed over rotting wound. We need to talk to each other. White people, we have to stop pretending like we’ve not damn near eradicated the Native Americans, like our enslaving the Africans and bringing them to America and buying them and selling them away from their families, like our treatment of their descendants in the years since hasn’t led to a system that tries its level best to keep Black people undereducated and forced together in small, concentrated areas to basically disenfranchise them…that that isn’t a very real part of why a lot of the inner cities have no opportunities for them. Now I’m not saying that White people can or even should try to be ‘apologists’ or whatever, but we can and should acknowledge the sins of our forefathers and do away with all the laws that are still in place to hold folks down.”

Mercedes took it from a different angle. “I am Black. I’m earning a degree from an Ivy League institution in the next few years. Both side of my family have been college educated since Reconstruction. But the simple truth is that, even today, my skin makes a lot of people look at me as if I was less than. I’m not trying to be funny, or elitist or racist myself, but it’s always those people whose only claim to being better is the color of their skin. Studies have shown that education and interaction with those outside your homogenous area are the best ways to do away with the misconceptions that breed fear and contempt and racism. I don’t race bait. I try to make this world a better place for my daughters whose skin are a different color than mine, and for our future children whose skin won’t be quite as different.”

Puck handled it in his own way. “I have a question. When, exactly, did we start letting ‘I know you are but what am I?’ taint our adult discourse? Suddenly, speaking out about racism makes me racist? Really? I’m Jewish and I have legit slept with women of pretty much every single ethnic group within a hundred miles of Lima, Ohio before I committed myself to a White man and a Black woman. I may be many things including an asshole but a racist is sure as hell’s not one of them. So, here’s the deal. I’m here to call out anyone who thinks that the color of their skin makes them better than someone else. We all bleed red. Whether we are born here or we chose to naturalize, we’re all Americans. Let’s stop fighting each other and start fightin’ for what we know is right. Police Officers should be held to a higher standard…like people who serve in the military can be. Gun control is a necessity. The Second Amendment says that the government may not infringe on the right to bear arms…because we need a well-regulated militia. Not because every idiot too scared to possibly take a punch needs to feel like a man. I’m still shocked and appalled that two years after Sandy Hook our congress is still too busy sucking o—catering to the desires of the gun lobby to protect their constituents.”

Matt looked like he was about to say something, then he touched his ear and looked back up. “Allow me to say that I hope that the three of you can continue to work for the change you’d like to see. But unfortunately, we’ve run out of time. It was great to speak with you again. Everyone should check out KAMA’s new album Foolish Wisdom. In stores tomorrow.”

I sighed. Hopefully, that wouldn’t negatively impact their sales that majorly important week. Not everyone appreciated the sense of civic duty Trouty, Puck and ‘Retha have. They don’t speak out because they want to or even because they need to. They speak out because they feel it is incumbent upon them as American citizens to do their best to make America as great as she was always meant to be. Thankfully, I did manage to get changed while I was watching the interview. Because from there it was straight to campus for my perfectly mocha-chino ass. At four we rushed our asses to the Ed Sullivan Theater to tape the Letterman show. After that we had dinner with Nik-Nak and then a short practice with the newly hired summer people. Tuesday wasn’t a performance so it didn’t impact me near as much. Puckerman, Holliday and Trouty had a spot on the Angie Martinez show and called into the Steve Harvey Show…but it was all radio stuff. They didn’t join us for practice that night because it was their anniversary and they actually went out for dinner and then got themselves a suite at The Mark. Kurt and Blaine were really, really happy because as much as we were happy for our friends…those three could get loud when they got it in.

Wednesday was crazy balls. No seriously. KAMA had Elvis Duran in the Morning. Like the Angie Martinez Show, it was a radio show but one with a serious online presence where people could actually watch the interview in real time. So, of course, they had to look good. Then we all got together at the office for a post drop party, post record release, debrief-slash-lunch meeting. Those of us who could be there from twelve forty-five to two were all present and accounted for. Artie and Britt both had class, but I was definitely there. Haja and Ethan always fed us during lunch meetings. I might be making bank, but we were also building our house in Lima and so I liked to spend as little as possible.

It was hard to put into words how much I loved the house we were having built. Trouty Senior, okay, Sam’s mouth hadn’t come directly from his daddy…just the big pink lips. Any way SandMan had created exactly what we wanted: a large, single level, open concept, divided layout house complete with a covered porch, with two small steps on the sides, but a nice big, dominant ramp showing that it was Artie’s home and the people using the steps were the guests. Well, except for Britts. She loved jumping up and down steps. There was a covered patio at the back that was the same way to lead into the backyard. It had the required three car garage and every doorway in the house was a nice, wheelchair turn compatible forty-four inches wide. It meant custom doors, but it was what Artie needed and to be honest, me and Mami loved the idea of having all custom shit. The entire kitchen had to be customized to work for all three of us. Then again so did the master and half baths and the master closet.

I stopped that train of thought before I started feeling all domesticated. That was a feeling that never failed to make me want to do something reckless just to prove that I wasn’t some spayed shih tzu. Instead I paid attention to what Brantley and Haja were saying to us. I needed to make sure that I learned all I could before it was my time to shine. Besides KAMA’s team was going to be my team, it could only benefit me to pay attention to how they got shit done and broke shit down. I noticed that Darcy or Hudson almost always went first, unless the guys had huge news that they couldn’t stand to not say. That afternoon was no different.

I checked Mercedes out. She and her guys hadn’t been back to the brownstone since their anniversary date the night before. Their romantic dinner at Amour de la Vie. Apparently, since they hadn’t been able to get a reservation at the small restaurant where they’d had their first date the year before, Sam had made them reservations there every single April twenty-eight into perpetuity. The pictures had been awesome. Gala had found this amazeballs, I needed to stop listening to Darcy talk to Sam. Anyway, the bright, ocean blue, shantung silk, one sleeved Gucci dress with its big ass ruffles had totally been Mercedes Jones channeling Alexis Carrington. I mean, it was retro-eighties made modern-done right. The red suede, Jimmy Choo heels had been fucking fierce too. Only my best friend, outside of our significant others of course, could end up on a best dressed list for a Tuesday night date. Hell, she was probably on one for her morning Elvis Duran show look, which she was still rocking. The black and white stripped, smocked, off the shoulder, mini dress with its long, two-tiered bell sleeves and asymmetric stripes had become a tunic that was paired with simple black leggings and the look finished off with a pair of simple, Michael Kors flat sandals with a beaded thong. It was her earrings that caught my attention. “Are those new?” I asked her knowingly.

She nodded, touching a finger to the large Elsa Peretti diamond accented hoop earrings she wore. “Yup, Sam gave them to me for our anniversary.” She held out her right hand to show me the diamond encrusted Tiffany’s Infinity ring on that ring finger. “Noah got me this.”

“Not bad Tweedles…not bad at all.” I told her with a sincere smile. She rolled her eyes at my nickname for Trouty and Puck as a collective entity. Tweedle Dee & Dum had become just Tweedles. I really was happy for them. “So, what did you get them?”

“Well, you know how a triad is really four relationships; all three of us, me and Noah, me and Sam and the two of them.” I nodded. I probably understood better than anyone else could. “So, we got all three of us a set of Yeti stuff. We each got a coldster and a thirty-ounce tumbler and then we got a big ass sixty-four-ounce thermos.”

Darcy slid into the chair on my other side. “Nice, let me know if they keep coffee hot as long as they say it does. If so I’m getting me one before the tour.” She interjected.

“Will do.” Mercedes agreed. “So anyway, that was our triad gift. My guys each got me jewelry and they got each other some super expensive leather motorcycle gloves and some techie, talk to each other in their helmets intercom systems…the best part was that they totally didn’t know they’d gotten each other the same thing until they opened them it was really adorable.”

I shook my head. Those two were such girls for each other…all three of them really, but Jones was an actual girl, so that was to be expected. “You still haven’t said what you got them.” I pointed out. From the way she was trying to obfuscate…it must have been something really good.

She looked around then leaned closer, though the table was still in the way. “Custom made, kid leather, restraint sets for our house in Lima and one for Chicago. We already have a really nice set that Bubbie gave us senior year that we keep here. The lady I found though, she doesn’t just make restraints, she does some really amazing things with leather.”

Darcy and I exchanged looks and started giggling. Then Darcy asked for the name of the maker. That was not a bad idea. I didn’t need restraints…but I would kill if the chick could make me a leather corset. But we ran out of time…In the very next breath, Hudson got the meeting started. “I think we should all start by congratulating Ruth on her second Daytime Emmy.”

Bubbie stood and accepted her applause with grace and a smile. “Thank you all…and thank my bubbelas, for my new Birkin Bag.” She squealed the last happily. Her joy made sense to me those bad boys were so expensive they couldn’t help but be élite.

Sometimes Darcy and I think so much alike, I wonder how come me and Lauren hadn’t always gotten along better. We legit, without saying a word to each other or being in anyway in communication beforehand, we both reached into our purses, pulled out a twenty and passed them to Mercedes. In one voice, we both had the nerve to pretend like we’d talked thing out with Cedes in advanced. “Uh, yeah, Bubbie…we put in on it too.”

Cedes checked the bills to make sure they weren’t counterfeit then folded them up and slipped them into her bra. “Yeah, I guess they can have like one percent of the credit.” She joked. 

Before anyone could point out that forty bucks was more like a tenth of one percent of the cost of a genuine Birkin bag, Hudson moved us forward. “Commune, congratulations on going Diamond.”

“Dude, I still can’t believe that that is a thing that happened to us.” Jones sighed. “I mean, I knew our sales were good. I’m busy but even I’m not that busy…but I didn’t think they were that good.”

“Oh yeah, they are that good.” Haja said with a happy grin. Couldn’t blame the man for his joy either. I’d been pretty damn giddy all weekend my damn self.

Hudson shook her head before forcing us all back on topic. “I’ve sent you all a spreadsheet with the information we’ll be discussing in this meeting. As you all know the event at Vandal cost us just under a hundred and fifteen thousand dollars. The gate took care of Todrick’s fee for the night and it also recouped about half of the outlay of cost.”

“Don’t worry, we made enough on the merch sales that night and in the days since, to more than cover that difference," Darcy chimed in. “And that isn’t even counting the profits off the CDs themselves.”

Puck nodded. He looked down at his tablet. “The after party was a total wash, right?”

Hudson nodded. “Correct, since it was mainly family and friends, only a few super fans and industry folk, we didn’t have anything on the door and the bar was a cash bar, so it cost us nothing on the whole. But we paid twenty-five thousand for the club for the evening.”

“That’s not as bad as I thought it would be,” Trouty said honestly.

GalaNipples cosigned. “True…besides the night wasn’t about even breaking even. Drop parties are almost always a loss for the artist.”

The people in the know were all nodding, so I took that as a truth universally acknowledged. “That’s true and in all the ways that matter the after party was as successful we’d have ever wanted. You guys lit social media on fire. The Instagram from the night was huge. We had over half a million people watch the entire night on website…that isn’t even counting the ‘in and outers’…our total viewership for the night capped at one point one million…international.” Darcy chimed in.

“Wait, weren’t you charging like forty bucks a head on that?” I blurted out.

The smiles on Darcy and Haja’s faces were more than predatory, they were downright feral. “Yup. Even after the added expense of upgrading to a second, dedicated bandwidth service just for the site with a yearlong, prepaid contract, we still brought in a hair under forty-two million on the pay per view. And since it was all us, it was pretty much pure profit.”

“Okay, that’s hot like fire.” I breathed.

Trouty looked over at me, “Alright, Satan, I know we’re like two years out from you going solo. So, I’m gonna say this now. No one else in the biz is doing this pay-per-view their minor events thing. You can do it as long as you keep it to yourself. If we’re unique, people will pay to see us…if everyone and their granddaddy does this ‘peak into their world’ thing, it will get stale real quick and you know people don’t pay for stale.”

I nodded. “I got you Tro-Sam. You know that I’m gonna use your team as my team, right?”

Haja laughed and looked over at Ethan and Daniel. “Isn’t it so cute she thought she had a choice?”

Puck looked up, “Alright, we’ve got to leave Juilliard early to make the Daily Show meeting, so we can’t roll in there late too. Tell me something good on the overnights?”

Haja nodded. “Oh, the overnights aren’t good, they are damn near perfect. The store sales are on track to go gold by Monday at the latest. As you know ‘Believe’ was released as a single on the fourteenth. It reached gold certification on Saturday. Congratulations you guys.”

Everyone joined in expressing our happiness for Commune. It wasn’t a bad thing at all. They had their shit together. There was more talk about the breakdown of the down loads of the songs that wouldn’t ever be released as singles. The six songs that would be singles wouldn’t be available on anything but the CDs until their videos came out and each single hit. Then Daniel took over to break down the schedule for the month we had left before the tour. “This week is pure promotionals and practices. Tonight is the Daily Show as Puck said, then tomorrow KAMA has the Breakfast Club and Live with Kelly and Michael in the morning, you all have the taping of Late Night with Seth Meyers. Friday, two performances, Good Morning America and Fallon. Saturday…you know you’re all at Thirty-Rock for Saturday Night Live…as the musical guest.”

Trouty nodded. “Yeah, Black Widow is the host.” He said happily.

Brantley didn’t even bother to correct him. He just rolled with it, taking over from Daniel as they moved from promotional events to non-promo events. "Sunday, Mercedes, Sam and Puck are in fittings all day, they have the Met Gala Monday evening. I know that Tuesday and Wednesday is given all over to the college students among you guys prepping for exams. The tour buses will be here Friday the eighth. All but the Lima Natives have twice daily practices the eleventh through the fifteenth. Limans will join you and have a separate, extra, practice just for them and the newbies the week of the eighteenth. That week we also have three days of stage set up and on stage practice out at the Forest Hills Stadium in Brooklyn. They have shit to do in Lima the week before that and then KAMA are in Vegas for the Billboard awards on the seventeenth. Kurt is set on styling for that so he and Blaine will be going with. Madam Daytime Emmy, will be here overseeing the packing and loading of the costumes. KAMA isn’t performing, just presenting and hopefully winning. We are up for ten awards…would have been more, but…”

“They don’t know what genre we fit into.” Cedes finished for him.

“Exactly…so yeah, good luck on those. Um, first stop of the tour is here at the Hammerstein Ballroom on the twenty third. Now Haja, Daniel and I will be taking turns joining you guys out there. I’ll be with you through Virginia and then in and out. But one of us will always be there. Of course, Lamar will be there for all of you no matter what. He’ll be around the office a lot over the next few weeks. If there is anything we don’t already know about allergies and the like, let us know now.” He looked over at Mercedes. “We told everyone that Puck had a peanut allergy and if there were any at any location other than the requested Snicker’s bars…we’d bury them. That way Princess Nikolette will be safe whenever she joins you guys on the road.”

“Thank you, Brant.” Mercedes told him with a smile. She was such a mom. Nikki may not have come out of those wide, birthing hips…but in Mercedes Jones’ mind that didn’t make even the smallest difference. “Were we able to find all the extra drivers we needed?”

Brantley nodded. “Yes, in addition to the three gentlemen who drove for your tour last summer, Mrs. Gabby’s cousin, Johnny Puckett…he was available and he helped us find three others, people he was willing to trust with the livelihood of a family member, for the remaining tour buses. The eight drivers that will be driving the four primary buses are all either known to you, family or former military. The other eight drivers, those driving the trucks containing the stage apparel, instruments, and the set pieces, answered our ad and were vetted by Rangeman. Then again, so were the others.” He said with a wry smile. Rangeman was one of the best choices our parents had ever made for us. “There is a total of nine Rangemen who will be on the road with us…eight at all times, Lester will be in and out. He’s acting as their supervisor since we all know him so well. Other than that, I think we just need to get from here to there.”

Hudson took back over to wrap up. “So, we are packing the buses on Friday the twenty-second. That means all gear that you want to take with you needs to be in its assigned place that day. Everyone has their family tickets for their hometowns.” We all nodded. Each of us had gotten four free VIP ticket packages for family and guests at to stop nearest to where we were from. It was a really nice thing that Sam had thought of. “Your final bus assignments will be in the final itinerary which I will email everyone on the eleventh, along with suggestions as to what to make sure that you bring with you. The biggest of which is your per diem cards.” She gave us all a cheeky grin. “There is room for each person to bring a regular Pullman, a larger backpack, which should include your tech, and your practice instruments. Other than that, if you have any questions, email Brantley…he is our guru on touring.”

“Yeah, and what I don’t know, I’ll pass along to Lamar.” Brantley joked.

We were released into the wild after that. About two hours later, Artie, Britts and I met up for dinner. I don’t know about them, but I was kind of grateful that it was a KAMA only promotional that filming. I had shit to do for school. Papers didn’t just write themselves. I swear, if I hadn’t known that Jones and Evans were better people than me, I’d have known for sure once they got famous. Because there was no way Hudson would have only been asked to proof my final drafts. Seriously, I’d have had her writing those bitches in a heartbeat. Artie had, of course, finished all his shit and was just editing and polishing. As much as I loved him, sometimes I couldn’t help but hate him just a little bit. Brittany too…she didn’t even have finals or projects or nothing. But I also knew that if it wasn’t for the two of them, I’d have probably disappointed my parents by dropping out of school and just being a background singer for Trouty, Puck and Beyoncé, Jr.

Not long after we placed our orders, Artie got an alert on his phone. “Lovely ladies of mine…you two might want to check your primary checking accounts.”

I shouldn’t have been surprised when I checked out my checking account. “Are they ever going to keep their money for themselves?” I grumbled. I mean, yeah ten grand times, what, twenty-four or twenty-five of us wasn’t that much out of the forty mill…but probably the top five were getting more than that.

Brittany just giggled. “SamCedesPuck know that we need to feel appreciated. Besides, Lord Tubbington says that as long as they continue to take care of those they love and who love them, they will never not have what they need and so much more.”

I never argued with Lord Tubbington’s proclamations. I’d learned that lesson a long time before that night. Apparently, so had Artie, because he just nodded and smiled. “So, I have an idea. Since this is basically free money...We didn’t expect it. We don’t need it. So why don’t we keep back just a bit to have fun with and put the rest towards the building mortgage? Make it less we have to convert to a real mortgage later.”

We all agreed that that was exactly what we were going to do. Not only in that one instance, but with every bonus we got until the balance outstanding was zero. Brittany especially loved the idea. “If we pay it off before they even finish building we can get the hot tub in place before we even move in.”

That was such a happy thought that after our truncated practice, we went home and I managed to bang out the papers for my human sexuality and macro-econ classes. We made love and watched KAMA on the Daily Show from the comfort of our bed. That whole interview was really focused. They talked about the controversy surrounding the two message songs for a while but then Jon Stewart started talking about the shit that had hit the fan since their stop on the show in the previous September. They talked about the way that even with the arrest and confession of the perpetrator who’d invaded their privacy to try and make a buck some of the conservative pundits still acted as if the trio had actively made and distributed a porno. Then they got into the music itself. They talked about the musicianship of the band members and the hopes for the tour. They discussed the early numbers on the new album. Jon Stewart told his audience not to just get a digital version but to also go out and get a physical copy…because he had gotten a digital copy, but the CD the show’s producers had given him to listen to to prep for the show had a different second bonus track than the digital copy. “That is sheer ‘evil’ marketing genius,” he told them with a chuckle.

Watching the moment of Zen, I thought about what we’d just seen. It was a damn good interview. Mercedes had gone the professional dress route. The dress was one I recognized as a purple, Michael Kors Collection, stretch boucle crepe grommeted leather sheath dress. I’d found it online and loved it, but when I’d realized that I could only find it in purple, I’d sent my fellow diva the link for it. it was a great dress. Even though it had a high neckline and a knee length skirt, it was cut to follow a wearer’s curves without being too tight or inappropriate. Her traditional black Louboutin pump and conservative hair and makeup made me think of the Pepper Potts in Artie’s comic books. Curvier than the MCU version, but no less put together. Sam and Puck were on either side of her. Sam wearing dark gray slacks and a navy blue dress shirt, while Puck was in black pants and eggplant-slash-bad bruise purple. All three of them looked more like young tech entrepreneurs rather than rock stars, but it worked for them.

I cuddled down with my boos thinking that they looked like totally bosses. It was a sign of the growth and maturity that had come about in me since I’d first joined the New Directions that I was envious and not jealous. I did want that for myself. But rather than wanting it instead of them, I just wanted to have it too. I would watch them. I would learn from them and those they’d surrounded themselves with and I knew in two years, I’d have my degrees and then it would be my turn. I couldn’t fucking wait.

With You (Marsha Ambrosius)  
Sam PoV

As much as I was good with our lives, there were a hell of a lot of times that I really, really hated our damn alarm clocks. That was never more true than when we had an early morning interview. At least I could rely on the Breakfast Club to keep me up. I’d almost fallen asleep a couple of times in the Elvis Duran interview. Elvis Duran had a really soothing presence and voice. On the other hand, I kept telling Charlemagne tha God that he needed Jesus but for some reason, he took it as a compliment. We taped our spot on Live with Kelly and Michael in between classes. Caesar was a beast behind the wheel. We only had to leave one class less than ten minutes early and got to the next one like five minutes late. Michael was cool people. He loved having guests who he could shoot sports shit with. Like the year before, Kelly seemed nice, but I finally figured out why I was kind of uncomfortable around her. She reminded me of Quinn’s super nice persona…before she actually got nice. Plus, much like I felt around Quinn, I really wanted to feed her. I said something to that effect and Michael Strahan cried laughing.

“Kelly can out eat me.” He replied when he could speak again. “She is tiny…but it ain’t because she don’t stuff her face at every available opportunity. She just has one of those super fast metabolisms.”

When we left the LIVE! Studios, we finished classes and counted the performance for the Late Night with Seth Meyers show as our practice for the day…we really shouldn’t have dropped the whole crew stage practice we’d scheduled for the night…the new people needed their practice time too. But we were fucking tired. Good Morning America was an early as hell interview and performance, but our classmates all said that our performance of ‘Shakin My Head’ had been raucous enough to get them up and going for the day. Jimmy Fallon was, I guess, pleasant was a decent word for that show. He had us play ‘The Whisper Game’. Puck whipped all our asses at that one. I have no clue how he did it, but he got everyone right. Even Benedict Cumberbatch. We went with ‘Believe’ for that performance. It wasn’t bad. Bae-Bae’s performance was absolutely awesome during her dance solo in the second bridge when the song was stripped down to Mercy’s voice, Justin’s piano and Bae’s dance. That was something special we’d thought up for that night. We knew that we had to keep things fresh and different so no one got bored if they were watching all our promotional gigs.

The weekend was even crazier than the week had been. Friday, around classes and the two shows with performances, Mercy, Noah and I were in fittings with Zhang Zhifeng, a few people from EVE de CINA, Kurt, and Mr. Zhifeng’s entire crew for our outfits for the Met Gala. Bubbie had left Kurt to oversee the final fittings while she and Lil Darlin’ went down to Atlanta to show support for the New Directions, especially Jake, Tessa and Joe. I really started to hate the Met Gala on general principals. Now, don’t get me wrong…all three of the looks were freaking awesome, but our Saturday fittings were before day in the morning because we had to be a Thirty-Rock all day. when we weren’t practicing or actively texting with Jake, Tessa and Joe, we were following the NHSSCA’s twitter feed and the Instagram pages of everyone we knew. It kind of sucked that we couldn’t go down to support the New Directions with the rest of our family, but we were working and they all understood. Besides Dev, Tonya, Kev and Tricie made sure to be there to greet them at the airport on Thursday night just to make sure they knew that the four eldest of us had their backs.

The show didn’t record until eleven thirty, because…ya know…it was live. Our first song didn’t even happen until after midnight. The performance went off well. It almost didn’t because the skit where the tried to make Black Widow a rom com…it pissed me all the way off. Everyone else thought it was funny. They just didn’t get it. Like seriously, Black Widow was legit one of the most badass characters in the entire comic world. They made her a cross between Sex in the City and every bad chick flick character ever. I kind of got the joke they were making but it made me sort of wish we’d been doing one of our rockier songs first, but our first performance was ‘Fight Song’ which, almost, but not quite channeled my rage effectively. Still we’d chosen that one based on the Mayweather versus Pacquiao cold opening. Yes, the announcer was right, Kenan and Jay did come to our dressing room and watched the fight. It wasn’t just a line for the humor…no way was Noah missing that fight. Puck got to play a perp in their ‘Blazer’ sketch. That made him really happy. Until he realized that he’d missed our after-performance play time. But we made sure to take care of him after the final performance. Other than that, the night was pretty much as cool as one would think that being on Saturday Night Live would be. After our second song, ‘Believe’ which we did fairly close to normal…Mercy’s ad libs were legendary…we actually went out with the crew and some of the SNLers. It was pretty fun after all.

We slept late the next day, skipping church and everything. We worked out, something it felt like we hadn’t done in too long. Mercy made us go through our closets and clean out things we didn’t actually like that Bubbie or Kurt had gotten us. Before we knew it, we’d whiled away most of the day. Then, after their flight got in. we had dinner with Bubbie and Nikki. It felt like we hadn’t spent near enough time with her that week. Of course, after dinner we had to focus on getting our papers written and our projects done. Thankfully, Nikki had a big algebra test she was studying for. She ‘helped’ Noah study for his Introduction to Higher Mathematics exam while he helped her study for her high-level math final too. God, I loved watching the two of them just be Abah and Lil Darlin’. It was so special. It showed me everything I had come to love about Noah Puckerman. I couldn’t wait until Lil Darlin’ and Pumpkin were helping us teach their curly haired little brothers and sisters all the things big sisters taught.

I did get my papers all finished and to Hudson for final edits. She would never understand how much the fact that she had learned how to figure out what I meant despite my spelling problems, or worse the times I had handwritten something and she’d translated my hieroglyphics into actual words for me. I owed her so much. She thought that we didn’t realize that she felt a sense of responsibility for us since we treated her as family…since she was family to us…but the truth was that she gave us just as much as we’d given her. It was just the way family was.

I turned my attention to practicing my final performance piece for my guitar class. That semester the final performance piece was a modern piece rather than classical. I’d gotten assigned ‘CAFO’ by Animals as Leaders…the thumb slapping technique was pretty ridiculous. But playing relaxed me. My mind drifted back to the previous Wednesday night. After dinner, Noah and I had taken Mercy to see Aladdin on Broadway. It was a great performance. We knew, like, every word of every song. After the play, and some time backstage talking with the actors, we returned to our hotel room to open our gifts. The room was really nice. We were on the eight floor in one of the hotel’s smaller suites. Going with the suite had given us two bathrooms which really cut our ‘getting ready’ time in half. We hadn’t necessarily needed the expensive suite…but it was a special occasion. I loved special occasions. Sex with Noah and Mercedes was always awesome…but on special occasions Mercy didn’t get mad at us for doing our favorite thing ever. The two of us were seriously addicted to Mercy-Noah-Sam cream pies. Most of the time we were all about the condom usage. But on special occasions, we got to cum inside our Baby with nothing between us. When things went perfectly on those happy instances, by the time we had our last hurrah, that pretty pussy was overflowing with a perfect cocktail of me, him and her.

A full body shiver at the thought, the memory, shook me out of my remembrance and back to the moment. It was a lovely lazy Sunday…that wasn’t as lazy as it could have been, but I didn’t have to put on anything more than some old jeans I knew had come from JC Penney’s and not a store I’d spent most of my life thinking really only existed on television so, it totally counted. We talked to the family and had to promise that if we got a chance to actually speak with Anna Wintour, we would make sure to let her know that she had a young lady who was very determined to be her protégé in the future. Sarah reminded us three times to make sure and drop Bubbie’s name as our senior stylist. It wasn’t a bad idea. I wondered if our least matronly grandmother had ever thought about starting her own stylist firm. Her name was well known now and in those circles, she’d always been well-respected. She had the necessary backing for sure if she decided to do it. Plus, she’d be able to have the business under either our umbrella or the parent’s corporation’s umbrella which would let her offer better benefits to her underlings. In Manhattan, the only thing more revered as ‘success’ than a corner office was a full benefits package. Maybe someone should put a bug in her ear.

Monday was our last day of classes at Columbia…Juilliard’s classes had ended on Friday. It made more sense that way to me, but I wasn’t in charge. Thankfully, when the exam schedules were posted, we still had the spots we’d signed up for weeks before. By the end of the day the following Monday, we would have completed all of our exams and, hopefully, turned in all our papers and projects. That would allow us to give our full attention to supporting Finn and Lauren. But that was a week away. That particular Monday, after our classes, we met Bubbie, Dee, aka Delilah Bakopoulos, Trina Justice-Vega and a rep from Ne-Tiger and Eve de Cina at The Mark. We had rented one of the luxury hotel’s small meeting rooms and transformed it into a ‘dressing room’. We’d also rented one of their simple rooms to shower off the students before becoming the rock stars.

Dee and Trina were officially our go to, NYC, hair and makeup gurus. Well, Mercedes would continue to have her hair done primarily by Rickie…but on special events when he was at her shop or something and couldn’t style Mercy’s hair…she’d use Dee too. The duo was actually among the grand staff that had transformed us into our costumes at Halloween. They would be coming with us on the tour. Dee, as she preferred to be called, had been a part of the hair crew that night. Trina, we had actually met before. We were, in fact, pulling a total thief move hiring her. When we had first met her, she’d been working for Frank West. It had always bothered us that he didn’t learn his crew’s names…just referring to them by their positions. So, we’d borrowed her for Halloween…then when it was time to fill the makeup artist and hair stylist roles, Bubbie had suggested placing an ad in ‘the trades’. It was Kurt who reminded us that we had a large pool of people with the necessary talents in our rolodex. So, we’d offered all the people who had made us look amazing for the party at Leviticus the jobs.

Trina was at the very top of our list of people we wanted. She had mad skills, was really funny and chill and no one, nobody I’d ever met anyway, was as straight up confident as she was. But as much as we wanted her, hiring her almost didn’t happen. Her Rangeman background check had revealed a huge red flag. Her name didn’t match her social security number. Thankfully a little digging had found that she, professionally, went by her mother’s maiden name. Her sister, the recruiter from Juilliard who had come all the way to Lima to let us know that we’d been accepted off the waitlist, and she had moved to New York together. But since there was quite a bit of overlap in their circles, and people either didn’t believe there was any way the two very different young ladies could be siblings, or wanted to use one to connect to the connections of the other, the Justice sisters had decided that one of them would go by a different last name. Given that in Trina’s work, she didn’t really need her last name, she’d made the switch. Finding out that she was a cop’s daughter and a trained martial artist…only made us want her on the road with us even more. 

Delilah had been selected because of the first evening she’d basically, unknowingly, auditioned for the job. She had done Mercy, Santana, Xena and Brittany’s hair…perfectly for the characters, efficiently, quickly and without a single complaint…even from Tana. Three of the five hairstylists who had been there that night had applied for the job. But the ladies had gotten together and evaluated the stylists who’d handled them and Dee was considered to be the best. We did make sure that she could style me and Noah too, he was considering growing his hair out, not long, he didn’t like the way it looked long, but longer than stubble. Dee had been ecstatic to accept the job. She had been born and raised in Astoria, Queens and, other than seeing her family in Greece, she’d never been outside the metro New York area. The idea of seeing so much of America was just too good for her to pass up. I couldn’t blame her, I’d found it really cool the summer before.

We got to The Mark at two. By three, we were showered, shaved in my and Puck’s case and wearing our ‘foundation garments’, the no lines, black, breathable boxer briefs…and soft bottomed, no show socks for Noah and me, and Mercy…Damn, it was so smart of our wife not to let us see her like that before we made it down to the meeting room. We’d all worn the hotel’s terry cloth robes over our under clothes. When Mercy finally dropped hers, she was wearing a black, slinky, silky bustier that was part bra, part shaper and part short, short slip. It was so fucking hot. Oh my damn, it was worth the poke and rapid fire, peeved off, Chinese I got for not moving fast enough for the designer assistant who was helping me dress. My outfit was a white shantung silk with gold details, mandarin collared Chinese suit. It was different from western suits…it really seemed like a blend between a high fashion gi and one of Neo’s suits from The Matrix movies. Noah’s suit, seriously looked like a Chinese James Bond villain. I mean, it was black with black embroidery and the bottom parts of the arms and the trunk of the shirt were black leather. But the shower stopper was destined to be Ms. Mercedes Jones. 

Her dress was a work of art that enhanced her beauty. It was black silk with tons of sky blue, gold and red hand embroidery that depicted a traditional looking, stylized, Chinese mythic landscape deal at the bottom. The dress itself was a Cheongsam style that had been westernized to end in a fairly elaborate, mermaid skirt with layered ruffles down the back side. The dress followed her curves like mine or Noah’s caresses. It covered her from the base of her neck all the way to where her laser cut, gold Louboutin heels peeked from the wealth of her skirts. Her hair looked like something from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It had been parted off center and each side rolled into, I think it was called a French twist maybe. Anyway, both of them were turned to that they faced each other. There was a head piece that was fastened to the crown of her head that lay flat and had all the not black colors from her dress. It was really beautiful…I was pretty sure that the gold in it wasn’t silk like the rest of the colors though. Her face was very fresh looking, done so that other than the eye liner in a dramatic, elongated cat’s eye and the super red lipstick gracing her lips, she looked young and innocent and like she wasn’t wearing a thing other than her perfect skin. Her eyelashes had been augmented to form an even thicker, fluffier blanket of black against her cheek…in other words she looked perfect, not only beautiful or only sexy but a true, breathtaking blend of both. Her only jewelry, other than her engagement and anniversary rings, was a pair of Ralph Lauren, Chinese inspired, earrings that were long pieces of black something, jet maybe, Chinese motif cut out jade disks, small round red engraved stones and then two more little jet balls, including the one the at formed the stud. I hadn’t even realized that there was jade colored threads among the embroidery until the disks made the jade pop.

Since we didn’t have late afternoon classes, we were able to complete our transformations and make our way down to the limo where Hudson, Caesar and Junior were waiting on us. Bubbie and Hudson were both in simple-ish, Oscar de la Renta cocktail dresses. Technically, since we were guests of Oscar de la Renta, we should have stuck to their brand…but we’d wanted to dress for the theme. One of their designers had offered to design us something. But that had felt like cultural appropriation, so we’d decided just to put our entourage into Oscar de la Renta, and Mercy was wearing that fashion house for the after parties too, so we didn’t feel that bad. Bubbie and Hudson each carried a tote bag with any and everything their job may call upon them to need. Hudson had actually taken to carrying Rangeman cards with her since more than a few of our contemporaries were showing great interest in their services when they were on the east coast. We sank into the que of limos in our appointed spot. The Met Gala red carpet was as orchestrated as any of the award shows. Madame Wintour was its Grand Dame…thought she, technically, was only the co-host of the event. Jennifer Lawrence was the event’s other host. A lot fewer people dressed to the theme than I expected. And even those who did…there were hits and misses. Bieber’s dragon embroidered blazer just didn’t seem like enough to me. Adrian Brody did the look much better. Fan Bingbing was certainly authentically on theme…but then again, it was her culture being exalted that evening. To me, I think other than Fan…who while very nice, had an unfair advantage…Rihanna and Mercy had the most truly authentic and theme fitting looks of the evening. The pictures they took together for Ri-Ri and KAMA’s Instagrams were amazeballs. Lady Gaga was close, but like most other people, she went with a western fashion house for her dress. That knocked her out the top three for me.

A lot of the women there seemed like they were trying and just hadn’t done the right research. Probably because they were grown and didn’t still think about things like research. Zendaya had done her research…I just wanted to feed her…or find more material for her skirt and pinch her cheeks. I knew she was pretty much our ages, but having watched her on Shake It Up with Stacey, I just couldn’t see her as anything but cute little Rocky Blue. Isabella Wright’s outfit was pretty ridiculous. I mean, it was fashion forward and all…but it was not at all want I would have expected. That red, flammy headdress alone just seemed too much. In contrast, some of the women looked like they needed more material to their dresses. Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian were the three who’s dresses needed the most more. I knew that technically, it was really rude to think that they needed to cover up more. Their bodies were their own and it was none of my business. So, I made myself, instead, admire the confidence and just plain nerve it must have taken to wear those dresses. Inside, it was easy to see that the event was all about showing how classy and elite Vogue and Conde Nast was. It was nicely done. You could tell that every detail had been meticulously planned and a lot of people had worked really hard on everything. The whole night was really nice, but since I wasn’t into all the fashion stuff, it kind of had a hard time holding my interests.

Mercy had fun though. She loved all the fashion and she did get a chance to speak with Madame Wintour and was congratulated on the three of us choosing to wear clothing from a Chinese fashion house. I wasn’t completely bored though. Noah and I mingled, talking up Bubbie a lot. I had a plan, man. Eventually, we ended up finding John Legend and Chrissy and we had fun talking with them for a while, especially when one of the Jenner sisters, or the baby Kardashians as Santana referred to them interchangeably, tried to hit on Noah and Emma Roberts tried to hit on me. I don’t know what we were going to say to the encroaching young women, but in the end Chrissy beat us to saying anything at all. “Young Ladies, and I use that term both loosely and sarcastically, Puck and Sam are married, or as good as, both to each other and to Mercedes. So, why don’t you lovely and not very well dressed women go find men who are checking for you rather than throwing yourselves at two who don’t want you.”

John looked at her like he was falling in love all over again. Sometimes, he really reminded me of Artie. Chrissy and John took us around the room introducing us to people we’d not yet met, partially because we were still relatively new on the scene and partially because we were still in school and didn’t do a lot of West Coast or even that much East Coast industry partying. We chatted with some people we had met as well, about fifteen minutes after we’d left Mercy’s side, she joined us as we were talking with Lisa Bonet, Lenny and Zoe Kravitz. They were totally cool people. Like completely awesome. Puck just had to tell Lenny that his next kid would be half Jewish and half Black, just like Kravitz himself was. He was so proud of himself for that fact. Thankfully all three of the Kravitzes found it amusing. Denise Huxtable could claim whatever she wanted about them bust being friends…there was still a lot of love between Zoe’s parents. The night wasn’t horrible…it was just kind of stuffy. It was almost a textbook dinner party with cocktails beforehand. It was an experience. I did kind of hope that we’d be attending the next year. I wanted to see what Bubbie and Kurt would come up with for the next theme.

There were quite a few after parties. We were invited to the Standard for Lady Gaga’s, to Up and Down for Rihanna’s and to The Mark where Michael Kors was hosting a party. We knew that we weren’t staying out too late, exams started two days later, but we had to at least put in an appearance. So, we made it back to our hotel room as quickly as we could and changed. Mercedes had to take off her sexy little bustier slip thingy. She then replaced it with a traditional, strapless bustier and a strapless shaper slip which was then covered by an Oscar de la Renta embellished silk, mini-dress the color of tomato soup. It looked great, but made me kind of hungry at the same time. She paired it with some sparkly, kind of cut out leather heeled booties. Her hair she took down so it waved gently down her back. It was simple and lovely. She freshened her makeup and boom she was ready to go. Puck and I had just pulled on some slacks, dress shirts without ties, and blazers. It was not very stepped down, but it was different from our ‘Chinese’ looks from earlier.

We hit all three of the after parties, starting there in the Mark, since hey, we were there. Lyor was also there along with Xiu Li, who complimented us on our earlier looks. She was very pretty. I hoped that the two of them would be very, very happy. We met former Mayor Bloomberg. I was kind of shocked that he even knew who I was. But he didn’t just know my name and face, he knew my biggest, nearest and dearest issue to my heart. He and I had a great conversation about gun control. Come to find out, his domestic partner, Ms. Taylor, had gotten her MBA from Columbia. We had a really nice time talking with the two of them. That party was very much political. The people there were older and rich and powerful. It was interesting and I learned a lot and felt as if I made some good contacts, but it wasn’t fun.

Our next stop was The Standard. It was certainly more fun than the get together at the Mark was…but it still wasn’t really our scene. I still didn’t understand why people didn’t like Anne Hathaway. She was always nice to us. There were a lot of designers there. It was definitely Ruth Mayzer’s element. And boy did she shine. It was so great to see that it was almost sad when we left to go to Up and Down. Bubbie stayed behind. The contacts she was making were just too good to cut her time there short. Besides, there was an older Italian designer there who was straight enough that I was pretty sure he was hoping to get to know Bubbie in the biblical sense. If the Mark exposed us to the political side of the night and the Standard contained the fashion elite…then Up and Down was all about the fun. DJ Mazturbate had that place hopping the entire time we were there. Puck almost got into it with Bieber. Of course, Noah was ready to throw down, but Biebs entourage ‘held him back’. I could have sworn when he started telling them to hold him back, his boy told him with complete sincerity, “you do know if this pops off, he’s gonna kick your ass, right?” Junior and Caesar just stood silently behind us. the three of us clearly showing that we weren’t holding Puck back, but if Bieber’s people got involved, we’d fuck them up.

Usher must have seen the ruckus and came over. “Justin, just stop…if Puck gets hold of you it ain’t gonna be a publicity stunt. Did you forget you’re Canadian?”

Noah smirked. “Look Bieber, just keep my woman’s name out your mouth and I won’t have to beat your ass. I don’t posture. I don’t pose. I just kick ass. Comprende?”

“Whatever. I was just paying her a compliment.” Biebs grumbled before ‘shaking off’ his people and storming away.

Usher turned to me and Noah. “Thank you both for not beating the breaks off him. I’m gonna have to get his mom or his grandma to go on tour with him when he goes back out. He is losing his rabbit ass mind.”

I shrugged. “I think part of the problem is he believes his own hype instead of remembering who he really is. But my momma loves you…like seriously…I think you are about the only man on earth she would leave my daddy for…so yeah, I’m glad Puck didn’t have to murderize your protégé.” I joked.

Thankfully that bit of drama didn’t wreck the evening. We danced and had a great time. We had a drink to the twenty-fifteen New Directions and then danced some more. In fact, we were having so much fun, we kind of broke our two-drink maximum rule and had to stay and extra hour to sober up. None of us felt like going to sleep anywhere but our beds though, so we stayed the hour and got our heads clear so we could go back to the Mark and grab all our stuff and check out. The night was fun, but we needed to focus on our studies. The end of the year was coming fast and we had a shit-ton of stuff to get done. Still, no one could deny, our lives were pretty fucking great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had hoped to be able to start this with 'May the Fourth be with you' but instead I will wish all of you a Feliz Cinco de Mayo.   
> We are nearing the end. I believe that I'm currently working on the last (though second to last could be a thing) Chapter.   
> I hope that you are all still loving the ride.   
> Help me fight off real life...leave me a comment.   
> TTFN,   
> Anni


	42. C'mon N' Ride It (The Train) – (Quad City DJs), Reflection's *Care Enough* (Mariah Carey) & Winning (Santana)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2015 New Directions at Nationals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> The Past Returns by Grace Leigh  
> (Glee-Criminal Minds X-Over Fic)
> 
>  
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help. You are an integral part of this world.

C'mon N' Ride It (The Train) – (Quad City DJs)  
Jake Pov

I didn’t remember much of anything about the city where I’d been born. Then again, that was probably to be expected since I hadn’t even been six months old the last time Mom…Alicia…and I had visited. I was only born in Atlanta because she’d found it easier to get Medicaid in Georgia…or something like that. She wasn’t exactly clear on the subject. Sometimes, I wondered how she was doing. She was a good, if permissive, mother until Paul Puckerman reentered our lives. She usually put me first, in an abstract sort of way, unless she was dating someone really good who didn’t know what having a kid really meant or her life was in chaos. Then I ended up having to ride the late bus because she would forget to pick me up…but no parent was totally perfect. Once the anger had died its natural death, it became a lot harder to forget the love and care I’d grown up with. The impending trip to the city Alicia always talked about with such fond remembrances had brought up a lot of weird feelings inside me. I was conflicted. There was actually a part of me that kind of wanted to hate the city on sheer principal but I knew that was stupid.

Moms recognized that I was having some issues as we were talking about Nationals at dinner the Monday after we got back from KAMA’s drop party. After dinner, she followed me back to my house under the guise of making sure I had everything I needed for the coming trip to Nationals. She was so damn slick. I don’t even know how we got from talking about her decision to go to med school at OSU rather than Case Western, just because the closer school would give her more time with George, Sarah and me. And given how hectic med school was, she wanted all the time she could get at home. Still we went from talking about her to me unloading my feels all over her in what had to be the very manliest display of Jake Puckerman emotions since Moms D opened her door to me two Christmases before.

When I exhausted myself…or ran out of words…one of the two, Moms just smiled gently and nodded. “Jake, you are entitled to your feelings. You don’t know how relieved I am that Alicia was usually a good mother. I worried that you’d gone through more than you’d been willing to admit to. However, that must make it so much harder on you to understand what has happened. I’m an adult who has viewed much of the occurrences from outside the immediate situation and I don’t understand how this has all come about. Wrong as it may be, I am just grateful that it had given me you.”

“It just…she comes to stuff, you know. She was there when the Titans won state in football and in basketball. She was there when I won my track meets. She’s been at state and regionals. Last year too. Nationals is never held anywhere small enough to be able to see the whole audience. But, she was there at Grease. I see her and it messes with my mind that she won’t just come and talk to me. I didn’t kick her out of my life. She kicked me out. Over that, that, that…I don’t even have a word I am comfortable using around you that correctly describes Paul Puckerman.”

“Oh, Sweet Child…I was married to the man. Trust me when I say that there are no words I’m comfortable using around my mother that aptly describes who Paul Puckerman was.” Becah returned with a wicked grin. “Any way…happy thoughts. You ready to channel your inner Hendrix?” We spent the next hour packing my bag for the trip. I actually had so many clothes, I could pack for a five day trip an entire week in advance. While we packed, I told Moms all about my feelings of anxiety and nerves. The New Directions were performing the exhibition on Friday night, and hopefully, we had two rounds of competition performances to get through. Over the course of the ten songs, nine were by groups that fit our theme and one was ‘Same Love’ that one was in the exhibition and it was our good luck performance, so it didn’t really count. Two of the other nine were Hendrix pieces. Since Hendrix pieces demanded some serious time and rehearsal for the guitarist, Joe was taking one and I was taking the other. The guitar work was so involved, Joe had been relieved when Roderick beat him out for the male solo competition. No one had been surprised that Unique was the New Direction competing for the ladies solo championship. For the first time, The NHSSCA was carrying the duets and trios to Nationals in their ‘small groups’ competition. Joe and I were competing as a duet, but we were also up against RJC who were competing as a trio. Me and Joe agreed that there would be no shame in losing to them. 

My mind jumped from those thoughts as the pilot announced that we were approaching Hartsfield Jackson International Airport and would be landing shortly. We really weren’t in the air that much longer after that. Our flight actually arrived at our arrival time, in the ATL airport airspace anyway. We touched down fifteen minutes later and by the time our flight was thirty minutes late, we were disembarking. That airport was ridiculously huge. I mean, I was seriously tired by the time we got from our gates to the tram that would take us back to the security checkpoints. I would never understand the people who stood still on the motorized walkways. Just taking a few steps made you got three times as far like twenty times as fast as regular walking and definitely than just standing there. finally, we made it through the check point and I almost dropped my messenger bag with, like, all my electronic in it. Dev, Tonya, Kev and Tricia were standing there with a banner. “Welcome McKinley New Directions, four time NHSSCA National Champions.”

It was really cool of them. There was quite a bit of hugging. Dev and Kev counted Tessa and me the same as they did all the rest of the kids in the Jones-Evans-Altman-Puckerman clan…we were their little brother and sister. It didn’t matter that not a drop of blood was shared among us. I loved that about them. With the four of them added to our six chaperones it took us no time to grab out checked bags and instruments and then they helped us navigate using the Marta system. Shelby had, very wisely in my opinion, bought a week of Marta transportation for all of us in advance and she just had to hand out the cards. Kev, Dev, Tonya and Tricie had used the mass transit system to get to the airport to greet us. Using the cards Shelby gave us to get through the gates, we went up the escalators or stairs to the trains. There were two trains on the tracks. Both read Doraville, but where one was pretty full the other was completely empty. “Nobody step foot onto either train until we’re all present and accounted for.” David’s voice was commanding. He didn’t raise his voice often, so the fact that he had felt the need meant that we all listened.

We ended up all filling an empty car as the fuller train took off while we were waiting on all of us to get together on the platform. None of us really minded, on that other train even the adults would have had to stand. The train ride wasn’t bad. We were all trying to see the maps on the wall to see what we were told we were supposed to do. According to Suri and-slash-or Cortana, we had to get off at a station called Five Points…which was supposed to be under Downtown Atlanta, from there we went up one flight of escalator and hit a second train over one stop to the west. Our station was apparently something major since seemed to be the stop for the Hawks, all the city’s big arena concerts, plus the CNN Center and the Georgia World Congress Center, where Nationals were being held. The walk from the train to the hotel wasn’t long, thank Yeshiva. It was about nine o’clock at night and it was pretty ridiculous how hot it still was. Shelby and David went and checked us all in. The hotel was really nice. It was about as good as any of the better ones I’d stayed in with Alicia. Being a part of the Commune clan kind of made one a little spoiled when it came to things like hotels. As usual on school trips, we were rolling four deep in each room. I ended up with Ryder, Joe and Roderick.

That wasn’t bad at all. I could have ended up with one of the Johnny-Come-Lately Warbler asshats. I mean, yeah, it sucked ass that their school had burnt to the ground…probably some rich kid too dumb to put out his imported Cuban cigar before he went to sleep. I also knew that, technically, most of my clothes were even name brandier than theirs. So, probably, I, technically, had no room to cast ‘rich kid stones’, but they had come in and tried to change everything. Even down to trying to demand that McKinley should adopt a uniform. That was what had pissed me the hell off. Did those fools not realize how much my family had spent on the clothes I wore? Then they wanted to come in and say that the fam had to buy us all new stuff…clothes I wouldn’t even be able to get after Puck and Sam wore them twice. Those rich little bastards could fuck that noise. There were way less of them at McKinley than there were the rest of us. Still, even with all the extra people after regionals, Shelby showed everybody why she was the shit when it came to show choir directors. With significantly less time, she was still fucking prepared. She managed to get them all on the same flight, got them rooms in the same hotel and got them costumes…almost all of that seemed to be fixed before our choreographers managed to get the twelve of them who came to McKinley integrated into the numbers. I guess, they weren’t too horrible. Their parents came up with the duckets to make up for the fact that they were unexpected. And the cats could harmonize like nobody’s business.

Once everyone got a chance to put up their stuff and take a wazz, we were to meet back down in the lobby and the elder sibs would take us to get a late dinner. Once we were all down there, we found out where we were going to eat. “Alright, no trip to Atlanta can be considered complete until you’ve gone to the Waffle House…there is one right across Centennial Olympic park.” Tricie said happily. “But look, this is definitely a sometime restaurant. Ladies…Waffle House salads are really hit and miss. Order one at your own peril.”

We walked over and it took less than ten minutes, but it also felt like those ten minutes were spent walking through hip deep beach sand with large, wet blankets thrown over us. At least the restaurant was air conditioned. It was a small little diner that had the worst color scheme ever. But you could order anything off the menu at any time of the day; breakfast, lunch or dinner served all day. Thankfully, I’d had breakfast with Sander and Angel Mom enough to know what things like grits were. Very few of the others did, Tessa, me, Joe and Chase were about it. Still the food was good and the iced tea was amazeballs. Our waitress was really, really interesting. She was around the same age as my mother…a few years from forty. She was Black with a weave that denied her pay bracket. Her nails and hair and makeup weren’t just done…they were did. I couldn’t figure out how she even managed to write with her nails that long. She was pretty in a way that said that once upon a time she was probably gorgeous. Her body probably used to be hot. But time, gravity and, more than likely, more than a few children had changed the curves from being in all the right places to being in all the wrong ones.

After a while, I noticed that she was paying me extra special attention. No one at our table, or Tee and U’s booth immediately behind me, had our cups go below half all night. Just when I was starting to get creeped out, she came to the table after giving Shelby the check for all of us. Dinner every day was on the school and breakfast came with the room, we just had to get down to the restaurant for it…but we had to provide our own lunches and snacks. Precious, that was what was on her name tag, came to the table. “I’ve gotta ask, it’s been bothering me all night. What’s your momma’s name?”

I started to crack wise. I mean, here was this random woman asking personal information…but when I opened my mouth, I just told her the truth. “Alicia Michaels.”

She smiled real big. That damn woman had a gold tooth. “She used to work at the Pink Pony back in the day.”

I tried to remember if that was the name of the strip club Paul had mentioned. “I think so. I know that she worked at a club before she had me.”

Precious chuckled. “Kid, your momma worked there so long we used to think she was gonna be up on that stage when she had a walker. I remember when she got pregnant. Did she ever tell you that she wanted to name you Paisley? Thank God you turned out to be a boy.”

“Wow…I had no clue.” I couldn’t help but laugh.

Precious rolled her eyes. “She wanted a P name to name her baby after that no good, prick of a dickhead she made knock her up. I swear, the only good thing he ever gave her was you…but you’d have thought the two different STIs he gave her ass were diamond rings.”

“Hold up…made?” Tessa asked coming up over the back of the booth she was in with Unique. I ended up sandwiched in between her and Chase on a bench that was not made for three.

I introduced Tessa as my half-sister, letting the woman believe that she was one of Paul’s too. Tess must have really wanted to know the story because she let the assumption go uncorrected. “Alicia was not the kind of girl to get pregnant by accident. She took her pill like clockwork and still made her boyfriends use condoms like she had stock in Trojan. That guy though…within six months after the first time he came in, she wasn’t seeing anybody but him. She even cut off the cat who was paying her bills, which made no damn sense, your daddy was hustling his damn self. He was driving long hauls…at least that was his legal job…I was pretty sure he was hustling a hell of a lot more than that though. About six months after that y’all’s daddy started making noise about needing to go home and see his wife and kids. Just to remind them that he existed and they were his or whatever…no offense, but I tried not to listen to the shit that came out of that man’s mouth.”

“Don’t blame you at all.” I told her honestly gesturing for her to continue.

“Part of the reason I didn’t like him was because he was just plain narrow minded. The way he treated women was just…it made my skin crawl. If he wasn’t trying to get into your bed, or you’d let him know that shit wasn’t happening…he treated you like you weren’t nothing. I cannot tell you how many other broads Licia had to fight running behind that man. Anyway, next thing we knew, she was moving up to nowhere Ohio. Then about two weeks after that, she called a girl we used to work with who had married a rich ass dude and had her send her some funky smelling tea she got from the Korean shop. Old girl swore it helped her force her sugar daddy to put a ring on it. When she called us next, she told us that it had worked out. She had started throwing up whenever she smells meat. Soon as she took a piss on that stick, she was happy as hell. She was so sure that he would be all hers once he knew you were on your way.” She shook her head and laughed a humorless huff. “That mutherfucker was gone so fast I started calling him Roadrunner. She didn’t hear from nor see his ass no more either. Licia made it work though. She didn’t have the money to move back down south. She’d used up her savings to move up there. Instead she found a club in Dayton and kept working the pole until she started showing, then she worked behind the bar.”

The older woman looked a little sad. “Me and your momma used to be good friends until I told her that white skinned nigga wasn’t about shit. I offered to help her get back here, or even to go home to Memphis…but she put me down like a bad habit.”

I couldn’t help a wry chuckle. “Don’t feel too bad. She did the same thing to me. Kicked me out because I wouldn’t show Paul the respect she felt he deserved. I live with Tessa’s mom and their family.”

“I am sorry to hear that. You’re here on a school trip, right? Any meal you’ve gotta pay for, you just come on back here and let Auntie Precious take care of that for you.” She offered generously.

It was my turn to shake my head. “Thank you Ma’am…but I’m good. See,” I leaned over like I was telling her a secret. “Our brother…Paul’s other son…is Puck from KAMA. He’s worth twenty or thirty of our daddy and he makes sure that we have everything we need.”

She searched my face as she had before she asked her original question. “Yeah, everything in your face that isn’t Alicia matches his pretty well. I do love me some KAMA…their slow jams make a woman feel some kind of way.” She laughed in a way that made you almost believe that her life had been kinder to her than it really had been. We chatted for another little while but the chaperones and the elder sibs started getting everyone ready to walk back to the hotel before it got too late. As she headed back behind the counter, I pulled out the cash I’d brought with me and left the whole lot of it for the tip on our table. I noticed that Tessa did the same. Chances were good that that three hundred bucks would mean a hell of a lot more to Precious than it would cost either of us. It wasn’t like we couldn’t hit an ATM and replace it without really hurting anything. I hadn’t been lying when I said that Puck made sure we were taken care of…but I hadn’t mentioned that so did George and Becah.

As we headed back to the hotel, me and Tessa walked together. She wanted to make sure that I wasn’t upset by what we’d learned. “I’m fine. Sam and Gabby both wondered about it…not where they thought I heard them, you know better than that. Hell, the first time Sam met my mother he thought she was shysty as shit. He’d never say that…not to anyone… but you know how expressive his face is.”

“Yeah…I knew he didn’t like your mom. But I didn’t realize that that was why.” Tee acknowledged.

I just shrugged. I wasn’t happy to learn that for my mother I’d started off as a means to an end. It did explain why she always used to say that she loved me from the first second she held me. To me that was always a father or an adoptive parent kind of thing to say. Seemed like mothers usually started that bond as soon as they felt the baby move…or even before. Still, with as early as Paul dipped to the left, she could have gotten rid of me. I said as much to Tessa and she agreed that it was true and was a very good thing Alicia hadn’t made that choice. I called and talked to Moms and Moms D and Angel Mom and by the time I got off the phone I wasn’t checking for Alicia Michaels. She gave me life. She gave me a good start in making something of that life. She gave me her family and she did help me find mine. If she wanted to reach out to me, she could…but until she did, I couldn’t keep letting myself set my heart up to be battered and bruised wanting more from her than she wanted to give. With that thought I relaxed completely and had a good night’s sleep.

The next morning we were all up, dressed and in the City View Room for breakfast by nine thirty. I had to give them credit, the breakfast was nice…hot, fresh and it tasted good. It sure as hell beat the school breakfast. At eleven we were herded onto a tour bus for a civil rights tour of Atlanta. The next three hours were spent on what really was the best history lesson ever. Our tour guide was someone who experienced everything he was talking about. Tom Houck worked for Dr. Martin Luther King during the sixties and highlighted visits to different spots with personal memories of Dr. King, his family, and other civil rights leaders. We learned a hell of a lot about the city's history and the efforts of those who made an impact on our country's civil rights laws. The tour took us through numerous neighborhoods, thankfully, in the comfort of an air-conditioned tour bus. There was even a great singer who serenaded us along the way. There were times that Chase, Regina, Jessica, Unique, Jane, me or, and maybe less surprising than most would have thought, Roderick would join her if we know the song.

When we finished the tour, we had lunch all together at Sweet Auburn Café, which was actually called Sweet Auburn Seafood, on the historic Auburn Avenue which was once considered one of the richest Black neighborhood in the country. When lunch was over…we were all too full to take a deep breath. I had the catfish fingers and the salmon BLT-minus the B. The food was, like, ridiculously good. I grabbed Chase’s and reminded her that we hadn’t broken up yet. “Sides, you’re planning on working all summer and saving your money for school…you can just start saving now.”

“I’m only going to let you because I know you and I know Cedes and Puck and Sam…if I don’t let you, you’ll tell them all about my savings plan and next thing I know, miscellaneous money will appear out of thin air in my bank account.” She returned. She wasn’t wrong. They would do it too. To be honest I might not have to say a word, Harvard was hell to get into and even harder to pay for. She came from a family that had decent income, but Harvard was a whole different level. I’d been so proud of her when she told me she had been accepted that I had given her the one thing, I’d always held back on…total and complete control in the bedroom for an entire night. No matter if we hooked up over her college breaks or not, that was never happening again. She had liked it way too much. I should have seen it coming though. Chase was a middle class, Black young woman from Middle America…no way had she made it into Harvard without being a major control freak.

We finished lunch and then took the train to the World Congress Center. Shelby had a long conversation with the lady who was directing the set-up of the room that would hold the exhibition and cocktail party later that night. We had two hours to rehearse dancing and warm up our vocals on the stage we’d be occupying later. After that it was back to the hotel where a lot of us took the opportunity to get a snack to hold us over until after our performance. We had enough time to relax a little, shower, get on our costumes for the night and get back to the GWCC in time to finish warming up and then perform. Since all our pieces that night were from the same era, other than the Macklemore song, we were all dressed either as Beatnix, hippies, or Beatles-slash- early Rolling Stones looks for the guys and Beatniks, flower children or the whole Nancy Sinatra kind of…Harper Valley PTA looks for the girls. Those who weren’t Beatnix wore our school colors in various ways. It made the very different looks seem cohesive and planned. The black of the Beatnix was nice and neutral and made all the red and white work. The NHSSCA chairman took the stage to welcome everyone and introduce us. “Good evening ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming out. I hope that you’re enjoying this wonderful and historic city that has agreed to host us for our yearly Nationals competition where the best of the best of high school show choirs in this fair nation compete for the title of Best Choir in America.” He paused for the applause. “This year’s theme is somber, and yet it reminds us of some of the icons of music history. Gifted and Gone Too Soon. Here to give us an exhibition of songs that fit the theme and the talent that these young people have are the three time reigning champions, The McKinley High New Directions.”

The second he put away the microphone, lights went down and me and my black, Fender CD60CE Cutaway Dreadnought acoustic-slash-electric guitar had the spotlight. I almost felt like I was channeling Hendrix as I rocked out to his ‘Purple Haze’. The Dalton boys started to harmonize where the other instruments would have joined Hendrix. Roderick and Spencer had the lead vocals on the song, but it was dance heavy for everyone else. We’d learned as many of the sixty dances as we could for that night. The competition pieces’ choreography wouldn’t’ be quite as kitschy…but Shelby had been sure that the crowd at the exhibition would love it. From their reactions, she’d been right.

Our second song was The Doors ‘Light My Fire’. For that one, I was more backing up the Dalton harmonies and Ryder, Jane and Zion’s vocals were at the forefront. With a seven minute long song, we needed all three of them. We wanted to close with our last theme song, so we hit the audience with ‘Same Love’. It was a bit different that time though. One of the only brothers who came from Dalton was actually Juvenile’s son, Demetrious. His mother had wanted him out of the drugs and crime lifestyle that was destroying his father. He’d wanted to graduate when he was supposed to and wasn’t sure he would be able to in New Orleans or St. Louis. He could spit hot fire though…backed up by Jane, he did Macklemore’s song better than Macklemore did. Of course, we still had Steven rap a little too…it wouldn’t have been right to not. After all, he was passing the torch, but it was his last chance to perform his song. We ended it with Janis Joplin’s ‘Piece of My Heart’. Chase, Reggie and Jessie voices blended beautifully. I was on guitar and the three of them smoked that song…they really killed it. The rest of the choir harmonized so well and perfectly that you barely realized that it was pretty well an acapella piece. We finished to raucous applause. It was great.

Mr. Birstein, the chairman took the stage again once we had it all clear and introduced the judges for the weekend’s full choir competitions. The three-judge panel contained Lance Bass, Daisy Fuentes, and Jesse McCartney. There would be three judge panels in the solo and duet competitions, but they were mostly NHSSCA people. Each room would only have one person who qualified, even nominally, as a celebrity. He also told us that the top three choirs would be having lunch with college recruiters at the Mary Mac’s Tea Room, which was apparently an iconic southern restaurant that had been named ‘Atlanta’s Dining Room’, after being around for seventy years. I could get with that. We changed back out of our costumes and schmoozed for a little bit. To be honest it seemed like everyone knew who I was there that night, Tessa too. Chase and Joe and the whole crew ran interference where they could, but the place was rife with people who’d once dreamed the same dream Noah, Cedes and Sam were living in real time. They all seemed to want the chance to tell us their story in the hopes that we would slip KAMA their information. We only had to stay for an hour after the performance. We got changed and headed back to the hotel. Once we took all our costumes upstairs, we congregated in the lobby and headed to the dinner restaurant in the hotel, Legal Seafood. Even though Chase and I were seated alone and kind of using the dinner as a de facto date, I was really glad that dinner wasn’t on me. For real, looking at the prices, I knew two things, the Dalton parents had to have put in on our meals budget and that food had better have been amazing.

It was. It was so fucking good. It took all my will power to keep even somewhat kosher. Oh my God the crab cakes Chase ordered looked so damn good. But I just knew I’d jinx the hell out of us if I gave into temptation. Still, the kung pao chicken wings were almost good enough to be an equal substitute. Their house salad made me feel as if Moms would be happy with me for eating my vegetables. She was going to be a great doctor. The marinated grill chicken was good, though it didn’t look quite as delicious as Chase’s shrimp and grits. Damn, my superstitious nature. I had kept kosher as I could at every single National’s I’d been to with the New Directions…I was not going to fuck up that year. Not with U, Chase, Reggie, Jessie…even Tessa to a certain extent…their futures would only be helped with a win that weekend. So, I wasn’t going to break my own rules.

Chase and I talked a lot over dinner. Part of that was just…starting to transition from lovers to friends. But part of it was just being able to have a quiet meal just the two of us. Between football and basketball for me, academic bowl, mathaletics, and Cheerios for her…we’d been in different competition events since before Christmas. I’d have gone and done the heavy lifting for the Cheerios when they went to their National competitio but that was the same weekend as one of our basketball state tournament games. We talked some about Harvard and how excited she was about the coming fall. Of course, she couldn’t just talk about herself. “So, have you decided where you want to apply next year?”

I shrugged. “I’ve been looking at schools with architectural engineering.” I said hesitantly. Most of the schools who had the program I needed weren’t even close to Ohio, let alone Lima.

She rolled her eyes. Chase knew me too well. “Have you even talked to Sarah about running Puckerman pools? She is smart. She is motivated. It would be good for her to learn the business.”

“It’s not that, Sarah is fine with taking over for the next few years. Then giving it on to Stevie. He has some serious ideas already and plans on working with Sarah the whole time she’s leading things. I think of all of us Stevie is going to be the one to take the business world by storm.”

“Well, he will have enough businesses to play around with.” She said alluding to the corporation the parents had created and were making bigger every other day. “So, what’s the problem?”

“I had thought that I’d go to school in New York or Atlanta or even in Iowa with Tessa…ya know, somewhere that I wouldn’t have to spend so much money because there would be family there I could stay with.” I admitted. “Moms and George are going to have Moms in med school, Tessa in college, Sarah at home…I don’t want to be a burden.”

Chase sat there and stared at me. Seriously, she just sat there looking at me like I’d grown two other heads and they were both spewing literal bullshit out of their mouths. Finally, she sighed. “You really don’t even realize how stupid that sounded do you?”

“Shut up.” I groaned. “Look, I know that they have more now…but I’m not theirs…not really.”

An eye roll was my answer. “You might not consider yourself theirs…not really…but they damn sure do. I guess you missed the memo when George called due the payment plan he’d worked out with that security guard at the mall for the work he’d done on that asshole’s house.” Of course I hadn’t missed that information…I was the one who told her about it. “Or what about the fact that when that other security guard went to try and get a job at the hospital, Becah told the HR lady that he was racist and wouldn’t fit their employment environment.” She added pointedly. “Then there is the simple fact that, okay, let’s pretend for a second that Becah and George really are just going through the motions…they don’t really consider you as theirs. Noah is your brother. He is your blood. You look half identical to him. He, Mama Cedes and Sam have already set aside a quarter of a million dollars each for Tessa, you, and Sarah to go to college. They give you a hundred bucks a week, even though you make good money and you live in a house with no mortgage and someone else pays the utilities. So do you really think for half a damn second that you have shit to worry about no matter where you go to school? Reggie and I are legit hiding where we’re going from them. We owe Becky favors every college break until we graduate trying to keep them from helping us and we are just their friends.”

I thought about what she was saying and what she hadn’t stated, just implied. “I just really insulted my family didn’t I?”

“Yeah, yeah ya did.” She answered. “I get it. In the back of your mind there is a little place that keeps whispering ‘if my own mother can ditch me following behind that SackO’Shit,” Her pet name for Paul Puckerman, “then I can’t give George and Becah any excuse to leave me too. The only problem with that way of thinking is that George and Rebecah…like your Grandmother and aunts and uncles down in Tennessee, are whole different people from Alicia and Paul. Entirely different. So when you hear that little voice…drop kick it back into its box and let them love you.”

I just chuckled. She was right. I couldn’t argue with that at all. It was proven immediately. George and Becah and Sarah, along with Bent and Moms D, the twins and Sloane, and Sander and Angel Mom, Gramma Mae and MeMaw were all waiting on us in the lobby with the Atlanta part of the family, Bubbie, Nikki, Saul and Mills. I knew that if KAMA weren’t the musical guests on Saturday Night Live…they would have been there too. I was almost shocked when the twenty of them parted to reveal to me my Grandma, Uncle D’Metrious, Uncle Orion, and Aunt Catrina were with them. Grandma couldn’t wait to tell me all about her very first, first class, plane ride. Moms, Moms D and Angel Mom had arranged everything for them to come and see me compete.

By half an hour after dinner, those of our parents who made the trip, had arrived as had the other choirs who were staying at our hotel. Mainly we saw our parents. Kitty came over to share what she’d found out as to why there were only like two other choirs in our hotel. “Apparently, most of the other choirs are in the ‘burbs where it is cheaper and will just be taking the train in in the morning.” She sounded so superior…like she had anything to do with us being able to afford the nice hotel right near the performance hall.

Tessa smirked. “That’s cool. They can see a lot of the city as they are coming in and going out.” Then she dragged me and Chase closer into the parents, before we could say anything else. Chase and Kitty didn’t get along well at all. 

Shelby had set our curfew at ten, so after we talked to the parents and were informed of room numbers at the Embassy Suites by Hilton, Atlanta at Centennial Olympic Park where their rooms were, we headed up to our rooms to shower and get to bed. Shelby didn’t play when it came to being well rested. Besides we had to be dressed, fed and at the venue by eight…I was excited as hell. I kinda loved winning.

Reflection's *Care Enough* (Mariah Carey)  
Ambient Pov

Three miles from the posh hotel where the extended Altman-Evans-Jones-Puckerman and her own family was staying. Three miles and two blocks from the really nice hotel where the New Directions and their chaperones were staying. Alone in a somewhat clean, if a little musty smelling, hotel room at an older, though refurbished, Comfort Inn Hotel in the southernmost reaches of the Atlanta downtown area, sat Alicia Michaels. She was texting back and forth with several of the girls she used to dance with. The women she was texting with were, in several cases, still in the same industry. Only one of them still actually worked the pole, but two of them had married men significantly older than them…not for love, not for companionship…but just because the man had money. One of them was on reality TV as a real house wife, her husband’s bank account was that flush. The final member of her old clique had made a very profitable business of finding beautiful women to provide companionship of a non-sexual nature to men and women of means. Alicia was bragging to them about her successful restaurant, how she was considering opening a second location. She bragged even more about the son she’d not spoken to in over a year. Bragging about his accomplishments on the football field and basketball court. She told them about her pride in his performance the night before. She had seen it on the New Directions’ McKinley Facebook page that morning. She didn’t tell her friends that though…she made it seem as if she had been there.

In the beginning…right after she’d kicked Jake out Alicia truly believed that there was no problem with her decision. However, the staff at her diner had been with her since Jake was very young…they vehemently disagreed. Working all the extra time while she replaced the people who had worked for her and quit when she told them why Jake not only, no longer worked there, but would not return had kept her from feeling any loneliness. The weekly trips she took to see Paul had left her even more convinced that she was correct. She believed him when he told her that he loved her so much he’d been looking into how they could get married the last visit they had shared before he was killed. It was somewhat true. Paul had asked about the process for getting married to his younger son’s mother…but his motives hadn’t been love. He knew full well that the only person who he could count on to put money on his commissary account would be Alicia. Paul had also known that he was not a man who could go long without the company of a woman. Conjugal visits were a necessity to him and he had to be married to be able to have them. So, for the second time in his life, marriage was looking like the best option available to him. He’d jokingly said that she was the only person in the world who actually cared if he lived or died. He was proved correct just a few days later.

When the woman who was so sure that her man loved her as much as she loved him found out that she was not only not the first person notified, but that she’d not even been listed among his designated contacts, Alicia had been forced to face some hard truths. The first truth was that she’d lived her life for herself…even having Jake had been about her…her determination to prove to be the woman who tamed an untameable man. The second truth was that, no matter why she had had him, she did love and miss her son. However, it was the last truth that stopped her from talking to him, from letting him know that she was sorry. Her pride was greater than any other character trait she possessed. She went to his football games, his basketballs. She went to his singing competitions…but she couldn’t make herself go up to him. She knew where he was living…or close enough. She had his email address. But she couldn’t make herself admit, out loud or to anyone else, that she’d been wrong.

By the end of the marathon of texting, Alicia had agreed to lunch with several of the ladies she used to work with when she lived in Atlanta. The ones who had made something of themselves, at least as far as she thought of things. The truth was that the five ladies Alicia still kept in touch with were the ones who thought as she did. The ones who saw nothing wrong with getting pregnant to try and wrest a married man from his wife and children. The ones who saw nothing wrong with putting their own wants and needs above those of any and every other person they knew, even those they claimed to love. These were her peers…her friends. Together they were a large part of the reason she was able to sleep at night without her bad decisions weighing heavily on her heart and mind. The next morning, she woke up and carefully did her hair and dressed. Alicia had spent a ridiculous amount on a weave from Veronica in Lima…the only weaver in the city whose deft hands could honestly be compared to the weave artist in Hot Lanta. She’d had her nails professionally done too; lengthened, treated with a gel polish in a complimentary but bold shade of red. Alicia had gone shopping too. She dressed carefully wearing all new clothes from the skin out. Lingerie designed to make any aging beauty believe that gravity had not touched her. On trend belted, high rise, wide leg, cropped, ivory trousers that she’d gotten from Nordstrom. A black, rib knit, cropped camisole and ivory open front, waist length blazer with simple three quarter length sleeves she had discovered at Saks off Fifth and a pair of Steve Madden, red suede, ultra-high platform sandals to show off her pedicured feet that the Macy’s gods had deemed fit to only have left in her size. A red, Tory Burch Duet leather hobo purse and a pair of tortoise shell, polarized sunglasses finished off her lie of a look. Her credit cards hated her. But she’d told the women she considered her kind of people that she’d become a successful restauranteur, so she needed to look the part.

Alicia spent the morning at the NHSSCA Nationals Competition in the Thomas Murphy Ballroom in Building B of the Georgia World Congress Center. The large banquet hall, with its beautiful stage, had been transformed into a performance hall for the weekend. She’d avidly watched the whole choirs that morning. She hadn’t seen her son, though she’d seen her mother, brothers and one of her sisters among the rest of the faces she recognized. While she was seated in the ballroom, elsewhere in building B, the male and female solo and the new ‘small group’ competitions were taking place.

In a mini-auditorium called B-315, at nine forty-five in the morning, a slightly tall, slightly atypical looking young Black woman took the stage, which had been set up in front of a table containing three judges. She looked out with bright brown eyes and say more than a few of her friends and her mother among the hundred and fifty seats. She wore the same bold, red, knee length, swing dress with a black embroidered and embellished sheer overlay over the bodice that the other female New Direction members were wearing. The hormones she’d begun taking shortly after transferring to McKinley had softened the differences between her and the other girls greatly. Looking at her, it would probably have shocked the judges to learn that Unique Mercia Adams had been born Wade Marshall Adams. “I am singing, ‘Born A Girl’ by Manic Street Preachers.” She stated simply. The song choice had been very deliberate. However, none of the New Directions would be including the exact way their songs fit the theme. Sue and Shelby had a bet going to see which one of the judges figured out their play on the theme by the end of the weekend. When the judged signaled their readiness, Unique took a measured breath and started to sing. She delivered a version of the rock song that was more lyrical and possibly more deeply felt than the small rock band had ever expected. She sang of the desires that she’d felt for most of her eighteen years. The rock song had been transformed into a deeply personal, blues influenced, cover that made the song hers more than it had belonged even the gifted artist who’d written it and then disappeared before his twenty-eighth birthday. By the end of her performance she was the voice to be beaten by all who came after her that day.

One room away, in another mini auditorium, the male solo competitions were taking place as well. At half past ten, Roderick Meeks’ name was called. The five foot eleven inch tall, robust McKinley tenor was wearing black slacks and well shined black fancy dance shoes with a bright white dress shirt, bold red vest with black and silver details that matched the overlay on the female New Directions’ dresses and a black tie that was the exact reverse of the vests. He took the stage with his head held high. He ignored the snide comments of other, more athletic boys. Hell, he’d spent much of his wait time trying to keep Alistair and Spencer from expressing their displeasure at the pricks who were simply trying to shake Roderick’s confidence. Thankfully, his girlfriend, Hell, had not taken offense. A full foot or more shorter than the guys, she was still far more dangerous. The idiots didn’t realize that their play had backfired. One thing every New Direction learned early was to never let anyone steal your shine. After introducing himself and his song, Roderick surprised the judges with how much heart, soul and even longing. His eyes locked on each of the judges in turn as he made Sam Cooke’s ‘I’ll Come Running Back to You’ his very own. His girlfriend, Hell’s, fey pretty face couldn’t hide its smile as she knew he was singing to her.

A floor away the New Directions who weren’t in B-315 or B-313 supporting their friends in the soloist competitions, were in B-407 listening to the small group competitions. One of the first small groups to perform was Joe and Jake, both of whom took the stage with their guitars. They had practiced and, while they really only hoped to make it to the second round, the two young men, who were sure they would eventually be brothers, were still giving it their all. They had chosen their song and fought hard for it. It wasn’t by an artist that had died young…or even died at all…it was about those artists. John Craigie’s ‘28’ had never sounded so good. Their fingers flew effortlessly over their guitar strings…their voices strengthened each other and blended together wonderfully. But confident though they were that they were better than any of the groups that had gone before them, the very next group to come forward was their compatriots.

Regina, Jessica and Chase looked beautiful in their red dresses with the black embellishments and heels. Their hair, like all the female New Directions, was pulled up in deceptively simple looking curled ponytails that actually began as two French braids. One braid started at the nape of their necks while the other started at their front hairline. The unbraided hair was gathered into a ponytail at the very center of their scalps. It was then curled and lightly sprayed to last all day. Like all their friends, their makeup was identical, gorgeous, daytime appropriate shades of gold and brown eye shadow with sharp, thick black eyeliner in a subtle cat eye and bold, but complexion appropriate, glossy red lips. They looked amazing. Then they started to sing. The trio treated the judges to a version of TLC’s ‘Unpretty’ that delighted the judges and warmed their hearts. The young women had everyone listening in raptures. However, when they sung of the insecurities inherent in the lyrics, every single person who didn’t know them wondered, ‘if these three beauties have felt this way…I guess that everyone has their moments’. It was an unbeatable performance and an uplifting one at the same time.

The solo and small group competitions ended at eleven. Each school got one representative in each category and not all schools had a vocalist compete in the solo competitions so they took less time than one would have believed. The event schedulers rigorously scheduled the choir competitions so that the morning sessions were filled with choirs who didn’t have a horse in the solo, or new small group, competitions. The morning show choir performances wrapped up half an hour later. Everyone was allowed an hour and a half for lunch. The afternoon choir competitions started at one. The New Directions had scoped things out. They knew that the closest and fast foodiest restaurants would fill first and they would lose more time waiting and not get the fuel they needed. So, they made their way to the Baja Fresh near their hotel. The walk was longer than most of the other choirs had undertaken, but they all agreed that it was worth it for good, fresh food that was served fast and an uncrowded restaurant. They had enough time to make a quick run to their hotel rooms to refresh themselves and freshen up. As they headed back to the Georgia World Congress Center, each also got a full bottle of chilled water from the hotel staff and a kind whisper of good luck.

Extra water helped a lot. All thirty-six choir members and their chaperones had been doing their best to stay hydrated, but none of them were used to the heat and humidity they were experiencing. Sander Evans, however, was. Not only was the choir lucky enough to have gotten the water from the hotel staff, when the choir returned to their ‘warm up room’, they found that he, Dev and Kev had gone to the CVS at the Five Points Marta Station and bought two disposable coolers, ice and enough water to drown someone. The New Directions would have the distinction of being one of the best hydrated choirs of the afternoon. An advantage that would have been easily ignored…but one that definitely made a vital difference.

While The six women met at McCormicks and Schmick’s Seafood and Steaks in the CNN Center across from the Georgia World Congress Center. Alicia wasn’t sure what possessed her to invite her friends to meet her at the Georgia World Congress Center after they finished a lunch that had taken a full quarter of what she had budgeted to spend on food while at the competition. But all of them took her up on her invitation. The ladies had their own agendas…after all they all knew that Alicia’s son shared a father and friendship with a member of KAMA. Each of them hoped to use that connection to their advantage. With that thought in mind, they happily paid the twenty-five dollar entrance fee. The group had settled near enough to the group from Lima for the women with Alicia to assume that she was sitting back to stay seated with them. She explained quietly that since KAMA was performing on Saturday Night Live, that every same evening they hadn’t been able to come. Her friends believed that she’d had fore knowledge of that rather than Alicia just having seen the commercial and being intelligent enough to make the connection.

The ladies did enjoy the afternoon far more than they expected. The choirs who made it to the Nationwide competitions were the best of the best. Each one was talented vocally and, for the most part, physically. They came from every state in the country and they had fought long and hard to get there. The program for the day showed the order of performances giving the names of the schools and their locations. The second they saw that a high school from DeKalb county was among the ones that had made it to the competition, they knew who they would really be cheering. The DeKalb School of the Arts choir was good. They were damn good. However, their performance suffered from a fatal flaw that Mercedes, Regina, Jessica and Chase could have warned them against. Their first song had been Marvin Gaye’s ‘Inner City Blues’ which they followed with a well edited version of ‘They Don’t Really Care About Us’…one of Michael Jackson’s angrier songs. Yet one that many young people identified with. The last of their three songs was TLC’s ‘I Miss You So Much’. All three songs were by people who had died at the heights of their talent. But they were a choir with more Children of Color than White kids and they had done three songs by three Black artists of pretty much the same genre and feel. For that reason alone, their performance would not rank as high as it could have.

The New Directions were not scheduled to perform as early in the afternoon as one would have expected. Shelby preferred to ensure that the judges not have a long wait between when they saw her kids’ performance and their deliberation time. She was happy to see that they had the final spot. The New Directions took the stage at five thirty. Sticking to their theme within a theme, their first song was Nirvana’s ‘Come As You Are’. The song had been completely rearranged. First of all, the Dalton boys had definitely influenced them into providing richer harmonies with their vocalizations, while they remained true to themselves by showcasing the talents of the McKinley Orchestra, Jazz band and piano club. They’d turned the iconic alternative song into something that blended rock, soul and pop without weakening the meaning and the angst of the piece. Tessa, Jane, Cassie and Hell had the leads and they made the song their own while honoring Cobain’s legacy. The choir’s choreography was on point as well. When Britttany, Mike and Rainbow saw it online they were able to put to rest any worries that Sugar would have any trouble even though she would have less experience and less time to learn the routines in person rather than just via Skype. Their choir’s second song was led by Ryder, Joe and Jake. The Beatles’ classic had been selected to honor one of the original Beatles, Brian Jones. ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, while still an up-tempo pop song, it had modernized and it sounded very different from the original. Most people who were being honest with themselves, including all three of the judges, thought it was far better than the Beatles’ version. The judges were also scoring them very high on the choreography. All three judges had been impressed that the dancing had paid homage to the era of the song, without looking kitschy or stupid. The third and final song of their set required just a bit of set up. Unique and Roderick had the leads and they moved to opposite sides of the stage. The musicians at McKinley had outdone themselves and the horns blared out as Unique started singing and moving to center stage. Amy Winehouse had had an amazing talent…Unique’s was just a fulsome. Roderick’s voice may have been a little unexpected, at least to the judges and audience. But the two of them, supported by the rest of the New Directions had everyone in that auditorium swaying along and dancing in their seats to ‘Tears Dry on Their Own’.

The judges left to deliberate, and while the New Directions returned to their warm up room to grab their things, Alicia managed to convince her friends to go ahead and leave in order to beat the traffic that the city was notorious for. She watched as her family as well as the ones she’d driven her son to headed towards another section of the building. She still couldn’t face confronting Jake with her apologies. What she didn’t realize was that her son had seen her with her friends cheering him on. If she was ever going to approach him, that would have been the perfect time to do so. She’d have even had her mother and siblings support, as long as she was right. Much as they loved her, they had shown that they would never supported her if she was going to hurt Jake again. But supporting their reconciliation…it would have been their pleasure. Instead, she walked quickly to the Marta station and took the train back to her South Atlanta hotel.

Meanwhile, the families of the New Directions chatted together as everyone waited on the results of the first round. Chase and Regina’s mothers were good naturedly arguing about whether Harvard or Columbia was the more prestigious school. Joe’s mother, his father hadn’t been able to make the trip, was finalizing the particulars of when her eldest daughter would be needed over the summer to help a recovering Unique. George, Sander and Benton were in a corner with Tessa as she shared with them what Jake had learned their first night in the city, asking the father figures to talk to him and make sure that he really was as okay as he said he was. Danica, Gabby and Becah were in a different area of the room with Jake as he told Gabby about how right she and Sam were about his mother and made sure that Becah was okay with him after learning the new information. “Jacob Nathaniel Puckerman…all this means is that the woman who gave birth to you was hoisted on her own petard. She had you in order to steal somebody I’d have given her, only for me to end up with the better end of the deal.” She told her second son, hugging him close.

Soon enough, the listing of those moving on to the next round was posted. The New Directions held the top spot on the list. The next round was theirs to lose. Unique’s second song would be necessary as well, though she was second in her category. One of the young ladies from the DeKalb School of the Arts was ahead of her. Roderick held the same spot on the men’s solo list. He too had been beaten out of the top spot by the soloist from the local school. The top two spots of the ‘small groups’ competition both belonged to McKinley, with the third going to DSA’s duo, a set of twin baritenors with really nice range and a penchant for ‘Rock With You’ era Michael. It was with a happy heart that several of the parents got together to take the kids for a celebratory dinner at Ruth Chris Steak House. Thankfully, one of the guys from Dalton was the godson of Mike O’Donnell, the man who ran the corporation that own Ruth Chris Steak House and two other fine dining restaurant chains, or there was no way they would have been able to get the private room that held eighty people on such short notice.

Dinner was wonderful. While there was definitely a joyous mood, no one miss behaved or got loud and rowdy. The food was divine and not even Coach Sylvester, Principal Sylvester-Motta, had a bad word to say. When the bill was settled, George, Sander, Benton and their sons quickly and efficiently walked the room dropping a hundred dollar bill on each table to serve as an augmented tip. Which turned out to be a very good thing because the father the Dalton parents had put in charge of calculating the tip and only calculated a ten percent tip because of the large group gratuity that had been added to the bill by the restaurant. The adults walked with the kids back to the Hilton and gave them all hugs before they returned to their own hotels. The next morning everyone was due at the GWCC by nine. Not a single soul wanted to be late.

Winning (Santana)  
Unique PoV

The morning of the final round of my last high school show choir national championship competition, I awoke with a fierce determination. I was going to win. We were going to win. It was still quite early, so I got out of the bed I was sharing with Tessa. Despite the fact that Marley liked to claim that she and I were still besties, she wasn’t comfortable sharing a bed with me. Tessa didn’t have that problem. She said that sharing a bed with me exactly the same as sharing with a girl or a gay man, since I was currently a combination of the two that just made it twice as safe. There was a reason I called Tessa Altman my best friend. Marley had chosen to bunk with Kitty and Madison and Ivy. Jane filled the last space in RJC’s room and Tessa and I had Hell and Cassie. We had made sure that everyone in our room had showered the night before to make sure that we had all the time we needed that morning, but since I was up so early, I went ahead and grabbed a second shower. I plugged in or turned on all of our hair curlers, glad that Tessa had thought to bring a power strip with her. After my shower, I stood in the mirror for a while. I was happy with my body from the top of my head to my waist. From my feet to my thighs…but there was still a part of my body that just didn’t seem to belong. But I only had twenty-one days before that part would go away. I was more than ready for that surgery. There was nothing that I could do about it that morning though. I needed to focus on one thing at a time.

I dressed myself…thankfully I had started my hormone therapy early enough that it had shrunk the problem significantly. I had heard stories of having to wear a much smaller thong or dancer belt to hold a person’s ‘junk’ back and then a pair of panties over that. I was able to just wear a pair of nice cotton boy cut panties and my spanx tights. I put on a nice, but again fully cotton, full coverage bra. Both were black to match the dress I would don after I slipped on my black shaper slip. I went out to the sink after covering my underwear with a silky kimono and did my makeup. One of the first things Ryder had asked me when I told him about how wrong it felt to me to be a boy was, “but guys don’t have to deal with bras or makeup or heels…isn’t it just easier to be a guy?” I’d told him that it may have been easier…but it wasn’t right for everyone…it wasn’t right for me.

I pulled my shoulder length wealth of hair, thank you very much Veronica…my own hair was only about seven or eight inches long. But Veronica’s talent gave me the length to feminize my features even further. I pulled it back, braiding it carefully from each temple to the crown. The ends of the braids were then captured into a large black clasp clip. Everything was placed on hot curlers. By the time I finished rodding my weave, I went and woke up my roommates. It was still a little early, but if we got everyone dressed, we could make it to breakfast before anyone else. So, that was just what we did. Granted we all still had curlers in our hair and were wearing street clothes rather than our dresses, but we ended up having enough time to have omelets, toast and juice and get back and do our faces and slip into our dresses and dancing shoes before reporting to the lobby at eight fifteen as we’d been directed. While Madison and Ivy were there on time, Cassie and Jane had to swoop in and help with their hair and makeup. Kitty and Marley didn’t make it down for a few more minutes and even then, they weren’t completely ready either. In fact, they were less ready than their roommates. But we had to get the lead out. As we walked, I zipped up the back of Marley’s black ‘satin’ and teal ‘silk’ swing dress. When we got settled in our warm up room, Alistair, who was honestly better with a makeup brush than any of the rest of us thanks to his time in the drama club, took care of doing their makeup. Just looking at Ms. Cochran’s and Coach Sylvester’s faces, Marley Rose was going to wish like hell that she was graduating in two weeks like Kitty. I’d have sworn that Kitty was a freshman when I came to McKinley, but somehow she was graduating with us…so I must have been wrong. Then again, she had still been a JV Cheerio, so probably she’d let people think she was just a freshman, so they wouldn’t know she spent two years on the least important cheerleading squad.

We went through our vocal and physical warm ups. Running through scales and through the more complex parts of our dance routines, in preparation for the coming performances, we were surprised when Don Motta and Mr. Martinez came in with bacon, toast and bottles of juice all in boxes and bags from the Waffle House. Mr. Martinez came over to Jake and handed him a small to go box. “Your Auntie Precious, her words, not mine, had the cook make you some turkey bacon. She said that you’d ordered it the other night.”

Jake and Tessa laughed though Ryder and I shook our heads. We’d been privy to their conversation with the Waffle House waitress. With Kitty and Marley fed, and most of the rest of us topped up, but not overly heavy with food, we returned to getting ready for the day. One of the organizers came around with the schedule for the day. Shelby looked it over. “Okay, today we’ll all be in the Murphy Ballroom all day. This morning is divided up between the ‘small groups, the male solos and then they will finish up with the female solos before lunch. After lunch, we have the choirs. Joe and Jake, you two are up at nine thirty…Chase, Regina, Jessica, the three of you go up at ten. Roderick, you are set for eleven. Unique, you take the stage at ten after twelve. Lunch is twelve thirty to two. We take the stage all together at a quarter to five. I suggest you take the next fifteen minutes to get in a quick practice with your background singers…we’ll take our seats in time to hear the opening remarks.”

That was exactly what we did. We divided the room in half and put as much space between the two groups as we possibly could. Then we practiced for the entirety of our allotted fifteen minutes. We headed out and took three lines of seats in front of all of our support system from Lima. In the smaller competitions the day before, we’d done things as simply as possible, just one vocalist in front of the judges. But we’d always known that we would be using background vocalists for the finals. My background crew was an easy choice for me, Tessa, Jane and Zion Cooper…the kid had been seriously obnoxious, thinking he was way more talented than he really was. But after the better part of the school year working under Shelby and mentored by Sugar, he was actually bearable to be around and his talent was coming up to where he’d originally thought it to be. Now, he could hit notes no one other than Papa Kurt could manage. I’d be sorry when his balls finally dropped. Besides, unlike all of the other ‘stars’ who had auditioned for the New Directions since KAMA became world famous, Zion had been willing to put in the work. Jake and Joe had grabbed Ryder, and two of the new guys from Dalton, a rich son of two doctors named Bruce Kim, and Juvie-Junior to handle their background vocals. Jane, me, Ryder and Mason would back RJC and Hell, Marley and Kitty were supposed to have Roderick’s back.

Thankfully, the schedule moved along as it should have and things went according to plan. At nine thirty, Ryder, Bruce and Demetrious took the stage with Joe and Jake, both of who were without the guitars they’d used the day before. Joe was without his shoes too, it was something of a running joke among the clique how much he hated those things. The ‘Brothers-in-Law’, as they had named themselves, gave the auditorium a version of Sam Cooke’s signature civil rights ballad, ‘A Change is Gonna Come’ that took us all to church. It was amazing…and made even more so by the fact that their group represented the coming together of all people. It was beautiful. The audience thought so too. There were tears in more than a few eyes. Jake’s Uncle D’Metrious was cool people and he was weeping and clapping at the same time. He was really just adorably proud of his nephew.

When Regina, Jessica and Chase took the stage backed by to do their version of ‘Celebrity Skin’ by Hole…people were sincerely shocked. No one expected three Black teenage girls to even know who Hole had been, let alone for them to turn the alternative song into a smoother, blusey…much more harmonic song. It was gorgeous. And Sugar and Jessie had done a good job making sure that Ryder, Mason and I didn’t look like the Pips behind them. We all returned to our seats and waited out the hour until it was Roderick’s time to shine. He took that stage with Cassie, Hell and Ivy. Kitty and Marley were sitting between Ms. Cochran and our Principal and not one of the four looked happy. I was glad that I was not getting that look from Shelby Cochran. Later on, I found out that Kitty had been trying to talk Marley into an eating disorder or a fight or something. Madison and Ivy said they had been arguing all night about which of them would be dating Jake next year. Marley wanted to try their relationship again without so much outside influence. Kitty just wanted him back so Marley couldn’t have him. It totally didn’t make any sense why she though if he wasn’t staying with Chase, who he clearly cared about, because of the whole long distance thing, why she thought he would bother with it for her…but questioning crazy like it was sane was a quick way to the looney bin. Still, it didn’t look like the three who did have his back had ever been anything else.

The rising seniors held him down when he gave them a cover of a country song, that didn’t sound country at all by the time he was done with it. ‘No Stranger to the Rain’ had never sounded so good. To be honest, he did his shit, and he had that trophy. He wasn’t going to win, just because he was that good…he was also going to win because everybody and their damn daddy had done a Michael Jackson song that round. Oh, there was a Marvin Gaye in there too…but that boy had been the male version of Kitty…meaning that somewhere there was someone whiter and with less vocal soul…but you would be pretty hard pressed to find them. So, yeah, eight out of ten did Michael and of those, half did ‘Man in the Mirror’, and none of them were good enough to set themselves ahead of the pack.

Before I knew it, it was time for Tessa, Zion, Jane and I to go backstage and wait for my time to take the stage. As soon as Shelby told us the theme for the competition, I’d picked my artist. I chose the lesser known R&B singer because she and my grandmother had been born on the same day and they both died very young. Linda Jones had died at twenty-seven due to complications from diabetes. My grandmother, whom I’d never met, died a few months before her twenty-ninth birthday of injuries received in a car accident. For the final round of the solo competition, I sang her song ‘I’ll Be Sweeter Tomorrow’. I poured my all into singing that song. It was different from the three Aaliyah solos and four Whitney’s that had come before me. The girl who had started off the female solos was a big girl with a pretty voice and she’d done Mama Cass Elliot’s ‘Dream a Little Dream’. It hadn’t been bad at all…it was just not exactly the greatest. Still, it wasn’t ‘Are You that Some Body’, ‘Miss You’, ‘Saving All My Love For You’ or ‘Exhale (Shoop, Shoop)’…seriously, both Aaliyah and Whitney had more than just two songs. They could have done a lot better. But at least none of them did what the girl who took the stage after me did. ‘I Have Nothing’ was not the song for someone with an ‘okay’ range. It wasn’t even a song for someone with a decent range. It was a song for someone who had an impeccable range and who had the breath control of a goddess. Sweet as she may have seemed, Little Miss Thing…she had neither. I will just say that as soon as I got to my phone, I had to play Ms. Whtiney Houston’s version to get that travesty of justice out of my ears. The same girl had done great on ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ the day before. I kind of wondered what had happened.

We had lunch at the Waffle House to thank Ms. Precious for being so nice with breakfast. We invited her to come and hear our choir perform at a quarter to five. She said she might just have to do that. We didn’t have a lot of time so we finished quickly and headed back to the Center. It was a good thing too. One of the other choirs had found the diner and they needed the room. I think a lot of them forgot that the two most reasonably priced restaurants close to the competition venue were closed on Sundays. We had time to rehydrate, Mr. Evans was such a nice person. I mean, technically he, his wife and the Doctors Jones didn’t even have to come and yet they had and yet, they were taking such good care of all of us. During the afternoon, we noticed that a lot of the choirs had at least one Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston or John Denver song. The rest had songs by the artist killed ‘the day the music died’. All were good artists and thankfully, no one repeated one song a bunch of times, as had happened in the solo rounds.

When it was finally our turn, we were more than ready. Our first song was led by Jane and me. I was quite proud of how awesome our choir sounded covering Amy Winehouse’s ‘Stronger than Me’. It was a fun song and we’d sped it up a little bit and souled it out just that little bit more. We took out that stupid gay line and changed it to ‘are you cray?’…that worked better to us. Then Tessa, Chase and Casey made Janis Joplin’s ‘Get It While You Can’ entirely our own. We’d had a ball rearranging that song and it showed. Just like the inestimable Ms. Joplin had taken it from that Howard Tate dude and made it hers…okay we weren’t that good…but we did do her justice. Our final number saw Joe handed his guitar by the stage manager. The Dalton boys laid down the opening bass line vocally, then Joe came in with his guitar followed soon thereafter by Roderick and then later Jake on main vocals. ‘All Along the Watchtower’ was a lyrically simple and yet the metaphors and instrumentals were so awesomely complex…we had to work our asses off to make it shine like it needed to. And I was confident in saying that we had…there wasn’t a but in the seat by the time Jake started the second verse.

The applause was loud and happy and covered the fact that Joe was pretty much dying trying to catch his breath from that final guitar jam. Due to the way the rules were written, we’d sung the chorus just loud enough for it to be heard, but not cover that beautiful artistry. But still the audience had swayed to the Winehouse number…they had full on seat danced and hummed along to the Joplin piece…but they gotten up out their seats and boogied to the Hendrix song. We came down feeling pretty damn good. The judges had an hour to deliberate. However, since there was a dinner that would be held in the same space we were currently in at six, everyone had to vacate the ballroom so that the GWCC staff could rearrange the room for a banquet. We took that time to return to the hotel, take all our things back and freshen up in the privacy of our hotel rooms. Other choirs who weren’t staying centrally killed that hour in their warmup rooms. Our parents were staying close too, so they were able to go back to their rooms and chill too. We were all back and at our multitude of tables, seriously, we may not have had the biggest choir, even with the addition of the former Dalton guys…but we had the largest amount of people who had come to support us, even more than the local choir.

The food was okay. I mean, it was really good for banquet food. Probably, we’d gotten spoiled by the Ruth Chris from the night before. They read off the bottom five of each category first before they called the top five ‘small groups’ to the stage. The fact that both McKinley small groups were up there was a point of pride for all of us. When three names had been called out and our duo and trio were still there, Jake holding Chase’s hand while Jessica and Regina both squeezed her other and Joe pretty much hugging all of them…we could barely breathe. “Our final two groups were both so awe-inspiring, the judges found themselves unable to make a choice between them. So tied for first place Lima Ohio’s McKinley High’s duo, Brothers-in-Law, and their trio, RJC.” The applause from our table was ridiculous. We were so happy one would have thought we were already up there getting the championship for the whole competition.

The men’s solos were next. We were all very happy that Roderick had made the top five. Funnily enough none of the four guys that had all sung ‘Man in the Mirror’ had made it. The local kid had covered ‘Billie Jean’ and he and Roderick were the final two. We literally held our breath. The other kid had been good. It may well have been our own senses of loyalty that made us believe Roderick was better. The announcer dude, Ryan Cameron, a local radio host-slash-icon, was enjoying drawing out the suspense. “Second place goes to Tiwan Jenkins of DeKalb School of the Arts…which means that this year’s NHSSCA Male vocalist is…Roderick Meeks of McKinley High out of Lima Ohio.” The DSA kid started mouthing off, but Mr. Cameron shut him down. “Kid stop…the guy might be White, but he had more soul than you today. And next time…could somebody from your school please remember there are other musicians that died other than Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston?” He chided. “The McKinley kids kept almost exclusively to the most famous members of the Twenty-Seven Club and they still had more variety in their song selection.”

There were more than a few head slaps around the room as people figured out what we’d done. The Tiwan kid looked confused. “What it the Twenty-Seven Club?” His teacher looked like she wanted to smack him herself.

But Mr. Cameron handled it easily. “There is a whole list of musicians going back all the way to the late eighteen hundreds who all died at twenty-seven years old. They picked Joplin, Hendrix, Cobain, Winehouse, Jim Morrison and a few other lesser knowns like Linda Jones and the bassist from Hole. They had a theme within a theme and they had pretty decent song variety…because even the songs they did that didn’t have the Twenty-Seven Club connection crossed genres and time periods. Now, go take your seat, so we can continue awarding these honors. A lot of y’all have school tomorrow.”

Roderick kind of forced a handshake from Jenkins before he shook Mr. Cameron’s hand took his pictures and came back to get his congratulations from his choir mates. I was happy to be called to the stage for the top five of the female soloists. The Mama Cass chick had made it too. I stopped thinking kindly towards her when I heard her whisper to the girl from DSA, “I can’t believe that we had to compete against that…it’s not even a real girl.”

Tangela George, the female soloist from right there in Decatur, looked at the big girl and shook her head. “A, you must have missed the NHSSCA rules that clearly state we all compete according to the gender we identify as, not the one we were assigned at birth…and second of all…you’re just jealous because not only does SHE sing better than you she looks more feminine and is just overall prettier.”

I smiled over at Tangela. “Thank you.” I whispered.

“No thanks necessary. I just told the truth. Besides, if you hadn’t been here, she’d have been grumbling with the other White girl about me because I’m just Black.”

“Word.” I agreed. Then big girl got fourth place, so me and Tangela waved at her as she left the stage.

She and I ended up being the last two on the stage. “I’ve got second.” She whispered. “I got nervous and I messed up ‘I Have Nothing’. I just couldn’t get there today. You got there and beyond on your song. I got second…and it is never horrible to lose to a better songstress.”

Ryan Cameron proved her right seconds later. I gave her a big hug before she grabbed her trophy and took her pictures and I did the same. The radio personality congratulated me as I headed down to rejoin my choir. We were back on the stage a few minutes later, though to save space, it was only the top three choirs on the stage. A choir from Colorado took the third spot. The DeKalb School of the Arts choir took second, and for the fourth year running, the McKinley New Directions took first. Then the judges gave special awards for their amazing guitar playing to Jake and Joe. I could not tell you which one was louder, Joe’s Mom’s squeal of happiness or George Altman’s shout of ‘That’s my boy’. Probably Jake’s Bubbie Ruth would have beaten them both from what I heard, but she and Puck’s pretty little Nikki had had to fly back to New York right after we’d sung. Still, one thing was a certainty. We were so happy, we didn’t know what to do with ourselves. We probably cause a disturbance as we danced and sang and hoisted that trophy up all the way down Marietta Street…but we didn’t care. We along with our entire support group had a celebratory dessert at Legal Seafood…though Jake also had the crab cakes. He’d told us all that he had stayed kosher during the competition just out of superstition. But he had been dying for them since we’d had that fabulous lunch at Sweet Auburn Café. It was hilarious. We said goodbye to our parents, most of them were heading straight from there to the airport to catch their flights back home.

It was so hard to sleep that night. I was filled with pride and relief and joy and since we didn’t have to be up so early, Shelby hadn’t given us a bed time, just a curfew. And there was a connecting door between our room and the one RJC and Jane was sharing, so the eight of us stayed up talking and laughing far too late. But it was just perfect. We got to sleep until nine-thirty. Then we got up and showered and got dressed. We all had planned out our outfits meticulously. I’d brought with me the Louboutins that Mama Cedes had gotten for me when we were in New York for the latest KAMA record release party. A record that was already certified gold by the way. We heard it on the news as we were getting dressed. The sandals looked great with the ivory, pink, olive and black paisley print, cold shoulder, day dress that I’d brought to wear with it. My weave was arranged to curl down my back from a faux-hawk ponytail. My makeup was flawless and the simple rose gold hoops my mom had given me for my last birthday finished the look off perfectly. Tessa had borrowed a pair of Jimmy Choo heels from Ms. Becah. She paired the navy sandals with a Rachel Roy, ruffled cold-shoulder scuba dress that had been a gift from her Bubbie. She wore some cute, chunky silver pieces of jewelry and left her hair to wave cutely around her shoulders.

Between the two of us and RJC, we had the three younger ladies looking lovely, all of us all packed up, and we made it down to the lobby in plenty of time to turn out luggage over to the bell hops who were packing them into the bottom of the charter bus that would take us first to Mary Mac’s Tea Room and then to the Center for Civil and Human’s Rights where we would have a last educational experience before it took us back to the airport for our flight home. The Tea Room wasn’t a very large restaurant. But the place smelled amazing. We had some nice conversations with several of the college recruiters present. I supported Ryder as he spoke with the rep from USC. He loved to sing, but he was far more interested in the Trojan football program. I talked to the lady from USC myself and she assured me that I could defer the scholarships I’d been offered from the school as well as my acceptance for the year I would need to stay close to my doctors. Jake talked to the guys from the University of Miami and from USC, but mainly he supported Chase while she talked to the rep from Harvard, she’d already been accepted, but every bit of scholarship money helped. Jane met with the people from Brown and Hell met with the representative from MIT. We were a little surprised to find that they had a performing arts department…but apparently, they weren’t as technology only as the name would imply.

Lunch was delicious. I had the fried chicken, Mary Mac’s signature dish, with collard greens and sweet potato soufflé. It was so good. Thankfully, all the other choir members who were there seemed relatively nice…so the conversation over the mean was fun and exciting. We left the restaurant at two and spent a couple of hours touring the Center for Civil and Human Rights. Walking those halls, we all felt so small in the grand scheme of things. I knew that in the world I would face people who hated me for my gender reassignment…there would be people who hated me for the color of my skin. But in those halls, we all remembered that as long as there had been hatred there had been those who fought against it. As our eyes all met over and around the exhibits, we made a solemn, unspoken promise that we would always be among those who fought hatred. I couldn’t wait until I was able to start making my mark on the world. I decided right then and there, that rather than just majoring in performing arts, I would double major in political science. I wanted to be like Mama Mercy and be a glorious diva and save the world at the same time. I’d fight for the rights of Transgender women of color to exist…there were too many who’d died for being different. Enough was enough and it was time to create change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is a bad news/good news situation. Bad news, I'm a week late with this update. Good news, I've written the entire final chapter. Good News, I'm really proud of it. Bad news, its 41 pages long.  
> So...I'm going to subdivide the chapter. You all get to weigh in on how.  
> Option 1 two twenty (apx) page chapters  
> Option 2 three chapters one = fifteen pages, one = fifteen pages, one = eleven pages  
> Option 3 why divide it at all.  
> You can also determine how I post it.  
> Options 1 For 5 comments you get a chapter on Saturday and the last on Tuesday  
> Option 2 For 3 comments you get a chapter on Sunday, another on Thursday and the final part on the following Thursday  
> Option 3 For 4 comments you get the whole massive chapter on Monday
> 
> You decide and let me know.  
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	43. Waking Light (Beck), Good Life (Kanye West ft. T-Pain) & Do I Make You Proud (Taylor Hicks)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Final Chapter of Folle Sagasse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories:  
> I appreciate all of you.
> 
> Boredom Busting Fic Reread Rec  
> The Evans Eight by TBloves2read
> 
>  
> 
> Isis Aurora Tomoe You are the most awesome Beta ever. Thank you for being such a help. You are an integral part of this world.

Waking Light (Beck)  
Puck PoV

Sunday evening, we got the news that the New Directions were keeping our legacy alive and big upped them all over social media. Hell, a video of Jake channeling Hendrix went muthafuckin’ viral. And the best part was that we hadn’t done a single thing to make it happen. But Sunday was the last time we had a chance to think about that for some days. We got the Met Gala out of the way and hand a blast at the boss ass after party. But Tuesday, we had to focus for real. I could play in high school, all I had to do was regurgitate facts and make numbers dance. Boom, decent, if not good grades. But in college, I had to take those same facts and analyze them and think through how they effected future outcomes. High school gave is a foundation, facts, figures, dates and the like…but college really did teach us how to use that foundation to build shit. It was harder…but at least that shit wasn’t boring. It was nice being home in the evenings when Nikki got home from school. Her end of the year testing was coming up the week we’d be back in the city before we started our tour…but that didn’t mean she wasn’t doing a metric shit ton of reviewing already. Plus, she had a project to complete in each class that showed how she assimilated everything she had learned over the course of the year.

Sexy Mama came up with a schedule for us for Tuesday and Wednesday that let us get in a lot of study time with study groups at Columbia during the day and left us with plenty time to practice for our Juilliard performance classes and practice with our band for the coming tour in the evenings. God, she was so very efficient. That was just fucking sexy. So, Sammy Boy and I had to show her our gratitude every night. She was really efficient there too…catching at least three orgasms to every one of mine or Sam’s. Though, that may have been down to me and Sammy boy, but neither of us felt bad about blaming her for being as sexy as she was. And as beautiful as she was when she came…it was no wonder we tried to see it as much as we could.

Thursday started the exam period. Each exam block was three hours long. They started as early as nine am and could run as late as ten pm. Between the two campuses, Sexy Mama had ten classes, but one was a lab and one was her judo class. That left her with two long ass papers, two actual exams at Columbia and two exams and two performances at Juilliard. She managed to get her papers done and turned in by Wednesday, and her exams done on Thursday and Friday. That left her with only her performances to do on Monday. Sam was a bit better off. He had nine classes with one being strength training. But of those remaining eight classes, he had no papers and four performance finals. He took care of those first and had the remaining actual exams on Friday and Monday. Because of his dyslexia he had four hour testing blocks in the building that they ran all the accommodations for students with disabilities out of. Me, my schedule was a pain in my ass. Actually, I guess it really wasn’t that bad. I’d broken up my finals into three days of three, my exams on Thursday and Monday and performances on Friday.

I did it like that on purpose though, we had commitments. So, I did my performance exams on the morning, then Friday afternoon we spent over an hour going over the brand-new buses that would hold the three of us and Americans with Disabilities Act compliant bus that would hold Bartana, Tessa, Joe and Tike, plus Darcy and Lester when they joined us, and two new to us tour buses that we’d bought for the bulk of the KAMA Crew, our band, background singers and background dancers. We’d had the company we brought the new to us buses from fully detail them and all the bunks had brand new mattresses and curtains. The bus that would hold the guys was a little bit older than the ladies’ bus but both held twelve bunks, enough seating for twenty, entertainment areas, small kitchenettes, bathrooms and showers. We’d had the grody black leather in the ladies’ bus replaced with a nice tan microfiber that had been treated to be stain and water resistant. I knew that their bus would be the one with the husband and wife driving team. They had the storage capabilities for fourteen, but not the extra bunks needed, so the non-driving spouse would be sleeping on the pull-out couch as needed. Whereas on the guys’ bus, it would take the unlikely event of Brantley, Haja and Daniel all coming out on the road with us at the same time to completely fill their bunks.

Bartana, Hartman, Tike and Stab-n-Shock’s bus was rigged out for Artie’s comfort. I mean, yeah, they would all be comfortable and everything, but Artie was kind of the main concern. It was mostly the same, just it had a lift to get Artie in and out in his chair and it had wider aisles and doorways. Bartana had their own bathroom that would work for Artie’s needs. Tessa, Tina, Mike and Joe would have bunks as would Darcy and Lester when they joined us. But when we were in hotels, they would have rooms together, so it wouldn’t be so bad. There just weren’t any tour buses with two master suites. But the buses all had serious wi-fi and the company had thrown in iPad Air 2s in each of the bunks…even if most everyone had their own tablets, it was still a nice surprise for the crew. All our drivers would be in the city for the next two weeks having training with the Rangemen to be able to help keep us safe as houses. We took a quick walk through the three rental buses that would house Adams, Karofsky and the rest of the tour crew. They were all pretty similar, twelve bunks that two lounge areas that could be used as additional sleeping spaces, plus a kitchenette.

We saved our bus’s walk through for the last. For the most part, it would just be the three of us and Hudson on that bus, except for when Bubbie and Nikki joined us. We’d personalized the four bunks for the three of them and our drivers, who would share the last bunk. One would be sleeping when the other was driving. The extra driver’s bunk was a sound proofed and black out-able as we could get it. The master bedroom and bathroom was all done basically to suite Cede’s need for clean. It was light and would be easy to tell when things needed to be wiped down and such. The living room had two, wall mounted, forty inch Samsung TVs and the bedroom had one that was six inches bigger. There was a DVR satellite system and blu-ray players. It was pretty tricked out. Way more so than the ones we rode on the summer before. Sam kept opening the drawers and looking in the cabinets. There would be more than enough space in the bedroom for the three of us and our stuff. The king-sized bed had a Tempurpedic mattress and felt pretty dam comfortable. Mercedes and Hudson made a list of the things we’d need to make it a little homier and to work a bit better for us…but it wouldn’t take much. We signed off on the deliveries and went back to studying. While we did that, Hudson went about searching online and ordering the things that would be needed for us for the tour.

We finished our exams Monday evening and were happy not to have to think about summer reading lists or anything for a few weeks. We spent the evening with Bubbie and Nik-Nak before packing for some time in Lima. We’d talked about staying in Columbus, since it was an hour and half drive every morning, but being able to sleep in beds that were ours…having full on privacy while we made love every night…it was just too good to miss. Since we were flying the morning of the first day of the trial, we dressed for court. Or at least the way people dressed for court on TV. Sexy Mama looked hot like fire in a black, Armani Collezioni, knee length, jersey dress with ruched details and a pair of black Louboutin, red bottomed, four-inch-high pumps. She pulled her hair back into a neat braid and wore barely any makeup and simple platinum jewelry, including the cross her dad had given her before the start of the Tinsley trial. Since Bubbie wasn’t there to tell us we couldn’t and Kurt was too distracted to be bothered with us, me and Sam both wore black Armani suits ourselves. Though his dress shirt was blue and his tie tied the two together, while I went with pure black and white.

The three of us, Hudson and Junior landed in Columbus at seven thirty, rented a black Dodge Durango. Junior drove us to the courthouse and escorted us to the metal detectors before heading back out to take Hudson to go do some shopping for us to be able to eat when we got to the house. The security people were really nice and, yeah, some selfies may have been taken as we got cleared to go on to the court room…but it wasn’t a bad thing. As we took our seats in the row behind our parents and Burt and Carole, I looked around the courtroom. It was barely different from the one we’d been in for the criminal case against the jackass. The biggest difference was that there were three different tables at the front. I saw Finnocence and Lauren at one with their kick ass legal team. I was pretty sure that one table was for the insurance company and the last table was for that asshat Paley. His lawyer was different from the lawyer who had represented him at his criminal trial…though so were the people representing Finn and Lauren so I guess it was to have been expected. The jury was already selected. We’d missed the jury selection portion of things. I was glad to see the eight men and five ladies sitting in that box since I understood that juries in civil trials meant more money for the plaintiffs. But Unc Frome and Antwan Berry knew their shit. I knew that everyone they had allowed in that box was either someone who would side with us, or someone who could be swayed to side with us. A few minutes after we were settled, we were all called to stand for the judge as the court was called to order. The judge was a pretty woman of a certain age with curly, dark auburn hair with artistically arranged streaks of pure white. Unlike the judge from the criminal trials I had experienced, she kind of gave off a laid-back vibe.

“Alright Ladies and gentlemen, we are here to hear Hudson and Zizes versus Paley and Prestige Insurance Company. Attorneys for the plaintiffs…please state your names and bar affiliations for the record.” She started simply.

Unc gestured for Antwan to go first. “Good morning your honor, Attorney Antwan Berry, JD, LL.M. for Ms. Lauren Zizes, plaintiff. I am a member in good standing of the American Bar Association, as well as the Ohio, New York, Michigan, Illinois and California Bars.”

“Ethan Harris, Juris Doctorate, Masters of Laws for Mr. Finn Hudson…plaintiff. Member in good standing of the American Bar, Ohio, Indiana, California, District of Columbia, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New York and Georgia Bar Associations.” Uncle Frome managed to say all of that without sounding like he was bragging.

“Quite a collection Mr. Harris.” The judge nodded over at the defense attorney. “And for the defense.”

Two ladies stood at the table farthest from our peeps, a blond and a brunette. Neither of them looked particularly warm…all sharp angles and perfectly cut hair. These were sharks of the highest caliber…or so they believed. “Your Honor Kate McQueen, JD and Mila Massey, JD for Prestige Insurance Company. We are each members of good standing of the New York, Delaware, Ohio and Connecticut Bar Associations.” The blond acted as spokeswoman for the two of them. I personally wondered what it said to the jurors that they weren’t in the ABA.

The last of the defense attorneys was dressed…I mean, sharp…but did look a little bit thrown by Unc’s list. “Your Honor, Attorney Phillip J. Chiles, JD representing Andrew M. Paley. I am a member in good standing of the American Bar Association as well as the Ohio Bar.”

“Thank you all. I’d like to get the opening statements and at least a couple of witnesses out of the way. Mr. Chiles…would your client be willing to stipulate to his guilt rather than forcing us to retry the criminal trial?”

“Your honor, my client would like a chance to explain to a jury the extenuating circumstances that led to his actions on the night that Mr. Hudson and Ms. Zizes were injured.” Mr. Chiles said smoothly. He was a smooth brother, had to give him credit. I wondered if Paley had chosen to have a Black attorney to make himself seem less rich White guy to the jury.

“Fine…Attorneys for the plaintiffs would you like to present joint or separate opening statements?”

“We’ll present separately your honor.” Ethan said with a smooth smile of his own. But he deferred to Antwan, probably because Finn’s case was the more compelling and it was better told after Lauren’s.

Antwan Berry stood and strode from behind the plaintiff desk where he and Ethan were sitting with Finn and Lauren seated between them. Antwan was in a navy blue suit with a stark white shirt and simple navy and white striped tie. It was easy sometimes to forget he was gay, which was kind of wrong since it was really only because of the stereotypes about gay men that didn’t apply to him that I had that thought. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, over the next few days you are going to hear a lot about the particulars of the accident that took place the night of January twenty-fifth, two-thousand and fourteen. You will hear medical jargon and even, apparently, extenuating circumstances. But let me tell you about Lauren Amelia Zizes. Lauren is the only child of Laura and Ben Zizes, who inexplicably hates her middle name. She is a truly amazing young lady. In elementary she won three out of five of her elementary school’s spelling bees. In middle school she took first place at her technology camp’s robotic’s competition. In high school, she was in the AV club, she was a Mathelete, she was in the national championship New Directions. When the McKinley Titans couldn’t field enough players and almost had to forfeit a state championship, Lauren stepped up and answered the coach’s call for temporary team members so they could go on to win state that year. She won the national championship in wrestling for her weight class in high school every single year she competed. In high school, she was considered to be so good that she received a full scholarship to OSU as well as an additional stipend from GLOW, a women’s professional wrestling organization. She’s competed twice in the NCAA National Wrestling Championship and has been offered a chance to compete for a place on the twenty-sixteen US Olympic Women’s Wrestling team. Her future is bright.”

“But it was almost ended by the actions of Mr. Paley when he chose to drink eight beers, seven shots of vodka, smoke marijuana and snort cocaine, as was evidenced by his bar tab for that evening and his tox panel. Both of which were ready to be introduced as evidence in his criminal trial before he plead guilty. Both of which will be entered as evidence in this trial. Mr. Paley, then chose to get behind the wheel of his car and compel a lady of the evening to perform fellatio on him while he was operating a vehicle. That night was not the first-time Mr. Paley chose to drive under the influence. That night was not even the second or third time Mr. Paley chose to drive under the influence. While attending college in Alabama, Mr. Paley had no less than six times he was stopped for driving under the influence of either alcohol or drugs. Yet somehow, he retained his driver’s license. Somehow, he never learned his lesson. Somehow, his crimes never followed him as he racked up a list of DWIs that would have landed a man of lesser means in jail long ago. Mr. Paley had, in fact, plead down a previous OVI charge to a misdemeanor ‘wet reckless’ just seven months before he was tried for the accident that almost cost Ms. Zizes and Mr. Hudson their lives…he didn’t even have his license suspended.”

“I’m sure that you are wondering why we have you all here today…Well, partially because the medical bills for Ms. Zizes total a little under forty thousand dollars. Her parents are a small business owner and a Human Resources manager. They have insurance, thanks to the grace of God…but of course their insurance company feels that Mr. Paley is the person responsible for her injuries and as such it is the responsibility of Mr. Paley, or his insurance company, to pay for the treatment that ensued that night and as a result of her injuries. Prestige Insurance Company offered what amounted to forty cents of every dollar as a settlement for Ms. Zizes injuries. Sixteen thousand dollars is all Prestige wants to give Wexler Medical Center for saving Ms. Zizes future. Ms. Zizes, her family, her friends, her peers all find that to be completely unacceptable. Ms. Zizes had to miss several meets while she healed and did not win Nationals that year, which directly impacts both her scholarships and her possible future earnings. The rest of the reason we’re here to day is to make sure that Mr. Paley understands that bad choices have consequences. Any of us, we’d have never managed to sweep six DWIs and an OVI under the rug. While we are all more grateful than we can say that the results were not worse…they were still bad enough. He should pay for his actions. We’re here today to make sure that he does. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your attention.”

The judge nodded and Antwan took his seat. Ethan Harris stood. In his perfectly tailored chocolate brown Brooks Brothers suit, he looked like he was a total shark and those chicks were just minnows in his ocean. “Good Morning.” The jurors couldn’t not say it back. He smiled at them. “I have to tell you, Lauren Zizes is the kind of daughter every father hopes to have. Finn Hudson is an all-American boy. The only son of a nurse and an army veteran who served two tours in the Middle East and died far too young…before he could even really know his young son. So, Finn grew up in a home that was loving, but it was just him and, his mother, Carole. He played every kiddie sport you could think of. He played them all until he found football. He found football and he became not just good at it, but great at it. Now, I’m just gonna put it out there before Mr. Chiles can try and make it a big deal. Finn got the big head constantly being told how great he was because of his talents on the football field and he became something of a bully. But you know what? Just like most people, he grew up. He joined his school show choir and made friends with a lot of the same kids he’d bullied before. He and his choir mates, kids who will admit that he tormented and tortured them for most of their middle school and all of their freshman year of high school, they became such good friends that when he was hit almost fully head on by the defendant on that January night, all of them came to his bedside as soon as they were able. Before they were able, when they were stuck in New York and Connecticut and California and Texas, they called Burt and Carole and Kurt and Lauren, every single day. They went to church, a place a couple of them hadn’t been since their parents stopped forcing the issue. They prayed. This for a boy who had bullied them horribly, but grown into a man who was their friend…their brother. So, I said that to say that yeah, Finn Hudson was something of a prick, but he grew out of it.”

“Now that that’s out of our way, let’s concentrate on the important things. Andrew Meijer Paley broke the law with impunity. In a little while you will hear from doctors who will tell you the hard truth, in choosing to break the law, he almost killed Finn Hudson. The first responders will tell you that had Finn Hudson not had the forethought to swerve to the right to try and avoid the collision…we would not be having this personal injury trial here today…but two wrongful death trials. Had Finn Hudson not, in the last moment before impact, tried his best to further shield his girlfriend from the horrific results of Mr. Paley’s bad choices, her forty thousand dollar hospital bill would be closer to that of Mr. Hudson’s which was closer to three hundred and forty thousand dollars than just forty thousand. Unlike Ms. Zizes, Mr. Hudson’s future was changed completely that night. You see, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Hudson was able to go to OSU because of a football scholarship. However, that night he suffered a traumatic brain injury so severe that he can never play the sport he loves ever again. He spent months in physical therapy learning to write legibly again. It was only through the kindness of a few of his former choir mates that he was able to continue college at all. His future is greatly different from the one where he, as a freshman, helped lead OSU to the National championship and people were already speculating where he would end up in the NFL Draft. Today, Finn dreams not of going pro, like most young men with his amount of talent and ability to read the field…now he dreams of teach and coaching…helping the next Finn Hudson become great at football, hopefully, without getting the big head.”

“As my co-counsel stated, we are here today to make Mr. Paley and Prestige pay. I, personally, want Prestige to pay every bit as much as I do Mr. Paley. Yes, I find it abhorrent that Mr. Paley worked the legal system amassing DUI after DUI without consequence until he almost ended two lives and left one completely different. But I still find Prestige Insurance Company even just that much more repugnant. For one simple reason, I told you that Finn Hudson was raised by a single parent. Well, through the show choir that means so much to my client, his mother met the single father of one of his choir mates. Burt Hummel and Carole Hudson agreed not to marry until they felt enough love for the other’s child that they could call that child not their step-child but their kid. So, Burt, a mechanic, decided that the best way to get to know Carole’s son was to help him rebuild a truck that he could then have to get back and forth to his practices and just be a teenager with his own vehicle. Finn and Burt, and Burt’s son Kurt, spent months rebuilding a fifteen-year-old Ford F-250 together. By the time it was finished, Burt would tell you he had two boys, Kurt and Finn, and Finn and Kurt went from choir mates to friends to brothers. Burt and Carole got married just a couple of weeks later. That truck that they put blood, sweat and tears into…that truck that helped make them a family…that truck that saved Finn and Lauren’s lives, Prestige would only give Burt and Finn fifteen hundred dollars to replace.”

“Now, I don’t know about you…but I know that Burt and Carole have probably paid three times that just in car insurance premiums for Finn to have that truck that was destroyed through no fault of his own. He couldn’t even afford to replace the used truck from before it was rebuilt with hours of work and thousands of dollars in new parts. Prestige Insurance Company shouldn’t be allowed to get away with that any more than they should be allowed to try and settle the medical bills side of things for under seventy-five thousand dollars. Less than twenty three percent of the hospital bill alone. Yes, Ladies and gentlemen of the jury…Prestige wants the Hudson-Hummels to thank Wexler for saving their son’s life…for over a month of wonderful medical treatment by asking them to accept just twenty three percent of three hundred and thirty-three thousand and fourteen dollars. That is not right nor is it fair. You’re going to hear a lot of things in this court room from both sides. But in the end all Attorney Berry and I are asking is that you help to rectify the wrongs caused by Mr. Paley and make sure that Prestige pays all those involved what is fair.”

I could see the jurors liking that idea already, the idea that their job was just to make things fair and right. I whispered as much to Sexy Mama and she agreed. Sam said that Antwan and Ethan had done a great job humanizing our friends. So, the defense attorneys wouldn’t be able to make the case so much about just facts and figures. Jurors were regular people. They zoned out on facts and figures and often missed important information that made or broke the case they were listening to. The judge said that we’d have the two defense attorneys give their openings then we’d break for lunch. The brunette chick lawyer stood to give the insurance company’s first jab. “Ladies and gentlemen. I am perfectly willing to admit that we at Prestige Insurance have a certain responsibility to pay the expenses of the victims of car accidents involving our clients. However, in this case, due to Mr. Paley’s bad actions, he should and given his own personal net worth, he can afford to bear the brunt of the costs to restore Mr. Hudson and Ms. Zizes to wholeness.” She finished after summarizing what she felt were prestige’s rights and responsibilities.

I know that we were all looking at each other with our mouths hanging open. “Damn, they just threw him all the way under the bus.” Sam whispered.

Mr. Chiles looked like he wanted to look like we were looking at that point. Instead he pulled himself together and as he started speaking, I realized that Antwan and Ethan were not going to have as hard a time with this case as it probably seemed at first. Mainly because the insurance company and the other defendant were fighting each other rather than Finn and Lauren. He stood up and gave the jury a winning smile. “Good Morning Jurors…over the next few days, you are going to learn a lot that you don’t presently know. Some of it will be interesting…some of it is going to feel like someone is making you read all the pages of your car insurance policy. Hopefully, when you have learned the responsibility of the insurance company and the responsibility of my client…you will find yourselves in a better position in the event that you every find yourself in the horrible position Mr. Paley is currently in. Mr. Paley is an alcoholic. He has had a problem with substance abuse since he was fifteen years old. His entire life he has been able to do as he wanted without consequences. When he was a small child, if he got in trouble at school, tutors, teachers and administrators would make the situations go away at the behest of Mr. Paley’s parents. If he got in trouble at home, his nannies would face punishment for allowing him to misbehave. But if they tried to discipline him, they would be dismissed for doing so. When my client was in high school and had some trouble with a young lady…his parents made that trouble disappear. When he was in college and he got into trouble with the law…his parents made those troubles disappear. Throughout his life, my client has never learned the lesson most of us learn by the time we are four or five. Mr. Paley, to this day would still tell you that the accident ‘wasn’t really his fault’. To his mind, if the lady who was in the car with him had not been pleasuring him the accident would not have happened. When asked who should pay the damages, he would tell you that the reason he has insurance is because they have to pay for the damages. He simply doesn’t understand the point the attorneys for Prestige Insurance Company are trying to make. Because he has always paid his premiums and his policy is for full automotive insurance coverage.”

He took a deep breath. “Now, Ladies and gentlemen, I’m going to be honest, you may not like my client. I don’t actually like my client. But we don’t have to like him. Legally, he has a point. He has liability, collision and comprehensive auto insurance. In the over twenty years he’s been a client of Prestige Insurance Company, he has never missed a payment for that insurance. According to his policy he is covered in the event of a car accident, even one that he causes, he has coverage for the damages caused. We all pay a lot for car insurance, whether you have the basic policy or the full policy like my client, you know how much that costs and how it bites into your money every month. So, I ask you this, if he has his coverage…if he has had insurance that states, in the event that he is at fault in a car accident, he has coverage for the damages occurred; why is he expected to bear that burden? So, I say to you ladies and gentlemen, the cost is not incumbent on Mr. Paley but on the people he as paid for years and years to shoulder this load.”

That was the end of the opening statements. There was lunch break, shortly after which we were joined by Bartana. Britts hadn’t had any exams and Tana had had hers finished the night before, but Art-man had had an eight o’clock that morning. Thank Yeshiva Columbia was smart enough not to start their exams that damn early. We brought them up to speed on how the opening statements had gone, Santana crowed at the way the insurance company and Paley were rushing to try and toss each other into oncoming traffic. That first afternoon was probably the hardest. Ethan and Antwan tag teamed the hell out of the defense, they brought up the people who’d been behind Finn and Lauren’s truck and the guy who had been on the phone with 911 trying to inform them about the fucked up driving Mr. Paley was doing before he hit Finn and Elle. They each talked about the before and that was fine. But when they started talking about the crash and running over to try and help and then the first responders. I didn’t even realize that I was crying until Sam reached over and took my hand. Then they started with the pictures of the accident scene and the people talking about what probably would have happened if Finnocence hadn’t swerved at the last minute…if it had been a real head on collision and I almost couldn’t deal with that shit.

When the judge wrapped for the day, me and Moms and Carole, we just had to hug Finn. I mean, it was awesome of Burt and Kurt to let us have a moment first…or maybe I just moved so fast that they didn’t have the chance to get there first. But either way they let us have that time first and I needed that shit. Then Moms and I backed back and let the fam have their moment. I texted Junior and let him and Hudson know that we were done for the day. They were waiting on us when we came out. To kind of cheer everyone back up, Sam, Cede and I took everyone out to dinner that night at Ray-Rays Barbeque. It was as good as I remembered and Finn and Lauren got their feet back under them a little bit. We went home and Sammy Boy and Sexy Mama took good care of me. The next morning, we were up early, worked out showered and ate a quick bite to eat before we got dressed and made it back to the courthouse by nine.

The second day started with Ethan and Antwan dropping ‘bows on the defense again. They started the day by putting Carole on the stand. By the time, she talked to them as both a nurse and a mother…even the Prestige people knew that trying to bat at her would fuck them over way more than any benefit they might luck upon. Then they went to the doctors from Wexler talking about the injuries that Finn and Elle had when they came in. They talked about Finnegan’s coma and his concussion. The doctors were completely unshakable on cross examination. The brunette from Prestige tried to shake them and make it seem like they had done some unnecessary medical shit and tests and stuff…but the one doctor finally said that if they hadn’t done all they had done, then at best Finn would have still been in his coma…and at the worst, he never would have come out of it. That’s when Ethan hit them with Laura. Where Carole focused a little more on the hospitalization and the fear after the accident, Laura Zizes discussed mostly getting the call…the horror and fear as they raced to Columbus, being lucky enough that they had friends who were willing to drive for them and for Burt and Carole. She wasn’t wrong, Hell Bent and Moms D were awesome people.

From there Antwan called the coaches from OSU’s football team who came in and talked about how Finn had been NFL level good and shit. I personally thought they were half full of shit. Finn was good, but he didn’t have the heart for the NFL. That was some shit he’d have had to dream about…some shit that he would have had to want way down deep in his bones. It had never been what Finn saw as his future. But I also knew what the Legal Eagles were up to too. The more his future was worth, the more cash had to be paid for the fact that it was all different. The wrestling coaches took the stand and told the jury what it meant for L-Boogie to have missed meets and stuff they were really compelling. Best of all was there was nothing that blonde, McQueen, or Mr. Chiles could really do to shake any of the coaches from their testimony. Basically, those coaches were mad as hell at the Prick that had cost one Buckeye program a promising quarterback and almost cost them a female wrestler who, all indications were, would bring prestige and honor to the school’s athletic programs.

After the coaches were all dismissed, Antwan called Lauren to the stand. He first talked her through the night, how they’d had a nice date and then he had her tell the jurors about the accident. “They talk about life flashing in front of your eyes, but it wasn’t my life I’d lived, it was all the things that in that moment, I never thought I was going to get to do. I really thought that I was never going to have the chance to live my dreams. The big ones…I wasn’t going to get a chance graduate college. Or to do what Chyna was never able to do and become the WWE Heavyweight Champion. I was never going to make a movie that won an Oscar. I was never even going to finish writing the program that revolutionized security algorithms and changed the way we protect our national internet infrastructure. But even worse, were the fears that didn’t end for twenty-eight days, seventeen hours and forty-two minutes. I thought that I was never going to marry the only man I’d ever known who could look at me and see the most beautiful girl in any room he entered. That he and I would never get to argue about how many kids to have versus how many we should adopt. That I’d never get the chance to grow old with the man I loved.” She finished after explaining what she remembered of the crash itself.

Looking over at the jury pool, it was easy to see how what she said had resonated with several of them. One of the guys looked like he understood even better than most how hard it was to find someone to love you when you didn’t look like what society said was worthy of love. I had to pull Sexy Mama in tight. Seeing our unshakeable friend so vulnerable sucked major ass and Cede was so empathetic, she hurt with her. Chiles’ cross examination was okay. He got her to reiterate the fact that she didn’t really see the driver of the other car…but with the testimony of all the first responders and others who did see Paley driving…it wasn’t a blow to our side. But the Prestige’s cross did not go well for the brunette attorney, Massey. She tried hammering Lauren MuthaFuckin’ Zizes to get her to say she felt that Paley should be the only one held culpable. Finally, L-Boogey lost her temper. “Look, you’re the ones who kept him as a client no matter how many DWIs, or DUIs, or OVIs that he racked up. I’m not saying that he is any more or less responsible for paying for our injuries than your precious insurance company, but Isn’t that the very reason we all pay so damn much for insurance…in case Shit happens. Sorry, your honor.” She apologized for swearing before she could be chided. Then she turned a baleful glare on the attorney questioning her. “Maybe you guys should have done more than just keep raising his rates and acting like his record wasn’t your problem.” Yeah, the jurors seemed like they were thinking something similar their damn selves.

Of course, Finnessa was up after that. He talked about the little bit he remembered. But his testimony was short. Then came the cross examinations. And man, I’d been thinking that Chiles was a smooth muthafucker most of the trial. But then he had to go and fuck up. “Mr. Hudson, is it true that you wouldn’t have been so badly injured if you hadn’t put yourself so fully in harm’s way?”

“I guess. I mean the doctors did say that I could have had less injuries. But I’d have had to let Lauren get hurt…maybe even badly…to have a possibility of being hurt less.”

“Still, if there was even the chance that you would have still had the future those coaches told the court about…why wouldn’t you have taken it?” Chiles pressed.

Finn looked at him like he had grown a second head. “Because I would have had to let Lauren get hurt worse than she was for a chance at a better outcome for myself. It wasn’t worth it.” He smirked and looked over at us, Bartana, Vinnie, LaKeith and Karofsky. “I get it…how you feel when you’re trying to explain something you think is obvious and I keep asking dumb questions. I totally get it.” The judge reminded him not to talk to anyone in the gallery, but she was smiling when she said it. Finn apologized and when Chiles pressed a little bit harder, still wasn’t sure what answer he wanted, Finn shook his head. “No…I did what I needed to do to keep the woman I love safe as I could. I would have rather died a thousand times than have to live knowing that she didn’t. There isn’t any football career that would be worth losing her. She understands me and knows me and loves me anyway. Even though she is a hundred times smarter than me and could do a lot better.”

Chiles nodded. “Like you said, young man…I get it. Getting hurt yourself didn’t matter as much to you as making sure that Ms. Zizes wasn’t.” Then he rested. We all looked at each other and wondered if he realized that, despite their inherent similarities and ‘brother’-hood, he was not on the same table as Ethan and Antwan.

Ms. McQueen, the blond chick lawyer, took over to do the cross for Prestige. “Mr. Hudson…if you had time to make the decision to take the brunt of the accident…was there no time to avoid the accident all together?”

Finn looked confused. “I don’t know how I could have done any more than I did do. If I’d slammed on my brakes without swerving, I’d have gotten hit from the front and the back. We’d have been hurt even more then and so would the nice people who helped us out after the accident.”

“Couldn’t you have accelerated and moved your vehicle out of the way all together?”

“If there was anything else I could have thought of…I’d have done it. Do you think I wanted to have to be beholden to my friends just to be able to continue my education? Do you think I like knowing that my mom and my brother spent a month crying over me every day? Kurt’s grades dropped at both his schools. My Mom kept having the doctors who came into my room trick Burt into letting them check him over because he’s already had one heart attack and she was worried that worrying about me would cause him to have another. My friends, dropped everything to come and see me…they are in college and trying to get prepared for their futures. They flew home in the middle of their second semester of their first year of college to come and hold a fucking death watch just in case and you think I needed to have done something different in the second, maybe second and a half I had before a coked-out idiot with a hooker on his junk tried to kill me and Lauren? Really? You know how the whole accident could have been avoided? Maybe if that son of a bitch hadn’t acted like a frat boy at a rager and just said no.”

There was some admonishment from the judge and Finn apologized. I’d have thought that the broad would have let it go. But nope. She and the brunette put their heads together and came back, trying to swing. “Mr. Hudson…your father Christopher Robert Hudson…died of complications due to substance abuse, correct?”

“I suppose. I mean, my mom said that he came back from Iraq and Afghanistan changed. He had nightmares and day terrors and PTSD and then he disappeared. She didn’t really know what happened to him for a long time. But yeah, that was what his death certificate said.” Finn answered honestly.

“Have you ever taken drugs or alcohol, Mr. Hudson?” She asked him.

Finn nodded. “Yup, I’ve gotten drunk a couple of times. The first cost me the respect of my mentor at the time. The next almost cost me the woman I love. I haven’t touched a drop since then. I know that addiction can run in families. I don’t want that for my life. Even more…I have never drank and gotten behind the wheel of a car, though I’ve been the designated driver more than a few times.”

“So, you took responsibility for your own actions and the consequences there of?”

“Yeah, I try to always take responsibility for the things I decide to do.” Finn told her. That was when she chose to sit her ass down. I looked the jury over carefully. I don’t think that did what she wanted it to do. They were looking more and more like they liked Finn and they hated the chicks trying to defend the insurance company’s interests. Besides, they were probably thinking Prestige had a responsibility for choosing not to drop Paley’s ass as a client.

When they finished with the witnesses they wanted to call, Ethan and Antwan presented all the medical bills and all of Burt’s and Kurt’s and Finn’s receipts from the purchase and rebuilding of his truck. They put up all the evidence to support the damages they were asking for, including tuition for a semester at OSU. That meant that they put into evidence Paley’s tox panel right after the accident, the depositions from the witnesses and cops that weren’t there to give testimony that day. They entered into evidence the transcripts of the criminal trial. Once they rested their case, it was time for the defense. Attorney Chiles case was twofold. On the one hand, he put forward a trio of shrinks to talk about the environment of Mr. Paley’s upbringing and how that didn’t teach him the skills he needed to make better choices. Ethan took on two of those psychiatrists on cross…he tore the testimony apart so hard I was pretty sure that one of the dude’s felt like he had dropped the soap in a prison shower. It was fucking harsh. It was so complete and total fuck fest that the Prestige Attorneys didn’t even bother to poke at either of them. Then Antwan took on the third. That poor chick came down looking confused. Simply because she got shredded…but Antwan did it so genteelly, so kindly that it felt almost like she should thank him for making her look like Boo-Boo the fool. Basically, that part of his defense was shredded…you could see in the jurors’ eyes that they knew it was bullshit. The guy was a grown ass man. He was responsible for his own actions.

We had lunch at Max and Erma’s then headed back to the courthouse for the afternoon session. That was when we got slapped with the second prong of Paley’s defense, the contract that was his insurance policy and how it should be interpreted as to what exactly his coverage was. That was way more boring. Entirely, totally, completely, mind numbingly boring. Antwan got in a few punches on the cross, and with that smooth deep voice of his I almost nodded off. I watched the blond on the cross and I was pretty sure that she dinged his testimony…but not that she shredded it. But then again, the people in the jury looked as bored as we all were, so I wasn’t sure if it was as effective as either of them wanted it to be.

I was a little shocked that Chiles actually called Paley to the stand. But he did. Then Paley did an amazing job showing us that he was the biggest douche I’d ever been in the same room with…and I knew Coach Tanaka and William Schuester. He really did understand that he needed help but mainly he thought that he needed help with getting his life back to the way it was before the accident when he could, basically, do whatever the fuck he wanted to do. The cross examinations were contentious to the point that Unc got chided by the judge for badgering the witness. But she didn’t strike anything he asked from the record. Massey was deceptively gentle with him. She kind of treated him how we treat Finn or Brittany when we’re trying to explain esoteric concepts to them. But by the end of her questioning Paley was basically trying to shove his bona fides down her throat to remind her that he was a college educated man and not a child. Kind of blew up part of his defense. She won that round for sure.

Chiles rested his case and the ladies were up. The judge asked them if they wanted to end the day and start fresh the next day, but they chose to present their case. Their case included two forensic accountants that made me long for the for the policy-slash-contract expert dude. By the time the direct and cross examinations of those two were done, we were all about through. Thankfully, so too was the judge. She asked them if that was the end of their submission of evidentiary materials. The two women introduced his policy as evidence, much as Chiles did, with different parts highlighted, but other than that…they were done and she adjourned us for the evening. “We’ll start fresh in the morning with closing statement, one per table this time, I think.”

That evening was a repeat of the one before with a big difference. Ethan and Antwan didn’t join us for dinner. Instead they immediately headed to Antwan’s office in Lima to work out their joint closing arguments. The rest of us went to the Cheesecake Factory on the way back to Highway Two-Seventy. Dinner was actually pretty lively. We knew that the day had been really hard on Carole and Burt so we were being kind of silly. The fucking waitress tweeted out a picture of Sam playing with two pieces of cheesecake and two forks, making them dance and stuff complete with straw walrus tusks, and told everyone that we were there drunk. It hit almost at the same instance that L-Boogey’s tweet with a similar picture hit touting ‘When your world famous rockstar friend makes a fool of himself in public just to make you smile. Hashtag Friendship’. Some body made a meme of the two tweets and created their own hashtag…HashtagHATERATION.

The night ended much the same way the one before had, shower boning…bed boning…sleep. The next day started much the same way as the day before. We got up early, worked out, showered, made out, our favorite way to start the day. Our phones let out chimes or alerts all at almost the exact same moment. Sammy Boy talked Sander through the day before in court, so he could relay the information back to Benton and Angel Mom. None of them could take off work to come, so they were supporting long distance. Cedes was texting back and forth with her Mom. I promised George that I would bring them up to speed that evening as he and Moms couldn’t go that day either. Then we had breakfast and got dressed…Sexy Mama showed off for real. She pulled on a sexy ass, tailored Alexander McQueen pencil skirt, an ivory silk and lace cami top that left my ass both shook and horny. Then she pulled on a McQueen peplum blazer that had been tailored to fit her every curve. She put in her third anniversary earrings, her daddy’s girl cross and pulled on a pair of bright leopard skin posh suede and leather D'Orsay pumps, pulled her weave into a chignon at the back of her pretty head and damn… She looked hot as hell. Me and Sam wore dark suits and looked boring. Hudson asked us if we needed her to come with us…but I told her there was no need for all of us to be bored. So, it was just the three of us and Junior who drove down to Columbus that morning. Well, we swung by and grabbed Tike. They had gotten in the night before and were tired of driving, but wanted to come and support our peeps, too.

As soon as Tina got in the car, she immediately asked, “Hey, um…think Hudson already has that list of what we need to bring with us for the tour, I kind of want to buy everything here, ya know.”

Sexy Mama shrugged. “I’ll text her, but some things you know are common sense. Panties and bras, socks, sneakers…practice clothes…your toothbrush and enough toothpaste for a month…start there.”

Tina nodded. The hour and a half long trip passed quickly. We talked and got caught up on the Cali lives of Tike and DJ and Nevel. Nevel was dating a dancer he met through Mike. DJ was still on the fast track to be their class valedictorian, if they called them that at college. Then we caught them up in what all they missed in the courtroom the previous two days. Before we knew it, we were rising for the judge to enter the courtroom. The closing arguments weren’t all that interesting. Ethan delivered them for our side. He gave a concise summary of Finn and Lauren’s accident and the fallout there from. He didn’t sugar coat, but he also didn’t get as graphic as the testimony had been. Tina cried anyway. Chiles was up next. He did his best to concentrate on the whole, Paley paid his premiums so anything the jury might award Finn and Lauren should come from the insurance company, line of defense. It was smart of him to leave that ‘affluenza’ bullshit to the wayside. Massey gave the closing for the insurance company. She continued their strategy of annoying the jury by basically, saying, we don’t care if we took his money knowing something like this would probably eventually happen, make him pay for it all.

The judge gave her instructions to the jury, which included the statutory limitations for the different types of damages they could award. There were the compensatory damages which were divided into economic and non-economic, or as I tended to mentally call them bills and shit and pain and suffering. There was no cap on the economic compensatory damages, Finn and Lauren just had to show the real costs of their accident. The pain and suffering kind of compensatory damages were capped at three hundred and fifty thousand since the case was mainly against Mr. Paley and he had dragged the insurance company into it. The other type was the punitive damages…those were the damages that the jury could award just because they thought the defendant was just that wrong. Those were capped at three hundred and fifty grand as well. She also told them that they also had the option to add all the court costs and lawyer fees for the winners to the damages awarded to them. “Those are a separate finding which is not subject to statutory caps either.” She finished explaining. The she gave them one final charge. “You are to examine the evidence presented and you are to make a determination as to who was at fault for the accident. Then you are to determine if the injuries incurred merit the award of any damages and how that should be apportioned. The last thing you are to decide before you return to us is which of the defendants, if you find in favor of the plaintiffs, should pay what amount of the damages for which each of the defendants are to be held responsible.”

With that the court was in recess until they came back. It was still pretty early, so no one was hungry. Finn, Vince and Lauren talked us all into coming back to campus with them to help them finish packing up their dorm room. On the way we passed the duplex we were refurbishing where they would live the following year. I told Antwan to make sure that the siding was replaced with the good stuff that didn’t have to be painted every other month. It turned out that it was a good thing Finn, Elle and Vince had been packing in the evenings. Because while there were enough hands to get their rooms packed, before we could figure out if we should try and carefully clean in our good clothes, Ethan, who had stayed at the courthouse, called to let us know the jury had come back. It had only taken them three hours.

We headed back over and we soon back in our seats. The judge asked the jury to please repeat the question they had sent to her that she’d had her clerk research and answer before they brought their verdict back. The jury foreperson had one question before they read their verdict. “Your honor, the statutory limit on punitive damages…does that mean that each plaintiff can each be awarded three hundred and fifty thousand dollars in total, or can they receive the statutory limit from each defendant?”

“The answer to that is found in Ohio Statute twenty-three fifteen, part eighteen section B, subsection two. The amount of punitive damages is capped at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars per plaintiff in this action.” She stated for the court transcripts. “Thank you, you may now give your verdict.”

The foreman stood. He was a tall guy, at least six foot five, he looked like the white version of Hell Bent to be honest. He was big and broad with a really deep voice, “In the case of Finn C. Hudson versus Andrew M. Paley and Prestige Insurance company…we the jury, unanimously find in favor of the plaintiff. Mr. Finn Christopher Hudson is hereby awarded three hundred thirty-three thousand and fourteen dollars to be applied to the medical bills incurred by his injuries caused by Mr. Andrew M. Paley on the night of January twenty-fifth, two thousand and fourteen. He shall further be awarded fifty thousand dollars to put towards the replacement of the vehicle destroyed in the accident. We also command the defendants to pay fifty thousand and fifty dollars to pay Mr. Hudson’s remaining college tuition since he is no longer able to play the sport, the scholarships for which, were paying his tuition. Those amounts shall be divided between the two defendants. Prestige Insurance Company will pay sixty-five percent of that four hundred thirty-three thousand, while Mr. Paley is responsible for the remaining thirty-five percent. We further find that Mr. Paley has to pay Mr. Hudson the full statutory limit in non-economic damages. We find that Mr. Hudson is entitled to three hundred and fifty thousand dollars in punitive damages as well. The punitive damages shall be apportioned whereby Mr. Paley is responsible for seventy-five percent or two hundred and sixty-two thousand, five-hundred dollars. Prestige Insurance will pay the plaintiff eighty-seven thousand five hundred dollars in punitive damages. We also compel the defendants to jointly pay all of the plaintiff’s legal fees and court costs.”

I quickly added it up that was over one point one million just to Finn, though part of that would go to the hospital, probably directly…that didn’t include the attorney fees for Uncle Frome. I shook off my desire to know just how hard he was going to fuck the prick over to pay attention as the jury foreman started speaking again. “In the case of Ms. Lauren A. Zizes versus Andrew M. Paley and Prestige Insurance Company, we find in favor of the plaintiff. We award Ms. Zizes thirty-nine thousand five hundred and seven dollars towards her medical costs. We also award her fifty thousand and fifty dollars to pay her tuition or other college associated fees since the accident cause her to miss meets pertaining to her wrestling scholarship. The economic compensatory damages shall be apportioned where by Prestige Insurance Company will pay sixty-five percent and Andrew M. Paley shall pay thirty five percent. We find Mr. Paley shall pay the plaintiff, Ms. Zizes, three hundred thousand dollars in non-economic damages for her pain and suffering. We the jury in the aforementioned case find that the defendants must pay Ms. Zizes an additional three hundred and fifty thousand dollars in punitive damages. That amount is apportioned where by Andrew W. Paley must pay two hundred sixty-two thousand and five hundred dollars while Prestige will pay Ms. Zizes eighty-seven thousand and five hundred dollars. The defendants are jointly responsible for the legal fees and court costs of Ms. Zizes as well.”

The judge thanked the jury and excused them. Andrew Paley looked at Phillip Chiles and said loudly, “Start the appeals process.”

A tall, thin, classically pretty brunette about the same age as Paley stood and strode forward. “No, Mr. Chiles…we are not appealing this verdict. I will pay these people what we owe.” Her smile turned chilling as she clearly said, “This is exactly why I haven’t divorced you yet Andrew. You will not drag this out and hurt these poor young people any further.”

Turning her back on her husband she came directly to the table where Finn and Lauren were shaking hands with Ethan and Antwan. “Hello, I’m Nancy Paley. I would like to go ahead and pay you what my husband owes you according to the verdict. If we can meet at Huntington Bank, there is a branch right up the street. I’d like to take care of all of this as soon as possible.”

“Very well, we can meet you there in an hour. There will be some paperwork to complete.” Antwan said calmly.

She nodded. “I really must say, I paid Mr. Chiles a hundred and fifty dollars per billable hour. I hope that you cost even more…each.”

“Rest easy, we do.” Unc chuckled. Mrs. Paley headed to the bank and by the time we arrived she already had a banker getting the cashier’s checks ready. I went with them because I was interested and Finn said he didn’t mind me tagging along. Most everyone who didn’t have to be there went with Vince to the dorm to finish up there, so when we all headed back to Lima, no one would have to come back until it was time for their athletic camps. The wife of the prick had already had the two non-economic damages checks done. One check for three hundred and fifty thousand dollars made out to Finn C. Hudson and one made payable to Lauren A. Zizes. She and Anwtan did a little math and she had one made payable to Wexler Medical Center for a hundred and sixteen thousand five hundred fifty-four dollars and ninety cents and a second for thirteen thousand eight hundred, twenty-seven dollars and forty-five cents took care of Paley’s part of Finn and Lauren’s medical bills. Two more checks, each for seventeen thousand five hundred and seventeen dollars and fifty cents were made payable to Ohio State University. A second check for Finn was drawn in the amount of seventeen thousand and five hundred bucks, to go towards his new vehicle. By paying the damages to the companies where possible, it would lessen the tax burden on Finn and Lauren. A final duo of checks for two-hundred sixty-two thousand and five hundred dollars completed Paley’s responsibility for the punitive damages. The last thing she did was to have the banker make two checks, both for two hundred thousand dollars, one made payable to Antwan Berry, Attorney at Law, and the other to Ethan Harris with the same appellation. Copies of every check were made for the paperwork Ethan and Antwan would have to file with the courts. Then we raced over to the campus to turn in the OSU checks to the comptroller’s office before they closed and we managed to get to the hospital in time to pay parts of those bills and deliver to them a copy of the official judgment for their records…so they wouldn’t send that shit to collections on Finn or Lauren. 

On the way back to their dorm, we stopped by a Fifth Third bank so Lauren and Finn could deposit the checks that were made payable to them in their checking and saving accounts. I text Uncle Saulie and tell him the news, ask him if he could stay an extra day or two when he and Mills came out to Tessa’s Graduation and help them get their shit together so they can ensure that they had their futures straight. I love my brothers and sisters and I take care of them all, even those who are not blood related at all.

Good Life (Kanye West feat. T-Pain)  
Hudson PoV

It was funny how much Junior and I were able to get done while Puck, Sam and Mercedes where supporting their friends. While life moved slower in Ohio, errands moved a hell of a lot faster. The first thing we did was to go to the Easton Town Center and I was able to put hands on a lot of things I had to get for the tour buses. I needed to make sure the blanket that looked soft and durable online, actually was. I wanted to check the actual sizes of the small pots and microwave safe dishes Mercedes wanted available in each of the kitchenettes. After leaving the mall, I was able to meet with the contractors who would be rebuilding the house my bosses were buying just off campus for their friends to live in the next school year. It was a very productive day. The second day Junior and I actually went back to Lima after taking KAMA to the Franklin County Municipal Courthouse. I had a ball playing with the children at Mother Richardson’s Day Care center, while I talked with her to make sure that she had everything that she needed for her new space. The Day Care Center would open on the first of June, so it was getting closer every day. I also made sure that everything was in readiness in the house for all the family and the couple of guest we’d be hosting for Tessa’s Graduation. Her godfather, George’s college best friend, Noah Werner was staying with us as was her godmother, her biological mother’s older cousin, Samantha Jones. 

With the trial in its final stages, Thursday morning, I asked if they needed me to go with them at all. Moma Dee had texted me before I came down and asked me if I could give her a hand with something. As I wasn’t needed at the court house, I had plenty of time to help her however she needed. I took the keys to Mercedes’ Tahoe…the car was huge…but it was also not brand new or a cherished Christmas gift so I preferred to borrow it when I needed to get around Lima. Lima was the only place I voluntarily drive. I’d taken classes and had a license, but no one drove in New York, the very thought of driving in LA scared me more even more than the idea of public speaking. And that was saying something, death didn’t scare me more than the idea of public speaking.

When I got to the new Jones Family Dental office, Moma Dee took a break from her paperwork. She was, luckily, between patients when I got there, so we went and had a cup of coffee at Baristas in the shopping plaza in front of their new office park. “Okay, so I was thinking, since tomorrow night everyone will be home, the jury should have rendered their verdict and I have a good feeling about that…I was thinking that we could have a dessert party after the senior dinner. I’d like your help getting everything set up for it.”

“Of course, I’d love to.” I told her happily. I needed something to do. I didn’t do idle very well. “What kind of things should we have?”

Moma Dee looked thoughtful for a moment. “I’m not sure. I’ll call my favorite bakery and order a big cake to be delivered Friday evening…you handle everything else. I don’t want anyone to have to cook a lick, so just order everything.” She handed me a prepaid visa. “I put five thousand on here, so just get enough for, we’ll say everyone who was there at Christmas…and get what you like. They’re desserts so everyone will love them. I’ve already ordered the paper goods, so if you’ll handle that side of things I’ll invite everyone and grab the decorations on the way home. Anything left over on that is for you.”

I agreed immediately. As far as I was concerned, I had the fun part and she was going to do the hard work. I had to say I really enjoyed getting to do it. I went straight to Cold Stone Creamery and ordered one of each of their signature ice cream cakes and a gallon each of Shock-a-cone, Cake Batter Batter Batter, Founder’s Favorite, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and buttered almond. I even got a variety of small containers of sorbet. I spoke with the five catering services in Lima and found one who was not only available but would take the job on such short notice without over charging us like crazy. Just because the families were doing well, that was no reason to allow them to be taken advantage of. I ran back to the house and put all the ice cream in the freezer, I grabbed up the red and white table linens Puck and Sam had picked up from that place that was going out of business and I dropped them by the dry cleaners that Moma Dee used and asked for twenty-four-hour service. Then I headed back over to Lima’s newest, and…in my own humble opinion…best, shopping plaza. That was where Alabama’s Catering had their shop. I sat down with Alabama Johnson herself and we created a fun little dessert party menu. Her suggestion was to make sure that there were three to four choices for each person and to be sure to include something like a fruit tray for those who couldn’t indulge in sweets the same way. She had a valid point, especially since there would be people like Grandma Mae and MeMaw and Joe’s great grandmother who were on carefully regulated diets.

So, I counted the ice cream and the cake Moma Dee was getting as one selection. I knew that the grandmothers would probably get a small bit of that and the fruit. For the rest of us, I just went with what sounded best to me. Honey custards with blood oranges and candied lemon, forty would be served in four ounce ramekins, and forty others in sake cups. Rhubarb verrines with salty macadamia crumble sounded delicious and looked so pretty. Walnut shortbread cookies with flake salt and candied Meyer lemon slices were simple and pretty and not as unhealthy as the chocolate mousses that would be served in edible spun sugar and chocolate martini glasses. Mini chocolate truffle pies that would be topped with amaretto cream and chocolate-buttermilk pudding that would look so pretty topped with Chantilly cream and a little sprig of mint. I left Alabama’s shop absolutely delighted.

Then I remembered how many children would be there and so I walked down a few doors to Ashley's Pastry Shop. There I spoke with the baker and I was able to order four different types of cookies that were completely nut free. Tahini Cookies looked almost like peanut butter cookies without putting Nikki at any risk. Pumpkin seed brittle cookies were sweet and salty and delicious. Triple chocolate Brownie bites…were more brownie than cookies, but they still counted in my head. I picked the last cookie just because it was the healthiest option…cranberry blueberry oatmeal cookies had two different fruits and oatmeal. After I left the bakery, I went into Once Upon A Bottle and made arrangements for several bottles of dessert wines of various types to arrive the next afternoon as well. Everything was paid for and set for delivery on Friday afternoon.

I was done a lot earlier than I’d really expected to be. So, I decided to explore a little bit. There was a pretty little florist. With a small smile, I made arrangements for a nosegay of purple blue bonnets for Nikki’s bedroom, a bouquet of blue, pink and white delphinums for MeMaw’s room and a bouquet of red oriental lilies for Bubbie Ruth’s. I ordered simple arrangements, that the florist said would complement their rooms, for the rooms Tessa’s godparents would occupy. Despite having read their Rangeman background checks, I didn’t know either of them well enough to pick a more personalized arrangement for them. I also left there with a nice arrangement of Gerber daises for my own bedroom and a bouquet of purple orchids for Commune’s bedroom. I put those into the Tahoe and left the windows down a few inches and put their stems in some ice water. A walk through the Target Express gleaned a few finds for me personally, and a few things for Triple S, Nikki, Beth, Sloan, Mara and Maea. The same thing occurred when I walked through TJMaxx, though there I found a few things for Moma Dee, Angel Mom and Becah too.

I was on the way home when I got a text from Mercedes saying the verdict had come back in favor of Mr. Hudson and Ms. Zizes. I let Moma Dee know that her feeling was correct. I also sent her a list of the desserts and other things I’d gotten for the party she wanted to hold. She texted me back that I was the best and that she hoped that I hadn’t worked too hard. I assured her that I’d had fun. Cedes texted me to tell me I was on my own for dinner. So, I made a last stop to pick up Chinese for my own meal. I put everything away, created a pretty arrangement of the orchids in the Waterford bowl on Cedes dresser in their room. Then I ate dinner while reading a novel. I loved living with Darcy but living with Darcy did not lend itself to quiet. Having a night of peace and quiet before the cacophony of sound that would happen with all the Altman’s and select Jones, Harrises and others that would be descending on the house the next night was almost as good a birthday present as I could have given myself.

I was turning twenty-six the next day and, I’d not told a soul. I hadn’t really celebrated a birthday…not in all my years in foster care, certainly not in my time in college…I doubted any of my roommates had even known when it was. But I did always acknowledge the day, even if it was just a chocolate bar on a very meager budget. That birthday, I’d gotten myself a few gifts as I shopped for the party that would happen the next night. Once I cleaned up behind myself in the kitchen and made sure that the subzero was set for the ice cream it contained, I headed up to my bedroom and found the Nubian Heritage Abyssinian & Chia Bath Bombs I’d gotten at Target. I set up my iPod to a great, slow classical playlist then ran myself a wonderfully hot bath. I sunk into the depth with a paperback copy of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s ‘Firebrand’ and read in the steamy quiet until my twenty-seven-song playlist was exhausted and I was forced to acknowledge that I’d been in the tub for over an hour and a half. I let the water out and took a quick shower to get actually clean.

Moisturizing was not something I could avoid after being in hot water for that long…so I bit that bullet and pulled on my favorite silk pajamas before climbing into my bed and resuming my book. When I finished the ridiculously long modern Greek tragedy, I wished myself happy birthday and fell happily asleep. It never entered my mind that the way I acknowledged my birthday wasn’t how most people did the same. I certainly never thought that those who had become closest to me might have a different idea of how to mark the event.

I slept a little late, then threw on some exercise clothes and went and did fifteen minutes on the treadmill then twenty minutes on the treadclimber. I showered after I finished working out. It took a certain level of fitness to keep ahead of KAMA’s needs and their schedule. The elevator being right next to my room was great. I was able to go down and work out and get back up to my room to shower without bothering a soul. I wasn’t exactly sure what I would be doing for Sam, Cedes and Noah that day, it might be nothing at all. Still, I decided to err on the side of caution and get dressed for a comfortable day out. I pulled on a simple pair of jeggings and an ivory and gold tunic top. I French braided my hair then rolled it into a bun at the back of my head. Simple earrings, my pretty Christmas watch and a pair of sketcher Mary Janes and I was ready for most anything. I took my iPad down with me. It was time to send everyone the suggested packing lists for the tour. I also had some shopping to do for the group. Lamar, the tour manager, had asked about backup instruments. If we didn’t want the band to bring their own personal instruments to act as backups, which Mercedes did not…she didn’t think the aesthetic of all the different colors and styles was pleasant…then I needed to place orders for duplicates of all of the stage instruments, ASAP.

When I got down to the kitchen, I was a little surprised to find it empty. As I was grabbing some juice and fruit, the door opened from the courtyard and I realized why the house had been so quiet. Everyone, Sam, Cedes, Puck, Junior, and all of the Limans who weren’t at work or school…or day care, came in looking like they had all run a serious triathlon. Even Lauren was with them. Artie came rolling in looking as fresh as a daisy though. “Alright, Sam can you go in the laundry room and get everyone towels and washcloths.” Mercedes said as she huffed. “Nobody sit on anything other than the floor until you go shower. Junior, you have your bathroom, of course…Finn, you can shower in the bathroom off the home office. Vince, the one off the library. Dave, LaKeith, Az…you three can take turns with the shower down in the gym. Tina, Mike, Lauren… there are three empty bathrooms on the third floor. I can trust you three not to bother MeMaw’s bedroom. Santana, Britts, there are two guest rooms on the fourth floor. You can share or you can separate. But EVERYBODY has to CLEAN UP behind themselves. We’ll have a full house starting this evening and Momma’s throwing a party here after Tessa’s senior dinner.” She stressed. “This is gonna be the first time Joe’s extended family is meeting all of us…we want to make a good first impression.”

Noah took over. “We’re meeting back down here in less than an hour…we’re going to go and grab the seniors after their last rehearsal and take them to lunch…And Hudson for her birthday. If you ain’t back down by the time we roll out, you’re shit out of luck.” He warned.

I chuckled as everyone yelled out Happy Birthday. It was really embarrassing. I just knew my face was so red it was throwing off heat. “Uh, thanks everyone.” I stammered. “Cedes, Sam, Puck…I need you to okay a few purchases before you go shower.” I caught them as everyone headed out with their small book bags to get cleaned up and changed.

“Sure, what’s the what?” Sam asked as he wrapped an equally sweaty Mercedes in a hug, with Puck leaning on his shoulder.

I went over the issue with the instruments and they signed off on my ordering the second set. “Hey, while you’re on that site, can you go ahead and order a few more sets of everyone favorite strings and sticks and whatever.” Puck added. “Plus, you have our full permission that if something breaks irreparably, you can immediately order the replacement. We don’t want to be stuck with just one instrument and no backup for long.”

“Oh, yeah and when we were in L-Boogey, Finn and Vince’s dorm yesterday, I saw something I think we should totally do. I know each kitchenette has a fire extinguisher in it and that’s great, but I want you to get a really good first aid kit for each bus.” Mercedes added.

I nodded. “Anything else?”

“Yeah, sorry for making you work on your birthday.” Sam apologized. “But can you also look into something nice we can have in each bunk for the crew when they get on the buses for the first time? Something you guys will like and use even after the tour and everything?”

“I’ll look into it while I’m here this afternoon.” I told them.

“After lunch, we’ll all be at your disposal to help you set up for the party.” Sam assured me.

I laughed. “No, you won’t…you told George and Becah that you three and Junior would be happy to go to Dayton and pick up the family from the airport this after noon.”

“Oh, shi…sessssse…we did, didn’t we?” Sam sighed. “Well, we’ll leave you the guys. That’s ten people to help you out.” He said definitively.

I shooed them on to go and get their shower, then I dragged Artie into helping me to find something good to act as the gift Sam wanted for the bunks. We also reasoned out which first aid kit would be best and decided that an extra small fire extinguisher for the kitchenettes wouldn’t be a bad idea. I went ahead and ordered the pots, small sets of knives, microwave safe but unbreakable dishes, cutting boards and paper products for the bus kitchenettes while I was working on stocking them with safety materials. By the time I was done with all of that, and I’d sent out the packing essential’s list, almost all of Commune’s friends were back in fresh clothing, lounging around the great room area. Tina and Mike came over to ask me a few questions about the list I’d sent.

“Is this really all the clothes we’ll need to bring? I mean, ten pairs of regular underwear plus five sets specifically to wear under our stage gear…that seems low.”

“I can understand why you’d worry, but there is a limited amount of space for each person and there are washers and dryers in each bus and I have a list of laundry mats near our hotels in every city we are going to.” I assured her.

Mike looked relieved. “Okay, that makes sense. So, should we bring our own detergent or something?”

“Not unless you have a special allergy or something. We’re putting a set of free and clear Tide, OxyClean, Clorox 2, Bounce, bleach crystals and LeBlanc Lingerie Wash on each bus. Those are the same things the wardrobe matrons are going to be using on the stage apparel…at least the stuff that doesn’t have to be dry cleaned. We tried to go for all hypo-allergenic and free and clear things.” I explained.

“Whoa. That’s cool.” They both said happily.

I decided that many of the others would probably be wondering the same things, so I typed up a quick memo and sent it out to all who would be on the tour with us in just over a week. I no sooner hit send on that than Commune came running out, Cede wearing an outfit that made me feel comfortable with my choices, though I was sure any one article she had on cost more than all of mine added together. It was really interesting how quickly we rolled out once everyone was ready. We poured into a multitude of vehicles, Mercedes behind the wheel of her Tahoe, since her Mercedes was in New York. Artie, Brittany, Santana and I rode with her, while Junior took the rented SUV, Sam drove his truck with Vince in the front passenger seat and Puck his Charger accompanied by Azimio, Mike and Tina were in Mike’s car, Dave and LaKeith were in Dave’s ride, an older model Chevy Malibu. There would be plenty of room for the nine seniors and for Jake if he popped up, which I was sure I was not the only one who wasn’t surprised when we saw him slip into in the car with Puck and Azimio. I think we were all a little surprised that Kitty Wilde hopped into the car with Junior, Regina, Chase, and Jessica. Still, no one said anything rude to her. I thought a few things…but I didn’t say them. As soon as everyone was in the cars, we motored over to Lock Sixteen Steakhouse for lunch.

The more casual but more expensive restaurant wasn’t one I had been to on any of my previous trips to Lima. Of course, that meant that I had a hard time deciding on my meal. But another part of that was laughing behind my menu watching all the friend laughing and joking with each other. The college sophomores all had a ton of tips for the soon to be freshmen. Sugar, Mike and Tina were getting a boat load of advice from those of their friends who’d been on tour with KAMA the previous year. Some of the advice was really silly, but most of it would be very helpful. It was a lovely lunch. The Philly cheesesteak I’d gotten was perfect. I was treated to a rendition of the Happy Birthday song that can only happen when everyone at the table is very used to singing together. None of us wanted dessert, because over the course of lunch, I may have spilled the beans about the dessert party and what I’d picked. Santana was the first to say, “Yeah, I’m saving all my sugar allotment for the day for tonight.”

I was so very happy that we ran by the dry cleaner and made it back to the house in plenty of time to get everything all set for that evening before the delivery people started showing up. After we dropped the seniors back at the school to get their cars, Cede, Sam, Puck and Junior swung by the house just long enough to empty their cars before they headed to go and play chauffeur for the out of town guests. Their friends were perfectly willing to stick around and move the furniture and brought out several of the tables. Not all of them, but enough that the older people would have plenty of places to sit. Those circular tables and their chairs were covered and made ready for people. Three other tables, two rectangular and a square were arranged as a display area for all the desserts. The large island in the kitchen would hold the ice cream and later the cake. Once things were all set up, people wished me happy birthday again before they disappeared to go and get changed…either they were going to the senior dinner, or they were going on dates and then would come back for the party after.

After they left, I went upstairs and printed out pretty little signs to show what every choice was. Thank goodness that the Moms had made sure the home office was fully stocked. For some reason, there were even printable, ivory business cards that worked perfectly for what we needed that night. The stands for that kind of thing was kept in the butler’s pantry. I had to climb on the counter to reach the cabinet but I got the twenty I needed and had the signs up where I wanted them when the delivery from Petals arrived. I managed the florist delivery, making sure that all the correct flowers ended up in the right rooms and looked great. Just as I was showing them out, Moma Dee and Papa Bent showed up with Sander, Angel Mom, Burt and Carole. Moma came in and looked around. “Hudson, darling girl…you are a treasure. Now if you will tell me and these chuckleheads who all we’re expecting to make deliveries…I’ll make sure that the rest of the work is done.”

“Oh you don’t…” I started.

She cut me off. “Yes, I do have to…you are going to take your birthday gifts upstairs and have a nice shower and get dressed.” Angel Mom handed me a prettily wrapped dress box, while Papa Bent gave me two other bags.

I know I looked gobsmacked. “Thank you. I…you didn…I…Thank you.” I didn’t know the words to tell them how much it meant to me that they thought enough of me to want to celebrate the day I was born, even though they hadn’t met me until twenty-five years later.

They each gave me a hug…even Burt and Carole. Burt gave amazing hugs, by the way, I felt comforted and celebrated at the same time. That was kind of weird. “There are no thanks needed. Just look as good as I know you will.” Moma Dee said happily. “Now go, we have some decorating to get done.”

What could I do but take my gifts and go and do as I’d been told. As soon as I was in my room, I tore into the dress box. The sleeveless, blue and ivory jacquard dress was a traditional party dress. It was a petite sized version so it would hit at my knees rather than being longer than it was meant to be. It had a bateau neck in the front and was nice and high in the back. It even had pockets. I absolutely loved it. I laid the dress on the bed and found that there were three pieces of lingerie under it. A matching set of an ivory, lacy chemise slip, racer back bra and boy cut panties had been lovingly washed…neither Moma Dee nor her daughter believed in putting anything next to the skin that hadn’t been washed. It touched me that she took the time, given her schedule, to do that for me too. In the heavier of the two bags I found a pair of simple ivory, grosgrain, Uggs wedges that had long strands to wrap around my ankles or tie up my calves. They wouldn’t add a lot of height, but I wasn’t a fan of very high shoes in my personal fashion any way. The last bag contained three boxes. The first held gold tone, diamond studded letter H earrings. I opened the next box to find an Anne Klein gold, bangle watch set with three choices for the bracelet part of the watch. The final box was a small Clinique beauty set that give me a Quickliner for Eyes Intense in intense peridot, High Impact mascara in black, and their Pop Glaze Sheer lip color and primer in melon drop pop. That was perfect too, those were all the makeup I tended to voluntarily wear. I showered and dressed from the skin out in my birthday gifts. I used the new makeup and put on my new jewelry and shoes. Looking in the full-length mirror in the corner of the room, I felt as pretty as I had ever felt before in my life.

I finished dressing and was just in time to greet Junior who was back with Bubbie, Nikki and Manny, who’d been relegated to the pull out chair and a half in the library for the weekend. Before I could make it downstairs, I was being introduced to Noah Werner. He must have considered himself something of a lady’s man because as soon as he realized that I was unattached, he started flirting with me. But he was walking with Devon, Kevon and their wives. The big brother vibes from Cedes’ brothers and Junior and Manny were almost stifling. Tonya wasn’t even about to just glare though. “Hudson is completely off limits to the likes of you. Touch her, and Tessa’s god father or not…I will make a soup from your bones.”

“Wow…dark…beautiful…but dark.” He said with a charming smile. Something told me that he flirted like he breathed, so getting shot down didn’t faze him as much as it could have bothered a regular guy.

I heard the elevator and realized that MeMaw must have arrived. She and Artie were the only ones who used it regularly. I don’t know that I will ever understand how they managed to get everyone back settled, changed and all of us back out the door, without ever letting me see the great room and kitchen to make sure it was already. But sure enough, we were at dinner and eating and I realized that I hadn’t made sure that when we got back, things would run smoothly. Unfortunately, we couldn’t all go to the senior dinner…there just wasn’t room to allow every senior as many guests as Tessa would need, so George, Becah, Sarah, Jake, Ruth, George’s Mark and Louise, Noah and Samantha, Tessa’s godmother, went with Tessa while the rest of us had a birthday dinner at Lourdes, Michael Symon’s restaurant in the new shopping center. It was another lively meal. I hated all the attention, but I loved the fact that I felt loved and a part of something for the first time since I was almost too little to remember. I was floating on a cloud of joy. Maea and Mara had given me great big hugs and given me pictures they drew for me. Even as little as they were, their talents were already becoming apparent. Maea’s picture she drew of her and Mara and I looked like people, it looked identifiably like us. She was going to be talented in an entirely different way than her older siblings…amazingly talented. Mara’s artistic endeavor was good for her age…but not like Maea’s. But that was okay. Mara told better stories than most kids twice her age, so I was sure that she would be just fine.

We took our time with dinner. So much so that I was a little worried. Moma Dee must have realized what was on my mind. “Stop fretting Darling Girl. Becah is going to go to the house and set out the ice cream when they get finished. Everything else just has to be uncovered. We’ll have to turn the AC back up to seventy when we get there, but it will all be fine. I promise. Now enjoy your meal.”

I stopped fretting and I ate. With a weird feeling of happiness, I finished my lobster thermidor. I’d had to try it. I remember making my Sims make it for dinner whenever they had dates in the game one of my foster families had had for the kids to play back in the day. We finally headed back home a bit before nine. People would be there before we could get back. I was in such a hurry to make sure that it was all going to be perfect, I didn’t notice quite a few things, even the fact that Commune herded me towards and through the front door, while the rest of our group went through our usual courtyard entrance. As soon as I crossed the invisible threshold between the foyer and the great room, everyone there, pretty much everyone I knew or knew of in Lima Ohio yelled out, “Happy Birthday Hudson!” I was so shocked I almost peed myself.

I looked around the room. It was all perfect. Exactly as I had envisioned for the celebratory dessert party. But there were differences too. The sideboard in the dining room had wrapped boxes and bags. I could see a birthday banner above the island. A cake that looked almost like a wedding cake stood beside the ice cream with candles in the shape of the numbers two and six atop. People were there for me. I looked around totally confused. Moma Dee came up and gave me a hug. “I’m sorry that you had to do so much in planning your own party, but I could not think of any other way to have things you’d love here without spoiling the surprise.”

“Its…I’ve never…I didn’t mind…I don’t know what to…Oh my.” I babbled. “Thank you…thank everyone. You didn’t have to…Thank you. But it seems wrong to take attention from Tessa and Joe. I’ll have a birthday every year…but they will only graduate high school once. Oh, and Lauren and Finn, we have to celebrate the judgement and…please, this is all just too much. But thank you.”

Mercedes laughed. “I think I owe Sam and Noah some money.” She grumbled before going over to a wall near the island and did something with the ribbons that were coming from it. It was flipped and now read congratulations graduates.

The rest of the night was amazing. I tasted all the wonderful desserts. MeMaw, Grandma Mae, Bubbie and Joe’s Gammy Bee all held court at one of the tables. The kids had another. There was laughter and dancing and singing. At about eleven, I opened my gifts. Most of them were simple little things. Blouses or costume jewelry or bath accessory baskets…things for my room here or in New York. It didn’t even matter what the individual gifts were, all that mattered was that I had people in my life who cared enough to give me a gift on the anniversary of my birth. Then Cedes, Sam and Puck, plus all their parents wrapped a scarf around my eyes. They guided me outside. “Okay, your last gift…” Sam said happily.

When they wiped the scarf off my head, in front of me was a silvery blue Audi Q3 with a big bright blue bow on top. Noah handed me a keyless entry key dealie. “This is yours…it’s from us and it’s from George and Moms. It’s from Sand and Angel Mom and Moms D and Hell Bent. Dev and Tonya put in, Kev and Tricie…Tessa, Jake, Triple S…Your whole family put in on this. You can keep it here. You can take it back to New York…whatever you want to do with it because it is yours.” He stressed as he then handed me the clear title to the vehicle with my name on it as the owner.

I may have cried. But it was okay because I was safe and I was loved and I was happy.

Do I Make You Proud (Taylor Hicks)  
Tessa PoV

After Hudson opened her gifts, and got her huge one from her new family, we all kind of gave her hugs and called it a night. I for one was not comfortable with all the emotion she was chocked full of. But there was also the fact that eight of us had to be up the next morning to get ourselves ready for graduation. Coach Sylvester had moved them to Saturday afternoons rather than the Friday nights they used to be held. It made sense, on Saturday afternoons, you didn’t have to use the stadium lights, just the PA system. That was a lot better cost wise. She also moved them out of the April Rhodes Auditorium for the same reason. Another benefit was that we weren’t so limited on the amount of tickets we had. I thought was pretty awesome. Not quite as awesome as having both my godparents in the same place at the same time. Noah and Samantha politely hated each other. Not for any good reason, just because they had slept together once upon a time. According to Noah, Samantha was a raging she-bitch afterwards and therefore he couldn’t stand her. According to Samantha, she had not been a raging she-bitch. Noah had just sucked ass in between the sheets and not in the fun literal way. She had refused to fake an orgasm and he hadn’t liked the fact that she tried to explain to him how to improve his performance. Even though Noah was Dad’s best friend from way back…he said that he was pretty sure that Samantha was telling the truth. But he also said if I ever told Noah that he said that he would deny and disown me. He wasn’t serious…not really.

As I got ready for bed, I couldn’t help but remember the senior awards dinner. Unique had been the first of our Choir Clique to get called. She’d worn a pretty blue, teal and white, one shoulder, jersey, macro-floral, ankle length, column dress with white wedge sandals. They said that she’d be attending Ohio State and received her scholarships for her soloist wins and the one time monetary award from the NHSSCA. Then Coach told us all about the scholarship she won from an LGBTQ youth advisory group and the other she got from OSU itself. After her list of clubs and honors, I zoned out until it was my turn. I went up when they called me a short time later. I was comfortable in a Norma Kamali, sleeveless shirred-waist jumpsuit that made me feel beautiful and yet as badass Linda Hamilton from Terminator 2. I rocked it with my black, cagey, Louboutin sandals, straightened hair and appropriate, but kind of edgy makeup. Coach big upped my school and the creative writing program I’d been accepted to as well as all my clubs and honors.

Chase was up next. She wore a petal pink, knee length, sheath dress with black abstract florals strewn there. Her black heels were fabulous. While U wore her hair down and lightly curled under, Chase’s hair was pulled back into a very mature chignon. She really looked like she was about to give a speech as to the House Ways and Means committee or something. She was going to Harvard. She’d gotten a metric shit ton of scholarships. She’d even gotten a couple of stipends to help her with books and shit. I wasn’t surprised, if there was a scholarship out there that she thought she might qualify for…even if she only fit the qualifications when she squinted and turned her head sideways…she applied for it. I was glad that she’d closed the gap between the college she needed to attend to have the future she wanted to have and the college she could easily afford. And she’d done it her way. Her list of clubs and honors could have been summed up in three words…ALL OF THEM.

Joe was the next name I actually paid attention to. He looked so handsome in a simple navy suit, with a white shirt and no tie. His locks were pulled back neatly. His face was just about perfect, even if there were some crazy people out there like Kitty Wilde who was stupid enough to disagree. Coach was herself in the telling of his awards, scholarships and honors. Basically, she intimated that he only had all that good stuff because he was Teen Jesus. Gammy Bee loved that even if the more sanctimonious members of Joe’s family seemed a bit scandalized. Regina was up next. I loved her business, appropriate, navy blue, scalloped hem, neckline and half-sleeve dress and nude heels. She had only one or two fewer scholarships than Chase, an extra stipend…and all the same clubs and honors. Then there was Sugar, who had quite a few honors and clubs herself, but who was proudly taking a gap year. She was continuing her trend of colorful clothing in a Trina Turk, Faraway, one-shoulder, abstract multicolor, jersey dress and weird looking, but Gucci heels. Steven still looked like Eminem to me…that night he looked like Eminem going to court or something. He was going to Colorado for college to major in marketing and business. His dream was to own his own weed shop. Jessica was only a few names after Steven. She looked cute and happy in a multi-layered, multi-colored, silk tunic dress and dark tan booties. She was very happy with her scholarship to go to The University of the Arts in Philly. The last-minute change had been all about finances. They offered her a full and complete ride. It even included money for books and such. As much as she and Regina had been looking forward to being in the same city for college…no one was happier for Jessica than Reggie.

The final Gleerio of the night was Kitty Wilde. She was going to Indiana Wesleyan University…to get an MRS degree, though she claimed she was going to major in interior design. I did like her dress though. A nude Ponte mini dress with a wraparound asymmetrical ruffle. It was cute. I’d have liked it better if it hadn’t been the almost blush shade of nude. But it was cute. “With such a boring color choice for her dress, she really should have gone with better shoes. From head to toe she is now officially boring.” Samantha commented. She had been doing that all night. Whenever my clapping was only polite, she would vivisect the person’s outfit…or anything that came to mind about the person.

Samantha Jones was closer to Bubbie’s age than Mom’s, but much like Bubbie she lived her life unapologetically for herself and what made her happy. Unlike Bubbie, what made Samantha happy was pretty much just herself…her job, friends and I was in there in an abstract kind of way. She connected with me more the older I got. She was not a ‘kid person’. To be honest, the only reason she was my godmother was because she was the only one of Alex’s family members to give a shit about me and Dad after Alex left. Granted that was showing up one day out of the blue about a month after it was just Dad and me. She had a bottle of vodka and a nanny. She then proceeded to get Dad ripped…totally wrecked. He has always said that there was no level of drunk that would make him forget her words of wisdom that night. “There’s always a contest with an ex. It’s called ‘who will die miserable’. It will damn well not be you. Because that little girl in that ridiculously handcrafted crib in there needs you. Women with bad mothers turn out just fine maybe a little neurotic…but mostly fine. The ones with shitty dads, they end up fucked for life. Well, except me…I’m fucking fabulous.” Dad told me that he’d had to agree with her because she drank three times as much as him and never seemed drunk, nor did she have a hangover the next day.

I personally just worried about her and Santana meeting. It was part of the reason I never introduced them to Samantha when I was visiting. I just wasn’t sure the universe wouldn’t implode if Samantha and Santana, like, shook hands or something. The dinner didn’t last much longer after the Wilde child’s name was read. Dad, Jake and Noah were, of course, still hungry. Samantha just made me promise there would be wine at the dessert party. “I’m sure there will be Samantha,” Mom said with a grin. “My mother fully stocked the kid’s wine cellar. I know that has a Riesling and a Gewirtztraminer that she loves that we can break out if Danica and Hudson didn’t think of wine.”

It wasn’t a problem. Hudson and Danica were both amazing. They had every kind of dessert one could think of and the wines to go with them. Fruit trays…there was a Sauternes and a pink champagne. Honey Custard…Hudson had a demi-sec champagne. Delicious, amazing…I kind of wanted to eat them all…dark chocolate mousse and there was a great port. Samantha let me taste all of them…but only while I was eating the appropriate dessert. As we mingled, enjoying amazing music, pipped through a house wide surround system I was pretty sure was Dad’s brain child, I introduced Samantha to Gammy Bee and Joe’s parents. I was not introducing her to anyone she would feel the least bit of judgement from. She might have been different from what most people considered a positive role model, but she loved me and I loved her. “Tessa. We really have to have a conversation about how you have come to be a family member of the biggest sensation in the free world and you’ve not introduced me to them until now.”

I sighed. “Sorry, but it was for the greater good. I’m scared just having you and Santana Lopez in the same room…having you touch could unravel the fabric of space and time. You both live by the credo that it is better to be harsh and right than to be nice and wrong. You both consider yourselves to be the epitome of fashion, beauty and fabulousness. You’re both pretty well right on that one, if in slightly different manners. So, yeah…”

She laughed. “You darling child…don’t you know that the more beautiful, honest, fabulous women in the world the better. We should all meet and hold cabals as to how improve the world.” I shook my head. That would be exactly Santana’s, and Bubbie’s, take on the subject. “Fine, you’ll meet all three of them by the end of the night…I’ll make sure that they put you on the must invite list.”

Samantha gave me a hug. “Good. Isabelle thinks she is the only one with famous friends…she does get us invited to some of the best parties…but her KAMA invite specifically stated plus one. Whereas if we’re both invited to the next KAMA event, then Miranda and Charlotte can both come with us. A party really isn’t a party without your friends.”

“I’m sorry…this one must really suck for you. I mean, you’re in OHIO. Your girls are back in New York. I’m pretty sure the only unattached guys here are the Rangemen…and Noah, but we all know how you feel about him.”

“I hate him with a passion most people reserve for pedophiles and IRS agents.” She said with a wicked grin. “It is one thing to be bad in bed. Most men are. It is another thing all together to refuse to accept directions to get better.” Samantha paused in such a way that I knew I was not going to like what she said next. “Speaking of men and bed…you’re allowing your little religious icon to follow you to college. How is he in between the sheets?”

I shook my head and pulled a grossed-out face. “Samantha, as much as we both find it strange to think…for the better part of my life you were the closest thing I had to a maternal figure. There is no way on earth I’m answering that question.”

My godmother was unbothered by my answer. “Actually, I think I’d rather not know. I like him. He seems to love you. He seems to be the rare male who would leave before schtuping anyone other than you. He seems the rare religious person who is able to walk the walk rather than just giving lip service to the talk. You should let him know that if he ever hurts you and I find out…his cause of death will be misadventure with stiletto.” She said casually.

“Yeah…you and Santana can never touch.” I grumbled. “I never knew that the same soul could exist in the world in two separate bodies at the same time.”

Samantha gave me a smile. “Every group needs a Samantha, a Santana, a Ruth…women who support and love and are brutally honest. Remember that. Now…introduce me to that lovely Latin man with the third leg in those Armani slacks.”

I introduced her to Manny, after warning her about the fact that he wouldn’t really do more than flirt until after his charge was in bed for the night. But he must have joined her after he finished his duties and been very, very, very good in bed. Samantha was smiling like a crazy woman when I saw her the next morning. She told me that part of her gift was that she was treating me at Veronica’s. Lamar took one look at her and dragged her into his chair. By the time he was done with her hair, it looked amazing and she was contemplating flying out to visit him every six weeks. I would have been offended that she was more willing to visit for a hair colorist then her goddaughter…but I actually liked Samantha best when she was in New York and I was in Lima. Living in the same city with her had been hard on both of us because neither of us really got what her obligations were…how much we should talk or see each other, or whatever. She was a perfect long distance god mother. She called once in a while, sent me cool stuff every now and again, popped her head in for major events…she was a great long distance god mother. Samantha had insisted I get a mani-pedi with her too so we were heading up to Jewel’s As soon as we were done in Veronica’s. I literally wasn’t considered done until Veronica was finished pinning my mortarboard to my ‘Ronica enhanced curls. Cede and most of her crew came in as we were, finally, paying. They had gone up to Jewels first, before coming down. Not that there weren’t enough chairs or anything at Veronica’s…Cede just wanted to let me and Samantha have some quiet time for the two of us. It was nice of her, but pretty unnecessary. I took Samantha back to Commune’s house to get dressed. The guys and Nikki were still there, they would make sure that she had a ride.

I barely had enough time to get changed, pick up Unique and make it to the school by twelve thirty. McKinley’s Graduation Robes were red…Titans red. So, girls were required to wear white dresses and the boys were in white dress shirts and light pants. I wasn’t really feeling a dress that day…or any day I didn’t have to be in that damn Cheerio uniform. I’d never minded skirts before I got drafted onto the Cheerios. After spending almost three straight years in that short ass skirt…I was loving pants. When U and I went looking for our graduation dresses, neither of us wore much white, I’d lucked upon a two-piece white jumpsuit with almost culottes like pants and a cold shoulder, cropped top. U loved dresses…which made sense. A white, floral lace, fit and flare, sundress made her ridiculously happy. We found two different pair of white wedge sandals. Mine were, of course, higher than hers. I guess it wasn’t her fault that she’d been a somewhat shorter guy, but as a woman, she was positively Amazonian.

There may have been a bit of speeding, but U and I were not the last of the seniors to arrive. No one was technically late. Not a single one of us was brave enough to see if our Coach-Principal would really make any late comers babysit a freshman summer school class to get their diplomas. Sue Sylvester-Motta liked to pretend she was a total bitch who didn’t give a damn about anyone who wasn’t useful to her in that particular moment. But she let us wait in the air-conditioned area at the threshold of the locker rooms. There were water stations everywhere and special seats for those people who were either elderly or otherwise more susceptible to the heat in the visitor’s section outside those locker rooms where things were shadowed and cooler. The stage was covered, not enough to make lights a necessity, but enough to make the dignitaries not have to swelter.

At one o’clock people were allowed to enter the stadium. At one thirty, the seniors lined up. Chase and Regina side by side followed by those of us who made up numbers three through thirty-five of our class rankings. After the last of the top ten percent, everyone else lined up in alphabetical order. It was hilarious to me that the only senior Gleek who wasn’t in the first fifty was Kitty Wilde. It was too bad she had always been too busy to study with the rest of us. We walked out to Pomp and Circumstance and took our seats. Chase and Regina were on the stage with the important people. The opening was nice and short. Regina gave her speech. She focused on all the work it had taken to get us to this point. Then she and Chase presented Sue with the gift from our class. Why on earth Quinn and her crew thought a senior class gift was a good tradition to begin…I would never understand. Our class refinished the trophy display case in the main hall. It had needed expanding anyway. McKinley was crushing competitions everywhere. Sue accepted the gift graciously. Of course, she mentioned that we needed a bigger one anyway. Then Ms. Pillsbury read off the honor students by category. The Mayor of the city of Lima gave a speech about how they had named a street after some long-ago home ec teacher who had retired before I moved to Lima and died that school year. It was boring as hell. But her family was endowing a scholarship for someone who wanted to go to school for culinary arts. That was cool.

The nine senior Gleeks were up next. We made Taylor Hick’s ‘Do I Make You Proud’ sound amazing. They gave us our diplomas. Or the cover for them. We had to get the actual diploma after the ceremony. I was so proud of Joe and U. They treated us to an awesome cover of Cede’s ‘The Climb’ from the SongBird soundtrack. She didn’t even charge the class to use it. When they took their seats, it was time to hear from our valedictorian. Where Regina’s speech looked back, Chase’s speech was about our bright and shiny futures. It was a damn good speech. I was totally yoinking it if I ever wrote a great American coming of age story. I was good with that being the end. But Coach Sylvester had gotten the District 4 Ohio State Representative to speak about…I could honestly not even begin to try and remember what he’d talked about. He was just so smug…I kind of wanted to punch him. Undeserved Smugness always moved me to at the very least imaginary violence.

Once that windbag finally sat his but back in his chair, Chase and Regina led the assembly through the alma mater and we seniors moved our tassels to the other side and we were officially done with the bullshit. It was awesome. Sue was a smart cookie. We had to go and get our actual diplomas and parents wanted pictures with their new graduates. So, she set up a really nice photo area, with two chairs and a McKinley High Class of twenty-fifteen background, just past the table where the other two guidance counselors and Coach Bieste were handing out the real diplomas. Everyone moved through the line grabbed their diploma, snagged their parents, and David, Shelby and an actual photographer, from one of Mr. Motta’s businesses, took pictures. Dave and Shels did it with the students or parents’ phones and-slash-or cameras and the photographer took his with a nifty CAMERA that was wirelessly connected to a photo printer. For ten bucks, the parents could have a great picture of them with their graduate. The school got five and Mr. Motta got five. A win-win for everyone. They made like fifty bucks off my family alone. I took a picture with Dad and Moms and another with my grandparents, Bubbie included. Then I took one with Samantha and another with Noah, finishing off with a picture of all of the above and my siblings. It was cool though. It kind of felt nice.

After the ceremony, we all took pictures with our friends and all that jazz, then we took our happy asses home and showered…it was hot, the extra shower was a must. The gleeks and our families then gathered at the Hart’s farm. They had the most space of any of us. Otherwise we’d have had to go to the state park for the celebratory barbeque. It was a feast, which was great…I was starving. Gammy Bee and her family were pretty awesome. The few sanctimonious ones seemed to have married in, but thankfully they also got hemmed up trying to decide between being judgmental or stars truck when it came to KAMA, so they didn’t bother anyone much. Since KAMA was having to fly out to Vegas that night to be there for Billboard Awards the next evening, they were giving us graduates their gifts that night. The parents were all good with it, even if I heard a few other people get scandalized. They did wait until everyone had finished with their meals…basically, too full to move much. “Okay, so…umm, Chase…we’ll start with you.” Puck said when they had everyone’s attention. “You’ve been good to Jake. I know that you two aren’t going to be together much longer and I can respect why…but you’ve been good to my bro, so you might be getting a little bit more than your non-biological sisters.” He told her honestly. “First, the regular gift.” Junior appeared with a big ass Rubbermaid, ninety-five quart, clear storage container filled with rolled up something and Chase’s name frosted into the plastic of the top and side. “Umm, two fleece blankets with your name on them so no roommate thievery can occur. Two microfiber sheet sets Plus, two sets of monogrammed towels, washcloths, and a fluffy, monogrammed robe. All of you are getting that. But for you…you proved to me at Christmas that even if you and Jake aren’t forever, you do love him. Since you’re going Ivy League, you need a set of pearls.” He handed her a black bag that read Mikimoto.

Regina and Jessica got the storage containers filled with the same things, then, despite what he said about Chase being special, Sam gave them each a really cool Yeti tumbler. Okay, so they weren’t Japanese pearls expensive, but they weren’t cheap. Steven got the storage container and a really nice watch. Kitty just got the storage container and a tee-shirt from the college she would be attending in the fall. She could so suck it. That made me really happy. Sugar got the storage container of stuff too. “But since you won’t be able to bring that container on the tour bus, we got you a Tumi duffle bag to bring with you when you leave the bulk of that stuff at your cousin’s apartment.” Sam told her with a big smile.

Unique was up next. After she got the big thing, Mercedes gave her in an envelope. “I know that there is only a certain level of Diva that you can obtain at the Lima Mall. So, next week, before you go for your surgery, you’re coming to New York with Tessa and Joe. Once there, you have an appointment with Ruth Mayzer and Kurt Hummel…and a shopper at Saks. They’re gonna make sure that you go to college with everything a Diva needs. Especially so that when you feel like dressing up and diva-ing out…you’ll have everything you need.” U would blame her hormone therapy for the tears that slid down her cheeks, but I didn’t have anything I could blame for the tears I shed in that moment. How awesome were my brothers and sister? “Oh, and you know that your spiritual Papa Kurt has something for you too.”

Joe and I had been saved for last. “Alright Joe, you’re next. You know that you’re going to benefit from our gift to Tessa even if you don’t know what it is yet. But by the same turn, you’re so special to us too that we couldn’t just rest on that laurel.” Sam told him with a gentle smile. “Now, we got your mom and dad’s permission before we did this. So, don’t worry…” Another envelope was handed to him. “First thing Monday, before you and Tessa fly out on Tuesday, you’re to go to Tom Ahl’s Dodge, Jeep, Ram. They are holding a Jeep Patriot for you…you’re to pick your color…that is the only decision that you have to make. It’s already been paid for, so if you don’t go pick, you’re just giving them our money.”

Joe threw his arms around Sam and then swung Cedes around in a big hug before doing the same thing to Puck. He didn’t try not to show his happiness. I knew he’d been worried about his transportation since he’d be spending his college fund on tuition and room and board and everything. He had some scholarships, but out of state tuition was a bitch. “Thank you. I…I…Thank you.” he said solemnly.

Gammy Bee cut the tension. “Get up early Joey. I want to take a ride in your new car before I have to go home.”

“Gammy Bee, say the word and you can have a new car of your own.” Puck said, probably only half kidding. Gammy Bee was that awesome. “You know, you’re the only woman I’d consider breaking Cede’s heart for.”

“Boy, you’re a cutie…but I’m so far past the stage where your anything but an extra grandbaby to me.” She shot back sassily. “Now, if’n I was only twenty years younger.”

That made everyone laugh. Even if she were twenty years younger, she’d have still been older than Bubbie. I was the center of attention then, it was my turn. I got the big storage thingie…then I got a folder that reminded me of the ones Dev and Kev had pulled out their boxes at Christmas. “Tell me you didn’t?”

“We could say it, but we’d be lying.” Puck shot back.

I opened the folder and the first thing I saw was print out of a map. The pointer showed an address less than ten minutes from campus. I looked behind that and there was a picture of a cool red two story house. There was a real estate summary behind that. I blinked a few times. “Three bedroom, two full baths, gourmet kitchen, seventeen hundred and twenty-eight square feet. Attached garage, basement meditation and exercise room with laundry. Completely remodeled. I…I…” Great, my eyes were leaking again. There was a free and clear deed of ownership…with my name on it in the back of the envelope. The house wasn’t just where me and Joe could stay the next four or so years…it was mine, forever. Wow.

“We figured that just buying you the house would be cheaper than paying Ethan and Antwan to get you off when you inevitably killed whatever roommate the school assigns you since they think you’re a normal cheerleader, not one who only cheered under duress.” My big brother teased.

Sam gave me a big hug. “The house is fully furnished, so all you’ll need to do is just get things like you would for a dorm, your personal stuff. There are three bedrooms so you can have a library and Joe will have his own room. If you aren’t paying room and board, we didn’t see any reason for him to have to either.” Joe started to say something. “Don’t worry Joe. We know that you won’t be comfortable if you consider yourself to be freeloading. So, you’ll pay some rent and you’re going to be our Mr. Fix-it. Your dad swears that you’ve kept half this farm running since you were twelve.”

Joe beamed under the praise and the fact that he was certain that the new circumstance, well new to us anyway…something told me the parents have all known all along…would be far less expensive than the room and board at the University of Iowa. “I’ll keep everything in the best shape ever.” He promised. “Especially Tessa.” He added before Sam or Puck could poke at that question.

One of Joe’s married in aunts seems a little verklempt at the prospect of the two of us sharing a house, since we weren’t married or anything. But Gammy Bee knew all, even about his father’s side of the family apparently. “Oh shush, Amy…you and Jacob’s brother shared a one bedroom apartment for two years before you got married. And your eldest was born at eight pounds, that doesn’t usually happen when they are two months premature, does it?”

Mrs. Sanctimonious looked to her husband for help but he just put his hands in the air and shook his head. “Nope, I told you that it wasn’t any of our business in the first place and that Joe was a good kid and his Tessa seems like one too. You just had to keep harping on this and that until you got slapped down. Well, hope you’re happy now. I’m not getting on Mrs. Bee bad side.”

Smart man. Gammy Bee is kind and gentle, but something had always told me that she didn’t survive all her late husband’s scandal and all she’d gone through without having a back bone of solid diamond. I noticed that Racheal, Joe’s mom, went over to have a little conversation with his aunt Amy. Very soon thereafter, the aunt looked more than suitably chided. But she didn’t storm off, like I’d almost expected. She was just quiet for the remainder of the party. The rest of the night was filled with food…Hudson had brought over the leftover cake, ice cream and cookies, plus there was a huge ‘Congratulations Graduates’ sheet cake. It was a good haul. It was a great day. I had a really great time. Before I left I had to carry little Phoebe to bed. She was seven and the youngest of Joe’s siblings. She loved me. Whenever I did things with the Hart family she was my shadow. But she was such a little sweetheart I never minded. I was pretty sure that she and Nic were my favorites. It took forever to day good night to everyone. Especially since I wouldn’t be seeing many of them again until Christmas break. There were more tears. Until Moms D reminded us all that we had Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Facetime, Skype and a wealth of other ways to keep in touch. Still even she knew it wouldn’t be exactly the same. That was what growing up was. It never truly changed.

I slept like the dead that night…we all did. No one in our house moved until ten. We got up and I had a nice chat with my rather neglected, abandoned grandparents. Mona and Richard Altman were good people. They just…they were so boring. They never approved of any of Dad’s or my life choices. Even having graduated as one of the top ten students of my class, my grandfather thought that I should have been higher. My grandmother felt that I should have worn a nice dress under my robe like my pretty friend with the unfortunately strange name. once they had those trivialities off their chests that was when they decided to broach the subject that had really been sticking in their craws. “Tessa, I know that for those type of people, money is just another way to show their success, and that is nice for them. But do you really think that it is appropriate to accept such an expensive gift from them?” Grandma said in what I’m sure was supposed to be a tone of question rather than censure. She didn’t make it. Her tone was totally judgy.

“Or to be planning a future with a young man who would do so?” Grandad added gruffly.

I managed to keep myself from rolling my eyes…barely. “Okay, I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that when you said those types of people, you mean world famous musicians.”

I had to give her credit. Grandma looked really confused as to what else she could have possibly meant. “Of course, I mean…I know that it is perfect acceptable for people to make that their career, and I have to say Mercedes Jones has a voice that comes around once in a lifetime. But I grew up believing that a lucrative career in the arts was as likely as winning the lottery. Sure, it happened to some people…but it was rarer than getting struck by lightning.”

“Okay, I get it. Anyway…Grandad, I remember at Great Uncle Rob’s funeral you said that he’d played the lottery from the very beginning…as soon as he could. Every week like clockwork he bought two tickets.”

“Yup. Sometimes he’d win little pots. That was how he took Gladys and their kids on that cruise in the nineties.” Grandad said fondly. “He never did win the big one he was hoping for though.”

“Yeah, but if he had, do you think he’d have brought you and Grandma that retirement condo in Boca?” I asked pointedly. I already knew the answer to that one.

“Of course, he would. You can’t get money like that and not take care of your family.” Grandad sounded offended that I would even ask. I just looked at him for a second waiting for the light to come on. Thankfully, annoying they may have been, my grandparents were not dumb. “So, you can accept it because in your hearts and minds…Noah is your brother.”

“Exactly. You know that Dad and Mo-Becah…they consider all of us to be theirs…even Jake. And we consider each other to be family too. Sam and Cede too. No steps…no in-laws…just brothers and sisters.” I tried to impress upon them. “Though, I cannot figure out the car for Joe. I mean, they are paying us enough for our summer working on their tour for him to get one for himself.”

Grandad’s smile was a funny bit of smugness. I felt my face scrunch up. I hated it when my Dad or Grandad knew something I didn’t know or worse- figured something out before I did. “Maybe they wanted to make sure that he had that particular kind of car. One of our neighbors down in Boca bought one for his granddaughter’s college graduation gift. She’s moving to Rochester, New York…lots of snow in Rochester. Those Patriots are supposed to be amazing in the snow. You’re driving a Focus, great on gas mileage. But those are small cars, light…not good in snow at all. I might have wondered about the boy taking the car, but I can’t fault your brothers for making sure that you’re taken care of. Your grandmother and I, we just worry. We know that it was partly our fault that your father ended up with your mother.” Wow, those two words conveyed an entire wealth of hatred and disdain. “We may be overcompensating now a little bit I suppose.”

“That or we just feel like outsiders in your lives.” Grandma sighed.

I smiled. “Well, the cost of living in Lima is pretty low. I happen to know of a development of townhomes across town being built next year.” I said conspiratorially. “But you didn’t hear that from me.” Hell, it could make them happier, and it wasn’t like I would be in Lima all that much longer.

They exchanged a look. “We’ll never tell.” They promised solemnly. “Now, don’t we need to get ready to go. What time are we meeting the rest of the family so we can all give you our gifts?” Grandad asked casually.

He was right. I ran upstairs to get showered and changed and we herded everyone into the cars and over to the Commune house. It was the only place that could hold all of my family. Moms D handled feeding us all…she had it catered though. With Mara and Maea running around now…she never really had the energy to do massive amounts of cooking without all the help she had at Christmas and Easter and such. I knew that after everyone left later that day, she and Mom and Angel Mom would go over the house to make sure that things were in their right spots and such before the cleaning ladies came in Monday. The house would be cleaned from top to bottom, every sheet and towel washed, all the beds remade then the moms would lock the house down, including the garage and courtyard, until the next time Commune came home.

But that afternoon, every one there was there for me. My Grandparents, Grandma Mae, MeMaw and Aunt MJ gave rather traditional gifts. Grandma and Grandad gave me a set of really nice Samsonite luggage, including a steamer trunk. Grandma Mae gave me linens, which totally prove to me that everyone had known what Commune was getting me before I did. The linens Grandma Mae gave me included a percale sheet set for a queen bed. MeMaw got me a pretty desk lamp that came with a detachable, rechargeable book lamp. Aunt MJ gave me a rolling backpack that had a laptop pouch and was stuffed full of school supplies and a Costco Club Membership. Essie couldn’t make it, but she sent me three gorgeous handmade sweaters. I could almost feel the love that she’d poured into them. They were amazing colors too. One was a vibrant teal, one a slightly shimmery oatmeal and the last a pure black with subtle silver threads among the black yarn. A lot of the others gave me money.

When I counted later, I realized that I had a little over five grand between all the Joneses, Altmans, the Puckermans, and some of the closer Harrises. I was floored. But there were also plenty of gift gifts. I got a great piece of art from Stevie and a box set of the Chronicles of Narnia hardbacks from Stacey. Bubbie Ruth gave me clothes, and towels. Samantha looked me up and down, before handing me a card with three gift cards, one for La Perla, one for Agent Provocateur and one for Victoria Secrets. According to the gift receipts, all three cards had a thousand dollars on them. “You’re a young lady now. It is time for you to own lingerie instead of underwear.” She said with a smirk. “I see that your friends have made sure that you understand the difference between shoes and footwear. Hopefully they have begun the process of educating you on foundation garments. The Victoria Secrets and La Perla are for everyday…the Agent Provocateur is for when you decide to get serious about making your Joe break his vow of chastity.” Damn. I wondered for a moment who had told her. She clearly gave me a ‘we’ll talk later’ look though so I didn’t jump on that grenade. 

My godfather, Noah, was usually a cash or gift card guy…in fact, the box he handed me that afternoon was the very first gift I had ever received from him in eighteen years of birthdays, Christmases…first communions…Noah Werner gave gift cards. It was a rule of the universe as I knew it. “Your dad told me all about how you’re spending the summer crisscrossing the country with your brother’s band.” I love how he made it sound like I would be huddled with KAMA and their backup band in a passenger van like most hard rock bands do their first tour. Anyway…that can be dangerous. And I know they will have security with them. And I know that you aren’t still the little girl with pigtails and the missing bicuspid from the picture on my desk, by the way…can I get an updated picture for my desk. I know school pictures are still a thing and you do know that cameras don’t actually steal your soul, right? Anyway. I did a little research online. Tasers are not legal in all fifty states…not even stun guns. So, I got you some barely legal everywhere, and only really legal in states where Bubba is an acceptable nickname. Yeah, so last year I put a little bit of money in a company called Undercover Colors. It’s not on the market yet, but when they asked me why I wanted to invest, I told them that my goddaughter was almost college age and a few weeks ago they sent me a sample. It is supposed to tell you if a drink has been spiked. Sorry there are only two colors right now. I also got you a door stop alarm. You can put it under the door of a hotel room and it will wake you up…and most of the people on your floor, if someone tries to break into your room or whatever. Oh, and that bracelet in there is actually a hidden USB drive. You can put all your important documents on there and hide them in plane site. The scarf has hidden compartments. Plus, I did get you a money belt. I know that people don’t really use cash anymore, but it wasn’t expensive. Anyway, there are some gift cards too…because tradition says that it must be so.” He was adorable. I couldn’t not hug him. He may have had trouble behaving like a normal human being, but he did care about me. I thought about it for a second. Hell Bent and Moms D were the only normal dentists I’d ever met, so maybe that was a thing.

“Thank you, Noah. I’m shocked that you still have my first-grade picture…I thought for sure that Dad would have sent you the next year. Though second grade was the last time I brought the sheet home. So, yeah.” Thankfully everyone in the room found it funny. But it was true. Dad and I had long ago reached an agreement I didn’t run from his camera when we were out and about and he just had to take a picture, and he didn’t force me to face the conformity horror that was school pictures. I mean, yeah, I still had to take them for the yearbook and he always made me buy one…but no more did he make me get the big packages of stupid posed pictures that we’d never seemed to run out of.

Moms D and Hell Bent got me three really cute bed sets for a queen bed. Sander and Angel Mom got me a bunch of emergency car things, like a Triple A membership, a rechargeable battery jump kit, a big ass Mag Flashlight a roadside emergency kit, snow chains for my tires…things I might need between the time I went to school in September and Christmas break. Nikki gave me a bunch of random things…I think she found one of those high school graduate’s gifts list online. She got me two sets of travel chargers for my iPad, Pod & Phone. She got me really cute, waterproof case for carrying one set. She got me a really nice journal and a great pen set. Bubbie and Samantha shared a mind. She’d gotten me the All in all it was a great end to one stage of my life. I was enthusiastic about beginning the next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladies & Gentlemen...Lets go out with a BANG.  
> Comment like you've never commented before.
> 
> It is my plan to start posting the first chapter of Summer Menage IV starting on or around the Fourth of July. 
> 
> Lets hope that Life treats us all kind in the mean time.   
> TTFN,   
> Anni


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